Having a baby is one of the best experiences for a couple. While the baby fills everyone’s life with joy, women can also be terrified and apprehensive regarding the entire delivery process. Many questions riddle the minds of expectant mothers, such as How much pain during normal delivery can be expected? Normal delivery or cesarean? Which is better? What to do for normal delivery? Chances of normal delivery with high blood pressure, who is the best gynecologist in Gurgaon for normal delivery, and much more.
In this article, we will talk about every little information that a mother-to-be needs to know about normal delivery. We will discuss everything from normal delivery tips, pain to baby’s position and painless normal delivery.
Table of Content
Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye:
- What is Normal Delivery?
- Signs and Symptoms of Normal Delivery?
- Procedure
- Why should you prefer a Normal Delivery?
- Normal Delivery in Gurgaon
1. What is Normal Delivery?
Normal delivery or labor is a physiological process during which all products of conception like the fetus, membranes, umbilical cord, and placenta are expelled out through the vagina. Normal labor is a clinical diagnosis characterized by the onset of regular and painful uterine contractions.
With these contractions, chemical changes also occur in the body that causes cervical dilatation and effacement, which is essential for the birth of the baby.
There are specific criteria that labor pain needs to meet in the current practice to be called normal delivery. These include the following:
- It should be a singleton pregnancy in which only one fetus is present inside the womb.
- It should be a term pregnancy.
- It has to be a vaginal delivery with minimal assistance.
- The baby’s head should be the first part to come out.
- The labor should start spontaneously, and the duration of the labor should be within normal limits without any undue delay.
- There should be no complications to the mother or the baby.
2. Signs and Symptoms of Normal Delivery?
As your due date approaches, you might start experiencing certain changes in your body that signals towards the approaching labor. These changes begin weeks before the labor onset.
Certain normal delivery symptoms occur one to four weeks before the onset of labor. These include:
- Increased urge to urinate
- Lack of coordination
- Loosened joints
- Dilatation of the cervix
- Watery or loose stools
- Braxton Hicks contractions or false contractions
Many women experience Braxton Hicks contractions sometime after 20 weeks. But most commonly, they are seen one to four weeks before the labor starts. These are typically painless contractions. But these can be uncomfortable for the women. These are irregular contractions and can be triggered by the increased movement of either the mother or the baby. These can also be triggered by a full bladder.
Certain symptoms appear days or hours before the onset of labor, such as:
- Pain in the lower back that radiates to the abdomen and legs.
- More frequent and stronger contractions. The contractions are regular and keep increasing in intensity as time progresses.
- Increased and thickened mucus discharge from the vagina
- Thick and pinkish mucus discharge in the urine
- Water breaking or rupture of the amniotic sac.
Some other symptoms that occur after the onset of labor include:
- Increasing contractions
- Severe pain because of the contractions
- Increasing pain in the back
- Vaginal bleeding
- Warm sensation in the abdomen
Doctors always recommend normal delivery because of several benefits it has over cesarean section or delivery assisted with medications. The human body is designed to deliver the baby naturally. Healthy women do not even require painkillers and epidurals during the delivery.
Unless there are specific conditions that require you to have a C-section, it is always advisable to opt for a normal delivery.
If you do not have any of the following indications, always opt for a normal delivery:
- Breech or other malpresentation
- Maternal health conditions like cardiomyopathy
- Placenta previa
- Diabetes
- Transmissible diseases like HIV or Hepatitis B
- Danger to the baby, etc.
3. Procedure
The normal delivery care in Gurgaon is one that occurs naturally with minimal medical intervention. A normal delivery has three stages.
First stage
This stage is characterized by true labor pains, which are uterine contractions that occur on a regular interval and keep increasing in intensity as time passes. You will also experience the breakage of the water bag, which means that the amniotic sac ruptures.
This is the longest stage of all three and can last for several hours in some women.
The regular contractions cause dilation and effacement of the cervix. This stage is further divided into 2 phases:
- Latent phase
- Early phase
Second stage
The second stage of normal labor begins when the cervix is fully dilated and ends with the baby coming out.
Strong and regular contractions continue in the uterus, which helps push the baby out. During this stage, the mother might feel severe pain near the vaginal opening as the baby is pushed out. The doctor might choose to give you an episiotomy (incision on the vaginal wall) at this point to facilitate the baby coming out. This incision is sutured by giving normal delivery stitches at the incision site.
Third stage
The third stage is characterized by pushing out the placenta through the vagina. The placenta is usually delivered a few minutes to half an hour after the baby comes out. This can be facilitated by gently massaging the lower abdomen.
The duration of normal labor is different for first-time mothers and women who have given birth before. Typically, a normal delivery process lasts anywhere between 8 to 24 hours.
Women can experience severe normal delivery pain symptoms during the whole process. Many medications such as an epidural or opioids can be used to manage pain at different stages of labor.
4. Why should you prefer a Normal Delivery?
Several benefits make a normal delivery better than a C-section, such as:
- Lesser risks because of instrumentation
- Decreased risk of infection to the mother and the child
- Quicker recovery
- Shorter hospital stay
- The natural microbes of the vagina are transferred to the baby during a normal delivery, which helps build its innate immunity.
- Babies born through normal delivery are at a lower risk for developing respiratory problems.
- Normal delivery stimulates lactation in the mothers.
5. Normal Delivery in Gurgaon
If you are looking for the best doctor for normal delivery in Gurgaon, Mulberry women care is the best option. Dr. Ravjyot Kaur is the best gynecologist in Gurgaon for normal delivery. Mulberry women care is a one-stop center for all your issues related to pregnancy and normal labor. She has vast experience in conducting normal deliveries for many patients and is competent in handling all kinds of complications that can occur during normal delivery.
In addition, Dr. Arshbir Singh Sandhu is also a part of the Mulberry women care clinic. He is the best radiologist in Gurgaon. Radiology is an essential component of any pregnancy facility because regular ultrasounds are very important to check maternal and fetal health. The Mulberry clinic has the best ultrasound clinic in Gurgaon.
All these factors provide the patients with holistic treatment and give them the best experience for normal labor.
Take Away
This was a brief article explaining all the aspects of normal delivery to you. If you have any further queries, feel free to consult with our obstetricians.
At Mulberry, you will be provided with all the facilities and care. We have the best path lab in Gurgaon, ensuring that you can get all your blood and urine tests done in the same complex. This makes the entire process comfortable for you and your family members.