What should I prepare for a natural birth?

Natural childbirth is a way for women to give birth and people prefer to give birth through natural childbirth because it will bring less adverse effects to pregnant women compared to another way of delivery, cesarean section. However, women cannot give birth naturally whenever they want. There are certain conditions, such as the fetal position must be correct, the fetus must be of the right size, etc. A lot of things need to be prepared for a normal birth. Here is a detailed introduction to what you need to prepare for a normal birth.

Things you need to prepare for a normal birth:

In the early postpartum period, the mother is weak and needs to deal with a lot of lochia. During this period, the mother needs to use the following products: sanitary napkins, sheets, and maternity underwear.

After the placenta is delivered and the mother has completed some follow-up work, she will be transferred to the ward. Generally, a normal birth will be discharged from the hospital 2-3 days after delivery. The relevant supplies that the mother needs during this period are:

Postpartum underwear, belly bands, breast pads, bottles, breast pumps, braces, nipple protectors, etc.

Delivery process:

1. The first stage of labor begins with regular uterine contractions. As the contractions become more frequent and stronger, the cervix gradually opens wider until it expands to 10 cm wide (fully dilated uterus), at which point the first stage of labor ends. This is usually in the delivery room. The first stage of labor is the longest of the three stages of normal delivery, usually taking 12-16 hours for a first-time mother. Therefore, it is also the most painful and difficult period for expectant mothers. At this stage, the cervix has not fully dilated, so it is futile for the expectant mother to push. Pushing too early will cause the cervix to swell and tighten, making it difficult to open. The related supplies that mothers need during this period: sanitary napkins and maternity pads.

2. The second stage of labor is from full dilation of the cervix to delivery of the fetus. The cervix is ​​fully dilated and the fetus gradually descends with the contractions of the uterus. When the presenting part of the fetus descends to the bottom of the pelvis and compresses the rectum, the expectant mother will involuntarily push downward with the contractions of the uterus. After about 1-2 hours, the fetus is delivered from the fully dilated uterus.

The second stage of labor is the shortest, but it is the most critical period in the entire labor process. This stage takes about 1 to 2 hours, and for multiparas it takes from a few minutes to an hour. At this time, the mother is transferred to the delivery room and spends this stage on the delivery bed. The doctor will place a maternity sheet on the delivery bed. If during delivery, the fetal head is too large to pass through the vaginal opening, an episiotomy is required to prevent tearing.

3. The third stage of labor is from the delivery of the fetus to the delivery of the placenta. After the fetus is born, the placenta and the fetal membranes surrounding the fetus separate from the uterus and are expelled from the body as the uterus contracts. The delivery of the placenta marks the end of the entire labor process.

The third stage of labor usually does not exceed 30 minutes. There will be a lot of lochia at this time. The doctor will clean it up and put a sanitary napkin on it. Some hospitals use absorbent straw paper, which causes friction and is very painful for the perineum that is red and swollen and has episiotomy wounds after giving birth, and needs to be replaced with special sanitary napkins for postpartum women.