Stimulation of labor is a procedure performed by obstetricians in accordance with indications for use (for example, deterioration in the health of the expectant mother due to an exacerbation of a chronic disease, polyhydramnios, unsuccessful and rather long attempts of the mother's body to enter the process of childbirth, and others).
Methods for stimulating labor can be conditionally divided into stimulating the ability of the uterus to contract, and having a significant effect on the dilation of the cervix of the uterus.
Instructions
Step 1
The first include the opening of the fetal bladder (amniotomy).
Be prepared for the fact that the doctor will insert a plastic instrument into the vagina to open the fetal bladder. Through the cervix, the doctor will use this instrument to capture the fetal bladder and open it. At the same time, amniotic fluid will pour out, which will cause a sharp drop in pressure inside the uterus. Therefore, the baby's head will begin to press on the pelvic bones and the cervix will open. The procedure itself is more unpleasant than painful, since there are no nerve endings on the fetal bladder. Doctors try to open the fetal bladder only when the baby's head has entered the small pelvis of the woman in labor.
Step 2
Prepare yourself to think that if the amniotomy did not help you, then it is possible that you will be given an oral dose or given intramuscularly, or oxytocin, an analogue of a hormone produced by the human pituitary gland, will be injected intravenously. Oxytocin is able to affect the muscle fibers of the uterus, namely, stimulates their contraction. Doses of this drug are selected individually for each woman in labor, and since the generic role increases when taking the drug, then the dose is selected for each woman in childbirth individually. It is usually used together with antispasmodics. Side effects of oxytocin can lead to poor circulation in the uterus and oxygen starvation of the baby.
Step 3
Impact on the cervix of a woman in labor
Be aware that if the cervix is not ready (immaturity), doctors often use prostaglandin hormones. They are inserted into the vagina or cervix (cervical canal) in the form of a gel or suppositories. The action of the drug begins in half an hour. These hormones stimulate the opening of the cervix, while the production of its own prostaglandin occurs, which causes the uterus to contract, accelerate labor. This method of affecting the cervix has minimal such effects, while maximizing the ability of the cervix to dilate.
Step 4
Engage in moderate exercise: squats, walking up and down stairs, pulling up on toes, jumping in place not high, without lifting weights. Or do a set of special exercises that you were taught in the school of expectant mothers at the antenatal clinic or in the medical center.
