Pregnant mother with prolonged labor: What is the cause?

Having a baby is a unique experience for everyone. Some lucky pregnant mothers go through a fairly quick and healthy process. In the meantime, some people experience problems with childbirth, such as longer than necessary. 

In this article, aFamilyToday Health invites you to learn about prolonged labor and the serious effects for both mother and baby. 

What is prolonged labor?

When the mother's labor takes place longer than normal, this is called prolonged labor. Prolonged tuberculosis does not have an exact definition because they occur at different stages, the cause of which is different and the delay is not overlapping. 

Prolonged early labor: when it occurs for more than 8 hours without switching to stage 1 of labor. 

Prolonged first stage labor: when it goes on for more than 12 hours without switching to second stage labor. 

Long-term second stage labor : Second stage labor usually takes 5 to 30 minutes. But for prolonged labor, they will be a little different: In case you have been pregnant before, the second stage of labor will last 2-3 hours. If this is the first time having a baby, second stage labor will last 1-2 hours.  

Thus, labor would be called prolonged if the process took place more than 20 hours with steady uterine contractions (up to 24 hours, some experts say). In the case of multiple pregnancies , more than 16 hours is called prolonged labor.

The cause of prolonged labor

This condition is usually caused by 3 main reasons:

1. Obstructed labor

When the mother's pelvis is too small or the vagina is not dilated enough for the baby to be born, labor is prolonged. In addition, if the pelvis is abnormally shaped or the vagina has a tumor, it can also cause the mother to experience prolonged labor. 

2. Fetal factor

The fetus continues to develop even after reaching the due date . If the baby is too big or the head circumference is too large, the baby will have difficulty getting through the pelvis and prolonging the mother's delivery. 

3. Weak mound

One of the main causes of prolonged labor is the weak contractions of pregnant mothers. They are not strong enough to hurt or push the baby out.

You can refer to the article  3 different uterine contractions pregnant mothers should know to know how to distinguish fake contractions from real labor contractions.

Signs of prolonged labor

Some manifestations of this problem may be:

Labor duration longer than 18 hours: This may be the most prominent sign of prolonged labor

Exhausted pregnant women: Fatigue, exhaustion of the mother also reflects the process of labor will become longer

Blood ketones: Due to the abnormal accumulation of ketones in the body, complications of dehydration and lack of carbohydrates also appear. 

Factors that increase the risk of prolonged labor

If you have the following conditions, you may increase your risk of prolonging delivery:

1. Pregnant mother is obese

Gestational diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy coupled with obesity can make your baby bigger than average. In addition, having the health problems mentioned above will also make the mother's physical condition weak. If you are overweight, the amount of fat around the vaginal area can also cause problems during labor. 

2. Pregnant mother is too thin

The situation of pregnant mothers being undernourished, leading to being too skinny, also makes labor time longer than normal, increasing health complications. Therefore, it is important for pregnant mothers to pay attention to taking care of the body, paying attention to a complete and balanced diet.

3. Reduced muscle mass

One of the reasons for the reduced muscle mass in pregnant women is lack of exercise and initiative. Childbirth is a very strenuous process for the body as well as consuming a lot of energy. It requires proper muscle function in order for labor to progress smoothly. When the pregnant mother's muscle mass decreases, the risk of labor time will increase. 

4. Age of the mother

The ideal age group to give birth in women is between 20 and 30. Pregnancy before or after this time, your body will not be fully prepared.

Mothers giving birth for the first time over the age of 40 need to be extremely healthy, otherwise you will easily experience health complications such as gestational diabetes .

What to do when the delivery process is too slow?

For this, the best way to overcome it is to stay as cool as possible. In order to stay calm, try to take slow, deep breaths as well as consult your doctor about pain relief options. 

Your doctor will also learn the essentials of your health in order to take the necessary medical interventions to accelerate the delivery. 

Pregnancy complications may encounter

Prolonged tuberculosis can cause serious complications, such as:

For pregnant mothers: You may experience infections, rupture of the uterus, leakage of vaginal fluid

For the fetus: The baby is at high risk of infection as well as trauma, suffocation or even premature death.

Treatment for pregnant mothers like?

Early detection of certain problems in the trimesters and a conscious pregnant woman to increase fitness will support the process of labor to be better. Additionally, recognizing real labor from the times your body sends out false signals is one of the first precautions to avoid causing unnecessary pain and stress.

In addition, doctors will support pregnant women in a number of ways:

Use pain relievers to strengthen the uterus, promote pushing action 

Change posture to give birth

If certain complications occur during natural labor, your doctor may use vacuum aspiration or forceps to remove the baby.

Give caesarean section instead of normal delivery . 

Measures to reduce the risk of prolonged labor

Pregnant mothers can significantly reduce the risk of prolonging labor time with the following preventive measures:

Practicing a healthy lifestyle: Pregnant mothers should take care of themselves by maintaining a healthy diet and regular and gentle physical activity. 

Relax your mind: During pregnancy, you should limit the negativity to occur. Just think about how happy you would be with the baby in your arms.

Having an unscientific lifestyle can be one of the main causes of complications during labor. Mother elected to regular pregnancy check-ups will help detect any problems such as excessive weight gain leading to obesity or muscle loss ... This helps doctors to provide timely intervention.

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