PSYB20H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Birth Weight, Anemia, Bipolar Disorder
PSYB20-Lecture 4: Birth and The Newborn
How Childbirth Has Evolved:
-50% of chances to die compared to today
-Not performed by doctors
-Professionalized childbirth started occurring in the 20th century
oCould occur at hospitals if they wanted
-1/10 chance of dying
-Thousands of babies were stillborn
-Midwives:
oDuring the pregnancy: checks up
oLabour: will deliver the baby
oPostpartum period: have help with dealing with changes, breastfeeding, etc.
Hospitals do not provide as much support unless something is wrong
oMost are registered nurses and are licenced in Canada
-Doula:
oAre not licensed and can provide support and coaching her
oCannot give birth to the baby
oShown to shorten labour
oBenefit is present
The Birth Process:
-Parturition: series of uterine, cervical, and other chances that begin about 2 weeks
before delivery
oCan predict when the woman will give birth
-Do not know what causes labour
oTherefore, cannot tell the definite due date
oProtein that exists that basically stops the uterus from contracting earlier than 40
weeks
oIf the mother produces this protein early, the mother will go into labour early
(which is dangerous) and muscle relaxants will be given
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-Braxton-Hicks contractions:
oFeels like labour and are false contractions
oThey are mild and irregular, do not result in cervical changes
-Real labour:
oMore frequent and rhythmic
oPainful
oIncrease and frequency and intensity
-Is birth painful to the baby as it is for the mother?
oBabies can feel pain in utero
oThe baby would be in distress and would complicate things in the future
oThe baby is in slight pain due to the contractions that are occurring since the
baby is being squeezed through the birth canal
The Stages in Childbirth:
-1st stage:
oLongest stage: 12-14 hours
oDilation of the cervix
o15-20 minutes apart, will shorten in duration
oCauses the cervix to shorten and dilate
oThe stage lasts until the cervix is dilated so the baby can come out
-2nd stage:
oLasts 1-2 hours
oWhen baby moves through the cervix and moves through the vaginal canal
oCompleted when the baby is fully born
-3rd stage:
oExpulsion of the placenta
oLasts 10 mins-1 hour
oPainful
oNot as painful, she still must push
Skull Plates:
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-Baby would not fit down the birth canal if the skull was the size it would grow to be
-The skull plates will squish the head for it to fit and then move back and fuse together
-Newborn’s soft spots are places where the skull hasn’t formed
-Why does it go back to front?
oBecause that is where the brain stem is (breathing, heartrate, etc.)
oThere is why it fuses there first
-During the delivery process: episiotomy: surgical cut made between vagina and anus to
help the baby come out easier
oIf it tears by itself, they can deal with it later and stitch it up
Fetal Positions:
-Head first is traditional
-Breech births: when baby fails to turn, and remain upright
oPregnancy of multiples (not as much space)
oFirst time giving birth
oHigher amount of premature deliver
oToo much or too little amniotic fluid
oAbnormally shaped uterus or abnormal growths (fibroids less space for the
fetus to move)
-Complete breech: butt is pointing down and folded at the knees
-Frank breech: butt is aimed at the birth canal and legs up in the air
-Incomplete breech: one foot is up and the other is down
Labour and Delivery options:
-Electronic fetal monitoring: tracks fetus’s heartbeat during labour
oThey can in real time monitor things, will be able to get in faster and will be able
to see it
oIt can be a negative aspect; false alarms can occur: if the electrode moves
slightly it may not be detecting it properly
Also, the mother is attached to a machine, limiting her ability to move
around (more hectic for her since she is in pain and labour)
-Caesarean delivery: baby has been surgically being removed through an incision in
the mother’s abdomen
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find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
50% of chances to die compared to today. Professionalized childbirth started occurring in the 20th century: could occur at hospitals if they wanted. Midwives: during the pregnancy: checks up, labour: will deliver the baby, postpartum period: have help with dealing with changes, breastfeeding, etc. Hospitals do not provide as much support unless something is wrong: most are registered nurses and are licenced in canada. Doula: are not licensed and can provide support and coaching her, cannot give birth to the baby, shown to shorten labour, benefit is present. Parturition: series of uterine, cervical, and other chances that begin about 2 weeks before delivery: can predict when the woman will give birth. Braxton-hicks contractions: feels like labour and are false contractions, they are mild and irregular, do not result in cervical changes. Real labour: more frequent and rhythmic, painful, increase and frequency and intensity.
