Birth Methods
Normal vaginal delivery
It is the vaginal delivery of the baby after the labor pains open the cervix and the mother pushes. Birth pains are contractions in the uterus. These contractions open the uterus during the first stage of labor and then push the baby out. Unfortunately, these contractions are felt by mothers as pain. Each pain brings the baby a little closer to birth.
The gestation period is 40 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period. After the thirty-seventh gestational week, childbirth can begin. Sometimes the birth does not start even after 40 weeks. In this case, according to classical information, it can be expected until the 42nd week. However, during this waiting period, the baby's placenta ages, the baby's weight increases, and the water may decrease. It should be checked at frequent intervals. If the birth does not start spontaneously at the end of this period, the hormone oxytocin, which is called artificial pain, which causes contractions in the uterus, is given to the mother in serum in a controlled manner. The baby should be monitored at this time.
If the birth starts spontaneously, it will take less time. The opening time of the womb in labor may extend up to 12-14 hours in first births. However, the pain will not always be of the same intensity during this period. After the cervix opens 4-5 cm, it starts to bother the mother a little. After the uterus is fully opened (10 cm), straining is felt with pain. After the baby's head is born, the physician delivers the shoulders, trunk and legs, and the pain ends with the birth of the baby. A slight pain may also be felt during the separation of the baby's spouse. During the waiting period, the mother should be given medications that soften the cervix and prevent spasm, give fluids, and meet her energy needs with serum if necessary. Because the uterus needs energy to contract.
epidural analgesia
With epidural analgesia, mothers experience a much more comfortable delivery process. The reason why normal delivery is more common in Western countries is the more frequent use of epidural analgesia. Today, birth with epidural is performed successfully and safely in many centers in our country. In epidural analgesia, even if a catheter is placed at the beginning of labor, it is waited until the cervix is opened 4 cm before giving pain medication. If it is applied in the early period, it can stop the labor pains, that is, the birth. Patients who have undergone epidural analgesia may not feel straining at the time of delivery. However, laborers can tell the mother when it is time to push by observing the pain by hand or on the monitor. In patients who have had an epidural, if stitches (episio) are required during delivery, they can be repaired without the need for an additional pain reliever.
In which cases normal birth is not preferred
The first baby comes upside down (with its bottom), the baby's side position in the mother's womb, the placenta is in front, the placenta is separated early (before the baby's birth), the cord is in front of the baby's head, the baby's water is severely reduced (these babies can get into trouble during birth), triplets pregnancy, the first baby's bottom is forward in twin pregnancy, large baby (problems may occur during delivery of the baby's shoulder and collarbone and neck nerves may be damaged) , narrow bone structure of the mother (for this, evaluation should be done in the last month of pregnancy and even after the start of labor if possible), waist cesarean section is preferred if the mother has a herpes (herpes) and viral infection in the genital area, such as hernia, heart disease, high blood pressure, in cases where it is inconvenient for the mother to push, and if the mother has had a vaginal tightening operation, cesarean section or myoma operation. In addition, cesarean section is preferred if the baby's cord descends into the vagina after the start of labor, the baby's heartbeat decreases, the labor does not progress, and this period exceeds 24 hours in pregnant women whose water has already come.
cesarean delivery
Cesarean section is an abdominal surgery. With an incision made on the skin of the abdomen, the layers of the abdomen are opened, and the baby is delivered with an incision made into the uterus by entering the abdominal cavity. The placenta is removed and the cut tissues are gradually repaired. It can be applied to the mother with general anesthesia or epidural anesthesia (unconsciously eliminating the pain sensation only in the lower part of the waist).
Cesarean section is an operation. Complications that can be fatal such as blood loss, risk of infection, anesthesia-related complications, blood clots in the veins or obstruction by amniotic fluid are more common. If the normal delivery is difficult and takes a long time, postpartum bleeding or late period bleeding and urinary incontinence may develop when coughing. Usually, stitches are done at birth to prevent this strain. If the problem is permanent, it can be corrected with a small operation.
Difference between cesarean section and normal birth
The baby is in a liquid in the womb. This fluid enters the baby's airways. During normal delivery, the baby expels fluid as it passes through the vagina. However, in a cesarean section, the baby does not have this chance. For this reason, frequent breathing and sometimes even temporary intensive care follow-up may be required in the postnatal baby. The mother may not be able to feed her baby adequately due to post-cesarean pain. When the baby is not fed enough in the neonatal period, bowel movements may not be sufficient and the jaundice seen in all newborn babies may reach more pronounced dimensions by experiencing reabsorption from the intestine.