Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology

Labor and Delivery

 

Labor

Contractions

Electronic Fetal Monitors

Latent Phase Labor

Fetal Heart Rate

Pain Relief

Active Phase Labor

Urine

Second Stage Labor

Progress of Labor

Estimated Fetal Weight

Preparing for Delivery

Delivery of the Baby

Dilatation and Effacement

Managing the Delivery

Delivery of the Placenta

Fetal Orientation

Episiotomy

Managing Labor and Delivery

Leopold's Maneuvers

Anesthesia

Initial Evaluation

Fetal Membranes

Clamp the Cord

History

Blood Count

The Placenta

Risk Factors

Early Labor

Uterine Massage

Vital Signs

Monitor the Fetal Heart

Post Partum Care

Delivery of the Placenta

Immediately after delivery of the baby, the placenta is still attached inside the uterus. Some time after delivery, the placenta will detach from the uterus and then be expelled. This process is called the "3rd stage of labor" and may take just a few minutes or as long as an hour.

Signs that the placenta is beginning to separate include:

  • A sudden gush of blood

  • Lengthening of the visible portion of the umbilical cord.

  • The uterus, which is usually soft and flat immediately after delivery,  becomes round and firm.

  • The uterus, the top of which is usually about half-way between the pubic bone and the umbilicus, seems to enlarge and approach the umbilicus.

PlacentaInspect.jpg (85291 bytes)

Immediately after the delivery of the baby, uterine contractions stop and labor pains go away. As the placenta separates, the woman will again feel painful uterine cramps. As the placenta descends through the birth canal, she will again feel the urge to bear down and will push out the placenta.


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Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology - 2nd Edition
The Health Care of Women in Military Settings
CAPT Michael John Hughey, MC, USNR
NAVMEDPUB 6300-2C
January 1, 2000

This web version of Operational Obstetrics & Gynecology is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division.  It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMEDPUB 6300-2C, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense. All material in this version is unclassified.

This formatting © 2006 Medical Education Division, Brookside Associates, Ltd.
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