CASTILLO, KRYZA BUMAGAT

Describe the physiologic basis of contraction during labor and how analgesia, anesthesia
and alternative therapies can be used to promote woman’s comfort during labor and birth.
Parturition is the laborious work of giving birth. It refers to the process that begins with uterine
contractions, causes cervical alterations, and finishes with the delivery of the placenta. Labor
usually begins between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation, when the fetus is full term. The "bloody
show" occurs in the third trimester or just before labor begins. Sometimes the amniotic sac
ruptures, causing water breaking. Either of these can cause labor and real labor contractions.
False labor contractions must be recognized from milder and ineffective Braxton hicks
contractions or practice contractions. True labor contractions feel like waves that build up to a
peak intensity and then gradually drop.
The contractions cause the cervix to efface, or thin, and dilate, or open, allowing the fetus to exit
the uterus. It takes a first-time mom 12-18 hours and a repeat mother 6-9 hours from the start of
real contractions until delivery. The cervix dilates by 0-3 cm and the face by 0-30% during the
latent phase of the early stage of labor. Then come regular contractions that last 3-5 minutes and
cause the cervix to dilate 3-6cm and efface up to 80%. A powerful 60-90 second contraction with
just 30 seconds to 2 minutes of rest each minute begins the active phase of labor. The cervix
dilates from 6 to 10 cm and effaces to 100%. During the pushing stage or second stage of labor,
there are three Ps: power, passenger, and passage. After the baby is delivered, the uterus
contracts and the placenta begin to detach from the uterine wall.
Alternative treatments are one method of reducing labor discomfort. They are made of natural
substances and promote a drug-free cure. No amnesic effect, but a sense of well-being or
exhilaration. Anesthesia also helps the woman relax during labor and delivery by partially or
totally blocking sensation in a certain area of the body. A woman's labor pain is influenced by
several factors and is the result of normal physiological events. ()