Birthing phase contractions
Things to consider in the birth phase
After the baby's head crowns, their eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth and chin emerge until their whole head is out. Your caregiver may need to ease the perineum over your baby's chin, if their chin is not completely born. This can sometimes cause momentary discomfort.
The following is a step by step description of the actual birth of the baby after their head is born.
Head born
Shoulders rotate
Checking for cord
Birth of the shoulders
Injection of Syntocinon
Head born. As the woman, if you were to reach down in front between your thighs, you would feel the back of your baby's head (because babies are normally born facing towards the woman's bottom). For example, if you were in the squatting or standing position, your baby would be looking behind you. If you were on all fours the baby's head would be looking up to the ceiling, or if you were on your back the baby would be face down into the bed.
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WARNING: This image shows a real photo of a baby's head just emerging during the birth phase. You may not want your children to read some topics or view some images in this class. If you would like to look at this image, click here. ( Image 6-14). |
Shoulders rotate. The baby's head and body are normally born individually, with 2 separate contractions. During the rest time between the contractions, the baby's head rotates to one side, (so that they end up looking at the inside of one of your thighs). This lines up their shoulders from lying horizontally (or across ways) inside the pelvis to vertically, so that one shoulder is under your pubic bone and the other is close to your coccyx bone. This larger space allows the shoulders to be born more easily. Many women will feel this rotation, and sometimes a 'clunk' as the baby's shoulders move into place.
Your baby won't start to breathe properly until their body is completely born.