Chapter 11
Opening: stage 1 of labor
In this chapter:
What happens during stage 1 of labor..................................................................... 167
Labor patterns in stage 1 . . . . . . . . . . . 168
When you first arrive.................................................................................................... 168
Supporting the mother in stage 1............................................................................. 169
Touch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Signs for the midwife to check in stage 1................................................................. 170
The baby’s position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Bleeding during labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
The baby’s heartbeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Pain in the womb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
The bag of waters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Watch for signs of progress . . . . . . . . . 185
The mother’s pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Labor is too long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
The mother’s temperature . . . . . . . . . . 178 Safe ways to encourage labor . . . . . . . 191
The mother’s blood pressure . . . . . . . . 180
166