Introduction 

Parturition is another word that beautifully defines childbirth. Along with beginning, parturition is also referred to as the labour and delivery terminologies. In all, parturition can be termed as the final stage of pregnancy where the mother is ready to give birth and the fetus is ready to join the world. The baby starts to grow in the mother’s uterus during the parturition period. 

What is Parturition? 

In simple terms, parturition can be defined as the labour and the delivery of the baby. It is a mechanism that indicates that the woman is under work or has delivered the baby successfully after completing the pregnancy phase. The child is born through the release of cortisol. During the parturition process, the cervix dilates and relaxes with time. Also, the cortisol, oxytocin and estrogen hormones activities start to produce milk and labour pain. Once the parturition phase begins, the uterus begins to contract and pushes the fetus into the cervix, after which the fetus moves towards the birth canal. The process continues until and unless the baby comes out. Note, if standard delivery, the baby’s head should come out first, followed by the body. 

Once the parturition phase is completed, and the baby is born, the uterus releases the placenta and it immediately passes out once the fetus is born. At this time, lactation begins.

What is Lactation?

Lactation can be defined as milk secretion from the mammary glands. It happens soon after the mother gives birth to the child. The milk produced contains essential nutrients and vitamins necessary for the newborn baby’s overall development. At this time, the mammary gland cannot produce and hold large quantities of milk; therefore, maintaining it is exceptionally important. The stage in which the milk is carried is termed Galactopoiesis. The lactation process starts after the fifth or the sixth month of the pregnancy. 

The woman enters the stage of lactogenesis during her last months of pregnancy. During this period, the breast builds colostrum, a thick yellow-coloured fluid that is also referred to as the first milk that the baby receives once they are born. Colostrum is extremely rich in immunoglobulin A, responsible for boosting immunity in the newborn baby. This milk helps prevent food allergies and any pathogens from invading the baby’s body. 

Signs and Symptoms of Parturition

The following are the signs and symptoms of parturition. Let’s have a look:

• Fully swollen vulva
• Bloated abdomen
• relaxed pelvic ligaments
• Mammary glands development 
• Contractions and labour 
• Feeling relentlessness

Stages of Parturition

Parturition is divided into three major stages. These include dilation, expulsion and placental. Let’s have a look at these in detail. 

• Dilation

Dilation is the first stage of parturition that begins when the labour starts and continues until the baby reaches the cervix. It is divided into two major parts:

1. The latent phase where the cervix is 0-4 cm dilated. 
2. The active phase where the cervix is 4-10 cm dilated. 

When the woman reaches the latent phase, it nearly takes 6 hours to deliver the baby. Whereas, if the woman gives for the second time, it nearly takes 5 hours. During the latent phase, the cervix gets 1 cm dilated every hour; however, 2 cm if she is delivering for the second time. 

• Expulsion

Expulsion is the second stage that starts when the mother is 10cm dilated and the baby is ready to be born. Note: this stage ends with the birth of the baby. It is also divided into two significant steps:

1. Passive phase – In the inactive phase, the doctors can spot the baby’s face as it gets out of the vagina. 
2. Active phase – In this phase, the woman contracts the muscles in the abdominal with the contractions in the uterus. 

• Placental 

Placental is the last stage where the baby is out of the mother’s womb and the placenta is removed. During this phase, the contractions gradually come at peace. 

The Hormone Involved in Parturition

Several female hormones are involved in parturition. These are:

• Estrogen – Estrogen is a hormone majorly responsible for uterine contractions.
• Oxytocin – Oxytocin plays a vital role during childbirth or parturition and helps release milk. 
• Relaxin – Relaxin is a hormone that widens the cervix and relaxes the pelvic ligaments. 
• Prostaglandin – Prostaglandin facilitates change in the membrane structure, cervix ripening and myometrial contractions. 
• Progesterone-essential for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy,
• Catecholamines- catecholamine concentrations are high during birth.It has been shown to control fetal circulation during hypoxia
• Cortisol-cortisol increases prostaglandin production by the placenta and  promotes cervical ripening and uterine contractions.
• Beta-endorphin-Beta endorphin levels increase during labour allowing a labouring woman to transcend pain

Conclusion

Till now, we studied parturition in detail. We hope things are clear to you now. Parturition is a vast topic that requires extra attention to score high marks.

Parturition is one of the primary and most essential concepts while preparing for national-level examinations like NEET-UG. Over the past few years, it has been recorded that a decent amount of questions are being asked from this very chapter which means it holds a lot of significance in every student’s life aiming to score higher grades.