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Medication is administered in over 80% of births in the United States (Declercq, Sakala, Corry, Applebaum, & Herrlich, 2014). Several drugs are used during labor, with varying effects. Analgesics, such as tranquilizers, may be used in small doses to relieve pain and to help the mother relax. These drugs pass through the placenta to the fetus and are associated with decreases in heart rate and respiration (Hacker, Gambone, & Hobel, 2016). Newborns exposed to some medications show signs of sedation and difficulty regulating their temperature (Gabbe et al., 2016). Anesthesia is a painkiller that blocks sensations. General anesthesia (getting “knocked out”) blocks consciousness entirely; it is no longer used because it is transmitted to the fetus and can slow labor and harm the fetus. Today, the most common anesthetic is an epidural, in which a regional anesthetic drug is administered to a small space between the vertebrae of the lower spine. The woman’s lower body is numbed. There are several types of epidurals, with varying numbing effects ranging from immobilizing the lower body to numbing only the pelvic region, enabling the mother to move about (a so-called walking epidural). Epidurals, however, are associated with a longer delivery as they weaken uterine contractions and may increase the risk of a cesarean section, as discussed next (Gabbe et al., 2016; Herrera-Gómez et al., 2017).

Description

Figure 3.9 Stages of Labor

Source: Adapted from Gerard J. Tortora and Bryan H. Derrickson, 2009.

Childbirth, also known as labor and delivery, progresses in three stages.

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