If you’ve had a low-risk pregnancy, your labour will begin with us, and if everything proceeds smoothly, we will also guide you through the delivery. However, sometimes complications can arise during labour, and in those cases, we may need to ask a gynaecologist to take over.
Most common complicatiosn during labour
Slow progress of dilationIt can be frustrating when you have strong contractions, but there is no progress in dilation. A slow labour can be exhausting for you, and when you are very tired, contractions may not become stronger on their own. The issue with slow progress often lies with the mother, and effective pushing is crucial for the baby as well. With each contraction, the blood flow to the placenta is temporarily reduced, so this phase shouldn’t last too long. | Unbearable pain during labourEvery woman experiences labour differently, and pain is perceived differently as well. While it’s normal to feel pain during labour, it should not become traumatic. If the pain becomes too much to bear, we’ll go with you to the hospital and stay with you until you receive pain relief. | The baby has passed meconium in the amniotic fluidIf your waters break and the fluid is green, it means the baby has passed meconium (poo) in the amniotic fluid. Although the reason isn’t clear, it’s believed the baby may have experienced stress, causing this to happen. During a normal birth, we check the baby’s heart rate regularly but not continuously. With meconium-stained amniotic fluid, we’ll want to continuously monitor the baby’s heart rate with a CTG (cardiotocograph), as it allows us to detect any further periods of stress the baby might experience. |
We monitor the condition of both mother and baby during labour. If we have any concerns about the baby’s condition or if the mother develops a fever, we will always act preventively. A home birth is possible if there are no risks and all the checks during contractions are reassuring.
