Birth ABC explanation: part 1

I received several requests to explain the words from the Birth ABC. So here goes:

Apgar Score

A score to assess the immediate condition of a newborn at 1 minute and then again at 5 minutes after birth. Sometimes it's repeated after 10 minutes as well. The name Apgar comes from Virginia Apgar, an anesthesiologist from 1952 who started this method. APGAR is also an acronym for the five criteria of the Apgar score: Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex irritability), Activity (muscle tone) and Respiration.

A newborn receives a score between 0 and 2 for each of the 5 criteria. A total score of 8-10 is considered good. Most babies will receive 8 or 9 at their 1 minute Apgar assessment.

It is important to note that a low Apgar score says nothing about the long-term development of an infant!!

Birth ball




Also known as exercise ball. The ball is great to sit on during pregnancy, because you can rock on it which is a great exercise in preparation for birth.
During labor, the ball is great to sit on (in the shower or basically anywhere), or lean on. It is one of the most used tools for effectively dealing with contractions.

Contractions

During labor and birth, the uterus contracts in order to get the cervix to dilate and to move the baby down and out. False contractions are also known as Braxton-Hicks contractions, and don't put you into labor.
Real contractions can feel like waves of pain, similar to menstruation pain. Sometimes they are only felt as tugging or pressure in the abdomen, lower back, buttocks and/or thighs.

If you experience more than 4 (Braxton-Hicks) contractions per hour before 37 weeks, drink 2 glasses of water and lie down for an hour. If they don't go away, contact your care giver because it may be preterm labor.

Dilation

The cervix is the lowest part of the uterus, and ends in the birth canal (also known as vagina). During the pregnancy, the cervix is hermetically closed, and sealed off with a mucus plug. During labor, the contractions make the cervix dilate (open up) in order for the baby to be able to pass through.
Dilation is measured in centimeters (cm) or in fingers. 1 finger is the equivalent of 2 cm. The cervix needs to dilate to 10 cm, which is enough to let the baby pass through. 10 cm dilation is also known as full or complete dilation. Upon reaching full dilation, you are allowed to start pushing.

Epidural

A form of anesthesia where the lower part of the body is completely numb. It is the most popular and also the most effective form of pain management during labor. There are many risks attached to epidurals. The best known are severe headaches afterwards, possible drop in maternal blood pressure (which leads to fetal distress), maternal paralysis and even maternal death (extremely rare).
Only an anesthesiologist can administer an epidural.
For more information, click here.

Episiotomy

A cut in the perineum (the skin and muscles between the vaginal opening and the anus) in order to let the head of the baby out. In most cases, the perineum is flexible enough to let the head through without the need of an episiotomy. In fact, most agree that it's better to let the perineum tear a bit, as much as necessary, in stead of performing an episiotomy.

To be continued....click here.
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