To see the miracle of baby's crowning view graphic vaginal childbirth
videos on this page. View graphic vaginal childbirth videos only if
you are 13 years of age or older.
Mother's fears of childbirth are often related to the
moment of crowning. What is crowning?
Crowning is when the widest part of the baby's head
is passing through the vagina. You can view graphic vaginal childbirth
videos and see the process of delivery. At this point in labour the
head of the baby can be seen at the vagina. This is the final part
of the second stage of labour. The baby's head flexes and rotates
as it descends through the birth canal.
View graphic vaginal childbirth
videos to see the pushing phase in a hospital. View graphic vaginal
childbirth videos only if you are 13 years of age or older.
In a hospital at the second stage of labor, the mother
is urged to push or relax. View graphic vaginal childbirth videos
here to see the pushing of the baby. In hospitals, often episiotomy
is made in the perineum (the area between the vagina and the rectum)
to quicken the delivery. Sometimes forceps or vacuum extraction is
placed for the birth. These procedures often require a local analgesic,
epidural, pudenda, Para cervical, or local in the perineum.
Hospital birth is often instrument assisted birth,
as you can view graphic vaginal childbirth videos. The atmosphere
and the medical procedures induce fear in the birthing mother. While
she is anxious and frightened, the body releases hormones called catecholamine
(adrenaline and non-adrenaline). These hormones induce the fight or
flight syndrome. The body responds with restless movements. The breathing
gets rapid. The pupils dilate. We might be shivering. The blood pressure
rises. The pulse gets rapid. If there were a real danger the body
is perfectly equipped to escape or fend off danger. However, in labour,
if you feel uncomfortable, tense, nervous and unsupported, oxytocin
falls in direct proportions to the rising levels of adrenaline and
the contractions can slow or even stop.
A friend after having her waters broken, just had no
contractions for 12 hours. In a normal birth this is absurd, because
the breaking of the waters is a sure sign of imminent birthing and
entering in the pushing stage. When she entered the hospital, however,
she felt trapped without support. Her body assumed she is in danger
and produces a great amount of adrenaline to assist her. The result,
however, was that the cervix ceased to dilate, resulting in a tug-of-war
effect and increasing pain. There was little progress. This is the
reason in hospital setting instrument assisted birth is a common practice.
It is vital that you feel safe during labour to keep
adrenaline levels at bay.
In a homebirth setting, the birthing mother feels safe
and supported. That is why an episiotomy is rarely used. Proper pineal
support by the midwife, the partner, or the mother herself relaxes
the muscles.
During my first birth, I remembered that I need to
support the perineal floor in order to prevent tear. I put my hand
there and kept the perineum. The effect was not only physically massaging
and relaxing the muscles, but I could also feel in my hand the face
of my yet unborn daughter. I felt exhilaration. It was like caressing
her and my yearning to see her in my arms increased. I was longing
to see her out in the world and begged her to progress down the birthing
canal. This feeling of joy might have been the reason I did not feel
"the ring of fire", as women call the burning sensation on baby's
head crowning.
My first daughter had a very big fontanel and her head
was quite soft, which has probably also contributed to the lack of
any pain during the pushing and delivery stage. In a home birth, breath-pushing
efforts by the mother allow the perineum to stretch slowly and move
over the crowning baby's head. Patience, position changes and support
make the mother relax and help for the natural release of the body's
pain killers - endorphins.
At the end of the second stage of birth, as you can
view graphic vaginal childbirth videos, the perineum begins to bulge
with the baby's head which appears at the opening of the vagina.
In assisted births, the baby's head rotates to the
left or to the right maternal leg. View graphic vaginal childbirth
videos here to see how this is routinely done. It is believed that
the rotation of the head helps the shoulders pass through the mother's
pelvis. In my experience of unassisted births, nobody rotated the
baby's head and the shoulders passed very quickly through the pelvis.
I do not think that it is necessary in most cases, since the baby
naturally rotates in order to find the best position, just as the
mother changes positions for easiest delivery.
After that the shoulders emerge and the rest of the
body follows quickly.
In a hospital, the cord is cut right away and clamped.
You can view graphic vaginal childbirth videos to see this procedure.
The baby is removed from the mother's abdomen, suctioned and examined.
Suctioning is often done with electrical suction unit in assisted
births. Suctioning is not always needed or recommended. During my
first unassisted birth, Gabbie (my daughter) has some mucus in her
mouth and nose - she sniffed and coughed and took it out very easily
and quickly. Since the umbilical cord was not cut, and the placenta
was still in my body, she has an additional source of oxygen in the
first moments of birth. Very gentle suctioning might be necessary
after birth if there is excess of mucus, or meconium, or blood (such
as in an episiotomy or tear). Suctioning is usually not necessary
at all. Aggressive suctioning can cause adverse reactions. It is needed
only if there is mucus or meconium around baby's face, nose and mouth
and can be inhaled when breathing begins. It is best done with bulb
syringe.
In a homebirth, the midwife or parents usually wait
for the cord to stop pulsating before clamping and cutting. This allows
the baby to continue to receive oxygen and nutrients, while normal
breathing patterns are established. The baby remains on mother's abdomen
or in her hands and is having its first breastfeeding. It is important
the baby to be covered with blankets. During my first birth it was
very warm, and I did not think the baby will need to be covered with
anything else but a towel; however I felt it quickly getting cold
in my hands and was very agitated. The newborn needs warmth and a
massage to help stimulate breathing responses and circulation efforts
is a good idea. However, at this moment, the best is the mother-baby
bonding and breastfeeding. The baby and mother are covered with warm
blankets and rest for a while. The sucking will stimulate the contractions
of the uterus and will aid to expel the placenta. In both my births
the breastfeeding induced strong contractions and speeded the delivery
of the placenta. I felt this effect, because in my second birth, the
baby was in my hands, but I needed some time to bring it to the nipple
and hold it in a convenient position to breastfeed while trying to
cover it with the blanket. So I clearly distinguished how the contractions
started and got stronger and stronger as the baby sucked. Even after
the birth, I had very strong contraction during breastfeeding. They
helped for clearing the uterus.
View graphic vaginal childbirth videos here to see
an assisted hospital delivery. You can clearly see here crowning of
the baby's head and delivery.
View graphic vaginal childbirth videos only if you
are 13 years of age or older.
What is the ideal childbirth for you? How do you imagine your childbirth to happen? Where are you giving birth, who is present, how is it going? Are there any sounds, how lit is the setting? How long is your childbirth? Share any action steps that are helping you to experience that childbirth?
What are all the things you have learned and done to have such a childbirth?
What is your next step to make this childbirth real?