women s health issues
Introduction to Complications of Labor and Delivery
Introduction
Usually, Overview of Labor and Delivery occur without any problems. Serious problems are relatively rare, and doctors can usually detect and treat them. Regular visits to a doctor or certified nurse midwife during pregnancy are important to have a healthy pregnancy and to detect problems if they occur. Some problems develop suddenly and unexpectedly, so pregnant women should call their doctor or midwife if something seems wrong (such bleeding, decreased fetal movement). Examples of problems (complications) that can develop or become evident only after a pregnant women goes into labor or during delivery include: Fetal Presentation, Position, and Lie (Including Breech Presentation) None Intraamniotic Infection (infection and resulting inflammation of the tissues around the fetus) Shoulder Dystocia (the fetus's shoulder lodges against a woman's pubic bone, and the baby is caught in the birth canal) Umbilical Cord Prolapse (the umbilical cord comes out of the birth canal before the baby) Uterine Rupture (rare) Amniotic Fluid Embolism (the fluid that surrounds the fetus in the uterus enters a woman’s bloodstream, sometimes causing a life-threatening reaction) Excessive Uterine Bleeding at Delivery (excessive uterine bleeding at delivery) Placenta Accreta (a problem with the placenta that may be discovered during pregnancy or only after delivery of the baby) Uterine Inversion (a uterus that is turned inside out) When complications develop, alternatives to spontaneous labor and vaginal delivery may be needed. They include Labor started with medications ( Induction of Labor ) Forceps or a vacuum device (called Operative Vaginal Delivery ) to deliver the baby Cesarean Delivery None 