Background Certain behaviors can be adopted by women to cope with labor pain according to their individual characteristics, which are currently called behavioral indicators during labor pain, and include facial expressions, verbal expressions, tone of voice, body movements, degree of relaxation, and respiratory system functioning during delivery. Moreover, severity of pain and duration of labor...

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of the health care administered to women in Latin American maternity hospitals during labor and delivery has been demonstrated to be ineffective or harmful, whereas effective interventions remain underutilized. The routine use of episiotomies and the failure to use active management of the third stage of labor are good examples. METHODS/DESIGN: The aim of th...

OBJECTIVES This cross-sectional study was designed to examine the effects of the Valsalva Maneuver (VM) and its duration on the acid- base equilibrium of the neonate and its maternal repercussions during the expulsive stage of labor, after standard breathing and pushing instructions were given. METHODS A convenience sample of women with low risk pregnancy (n=33; mean age 22.5±3.7 y and gestat...

A healthy 33-year-old primiparous woman developed sudden central, nonradiating chest pain and right-sided neck and facial swelling during a prolonged second stage of labor. The main finding was subcutaneous emphysema involving the neck and face. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare cause of chest pain and can lead to subcutaneous emphysema during labor. It is probable that SPM occurred...

The major adaptations of the maternal cardiovascular system that progress throughout gestation may unmask previously unrecognized heart disease and result in significant morbidity and mortality. Most of these changes are almost fully reversed in the weeks and months after delivery. Hemodynamic changes during pregnancy include increased blood volume, cardiac output (CO), and maternal heart rate;...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of dexamethasone administration on labor duration. METHOD In this controlled trial 122 nulliparous women with a full-term pregnancy and a Bishop score of 7 or greater were randomly assigned to receive a single 8-mg dose of dexamethasone or placebo 6 hours before initiation of labor induction. RESULTS The interval between initiation of labor induction and beg...

This case report illustrates an unusual occurrence during the second stage of labor. After appropriate evaluation for life-threatening causes, a psychiatric process must be considered. Although our patient refused further psychological evaluation, we believe that she exhibited a trancelike state during the second stage of labor and suffered from amnesia in which one awakens to the current situa...