Home Delivery of Babies
(Page 3 of 6)
MOTHER'S PELVIS TOO SMALL
RELATED CONTENT
In about 1-2% of hospital deliveries the mother's pelvis is
too small for the baby to be born. This is usually caused
by rickets (vitamin D deficiency) which resulted in a
misshapen pelvic as the mother', bone structure was being
developed.
A doctor or midwife generally suspects this complication
(called cephalopelvic disproportion) early in
pregnancy and can advise against home delivery. In some
cases, however, the condition is not noticed until labor
has persisted longer than normal with no progress of the
baby's head through the birth passageway.
The usual duration of labor for a first baby is about 12-14
hours. Labor lasts about 6-8 hours for subsequent children
and, if a mother has already had one child, you can
generally assume that her pelvis is of adequate size for a
later pregnancy.
In the event that a mother's pelvis is too small (or the
baby's head is too large), labor will simply continue for
days and a Ceasarian section (the operation which
removes a baby through a surgical incision into the
abdomen) will have to be performed. A hospital is
definitely the best place for such an operation.
ABNORMAL PRESENTATIONS
When a part of the baby other than its head comes out
first, the birth is known as an abnormal presentation and
most knowledgeable people worry a great deal about
delivering an abnormally presenting baby at home. The odds
of such a birth are about one in 20 hospital deliveries.
Get your M.D., nurse or midwife to show you how to feel the
baby's head and wiggle it just above the pubic bone to make
sure your baby is presenting its head first.
BLEEDING FROM A MISPLACED PLACENTA
This complication occurs in about one of every 200 hospital
deliveries. Instead of growing on the side of the uterus
where it should, the placenta grows over the mouth of the
uterus, interfering with the passage of the baby. The
symptom to watch for is continuous bleeding from the vagina
either before labor or after labor begins. A "mucus plug"
which is passed with a small amount of blood (called a
"bloody show") early in labor is normal and should not
cause alarm.
Misplaced placenta (placenta previa) is a very serious
complication because of the rapid and severe bleeding which
occurs. It is usually necessary to do a C-section to avoid
catastrophe in the event of a misplaced placenta and, if
bleeding occurs during labor, you've got some hard thinking
to do in a hurry.
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