Running head: Interventions throughout the stages of labor
Interventions throughout the Stages of Labor
Jackie Flooks
Nursing 264
August 2, 2015
Introduction
Providing Comfort Measures
“A scientific definition of pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage” (Lowe, 2002). Labor pain, has many different variables, physical as well as its interaction with culture and emotions, making labor pain exclusive to each individual. During the first stage of labor there is mostly visceral pain due to the dilation of the cervix. Uterine contractions may be felt as back pain because the lower back has nerves that connect to the uterus as well as the skin of the lower back.
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These nonpharmacologic comfort measures work by providing distraction during uterine contraction. “According to the gate control theory of pain, only a limited number of sensations can travel along neural pathways at any one time, so when activities fill the pathway, pain is being inhibited”. (Leifer, 2012)
Pharmacological comfort measures can provide partial or complete pain relief. The epidural is the most efficient way of reducing labor pain. Opioids can be given continuously or in intermittent doses at the patient 's request or through the patient controlled pump. There is the potential for these drugs to have some effect on the fetus, such as breathing difficulties that may require assistance through the use of Narcan. Providing pain relief during the labor process is solely the patient’s choice, and as the nurse only support and encouragement should be given for however she chooses to handle the pain. (Jansen, Gibson, Bowles, & Leach, 2013)
The nurse must be mindful of each intervention initiated and the possible benefits of the intervention against its potential harmful effects for both mother and fetus. Not providing basic comfort measures for the mother can cause serious physical and emotional problems and could lead to possible fatigue and feelings of failure from the mother. The priority of this nursing intervention is to provide the mother and fetus with the least discomfort as possible and
A labor and delivery nurse is a nurse who cares for woman and newborns during antepartum, intraparetum, postpartum, and neonatal stages of birth. These nurses take vital signs to make sure the mother and her newborn are healthy. Labor and delivery nurses aren’t there for the medicine they are also there to provide support for the mother and the family. I would like to become a labor and delivery nurse because I love helping and taking care of others, especially when it comes to babies, I have always been interested in how the human reproduction systems works, and I love seeing others happy.
After the delivery, the heat from the mom’s body can warm the baby and maintains the baby’s body temperature. For instance, when nursing students were at the operating room at Saint Peter’s Hospital during the C-section delivery, as soon as the baby was out, the doctor placed the newborn on the mother’s chest. When the mother was alert and awake during the C-section made it possible for the baby to stay on her chest on the first hours after the birth. It was one of the most beautiful moments in life. Nevertheless, there was another C-section birth of diabetic mother. She was not fully awake during the C-section and the doctor only did not promote skin-to-skin mother and the newborn. The doctors and nurses at Saint Peter’s Hospital support and encourage skin-to-skin for mother and newborn right after the birth if there is no complication on mother or baby or when the condition is possible. Saint Peter’s Hospital has policy for vaginal delivery, “all infants that meet the criteria for initiate skin-to-skin care shall have skin-to-skin care implemented as the standard of care immediately after birth and as needed thereafter regardless of feeding preference”. They promote skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby immediately after delivery. However, mothers and babies have a physiologic need to be together during the minutes, hours, and days following birth, and this time together significantly improves maternal and newborn outcomes.
Special care and attention must be given to infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) because of their small size and the health complications they face. One particular challenge faced by health care professionals in the NICU is the management of pain for preterm babies. Preterm infants must undergo a wide range of tests, procedures, and, often, life-saving measures during their hospitalizations, which not only subjects them to pain, but pain-related stress and anxiety. This has an impact on the infants themselves, as well as on the family members and friends who are involved in their care (Smith, Steelfisher, Salhi, & Shen, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to examine the problem of pain management among preterm NICU patients and propose the implementation of kangaroo care as a pain management technique.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2007) Intrapartum guidelines state that during the first stage of labour women should be encouraged to adopt the position they feel most comfortable in. This is what the student was trying to encourage even though her mentor did not.There are various positions the woman can adopt in labour which are generally grouped into upright and recumbent. The positions classed as upright are; standing, walking, kneeling, squatting, on all fours and sitting, and the recumbent position could include; supine, lithotomy, semi-recumbent or side lying (Johnson and Taylor, 2011). The upright position appeared to be more beneficial in Sarah’s case and the author wants to determine if this is always the case. It is evident that sometimes there will be constraints such as continuous fetal monitoring but it is important that the midwife does
I was the nursing student assigned to Ms. K.R, an 18 year old African American female who was admitted to Detroit Hutzel labor and delivery unit on October 31st 2015. Upon admission Ms. K.R was 39 weeks and six days pregnant, in the first phase of latent labor, dilated to 3 cm, 70% effaced, -3 station and her contractions were four minutes apart. She had a history of asthma, bipolar depression, anxiety, elevated blood pressure and adult BMI of >30. She is allergic to penicillin, nuts, kiwi and blueberries.
According to the American Pregnancy organization “more than 50% of woman giving birth at hospitals use Epidural Anesthesia”. These women turn to epidural to relieve the pain of labor; however this decision poses many risks to both mother and child. An epidural is a type of regional anesthesia where pain medication is administered to the lumbar and sacral region of the back near clusters of nerves. The placement allows for nerve impulses to be blocked from the lower regions of the body resulting in decreased sensations. Although the epidural is known for taking pain away it could very well cause it too. Epidurals include the use of various narcotics and have side effects like hypotension, fever, fetal malposition, decreased fetal heart rate, respiratory depression, breastfeeding complications, an increased likelihood of operative vaginal delivery and cesarean and many more. These are the effects faced in result to a procedure that is not definite to work. In Fact “One in every 8 women” (OAA) will experience inadequate pain relief and must venture to other means of medication. Therefore, mothers should abstain from epidural anesthesia due to the risks it poses to themselves and to the fetus.
Morphine is a prescription drug that is used to treat moderate to severe pain. An epidural used to reduce pain during a pregnancy by inserting a needle in the back of the derma mater, derma mater means skin. The epidural is placed in the back of the mid back, in the spine is the spinal epidural. Inserting the epidural in the mid back, it causes the lower limb to go numb. When the lower limbs go numb, the women can’t feel
One example of freedom from pain is that if the clients are getting cramping, headaches, or other pain, paracetamol or ibuprofen is available for them to take in moderation to ease the pain. This is extremely helpful as pregnancy can give you a lot of pains and niggles which can be uncomfortable for the clients. All health care professionals should be able to recognise when a client is in pain and be able to offer them support and relief from pain. This is because sometimes, a client may feel too anxious to express her pain to a professional. Professionals should listen carefully to the needs of clients, to figure out the most appropriate type of pain relief for their condition, whether it is breathing exercise, paracetamol or something stronger like codeine or cocodymol. Doctors, nurses, obstetricians etc. should reassure all clients they will be there to provide pain relief when they need
The research question implied by the study was whether use of a peanut ball could be an effective "nurse driven intervention" (Tussey, et. al., 2015) to decrease the length of labor and increase the rate of vaginal birth for women under epidural pain management. The research question stemmed from the increased use of peanut balls in labor and delivery; however, actual research on the outcomes of the use of peanut balls was limited, specifically involving the efficacy of such intervention with women using epidural pain management.
To bring pain relief and lower stress levels during labor, systemic medications are an option for mothers who want to still be alert while delivering their baby but would like help controlling the pain they are experiencing.
Providing continuous physical and emotional support during labour can reducing maternal fear, stress, and anxiety and protect physiological birth (Steen, 2012). Research shows that fear and anxiety during labour and birth can be detrimental to physiological birth. An environment that women feel unsafe in may stimulate a surge of neuro-hormones that can influence both fetal and maternal physiology, causing irregularity of contractions, fetal distress and subsequent medical inteverntions (Fahy & Parratt, 2006). Conversly, maintaining an environment where women feel safe, protected and supported can facilitate favourable physiological performance (Fahy & Parratt, 2006). Midwives can do this by giving women one-on-one continuous support and placing her at the centre of care throughout childbirth (Steen, 2012). As observed in practice, by constantly reassuring the woman about her progress, her baby’s health and addressing any of her concerns, the midwife can provide a calm and relaxing environment that is conducive to the labouring woman (Buckley, 2015; Steen, 2012). The midwife worked with the woman, encouraging her throughout labour and birth by telling her that she was doing extremely well. The midwife also breathed in-tune with the woman while giving her a back massage, inducing a sense of comfort. The atmosphere was calm and this contributed to the woman garnering confidence in her ability to avoid medical pain relief. Downe (2008) noted that the positive impact of
Childbirth is a beautiful thing. After the hours of labor, there is nothing more special than having the newly mother able to hold her child the minute after it’s born. It makes the pain that you had just experienced go away because all that matters in the world is that newborn child in your arms. During labor, every woman has her own experience but one common experience is the pain. According to Kitzinger (1978) “Labor pain can have negative or positive meaning, depending on whether the child is wanted, the interaction of the laboring woman with those attending her, her sense of ease or dis-ease in the environment provided for birth, her relationship with the father of her child and her attitude to her body throughout the reproductive
D. The studies on the use of acupuncture to achieve pain relief during labor are still
Childbirth can be described as one of the most rewarding and also painful experiences in a woman’s life. Most women choose some type of method to ease pain, however, there has been a lot of controversy over with pain management method is the most effective. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), In 2013, there were 3,932,181 births recorded in the United States, 32.7% of those births were surgical procedures. In 2012, 1.36% of recorded births occurred out-of-hospital, meaning these births took place mostly in homes or birthing centers. Without the option of medicine that a hospital provides, how were these women able to manage their pain during labor and delivery. There are many different methods for easing pain during childbirth, some methods involve the use of medicine and surgery, and others include natural techniques, such as hypnosis, Lamaze, and many others. It is a personal preference of the parents over which method is right for the needs of the mother and child. This can be an overwhelming decision for new parents to make because they have to take into consideration the safety of the mother and child, pain management for the mother and desire for medical involvement.
New Zealand midwives may use pethidine as a pharmaceutical method for pain relief (Goodson & Martis, 2014, p.23). However, there are concerns over pethidine use for intrapartum pain management and its side effects. Midwives have to relay their wisdom practice from evidence based practice when prescribing pethidine in ensuring the safety of the women and their neonatal. The influence and application of informed consent, health literacy and midwifery partnership to evidence informed practice on pethidine use are equally important to a woman’s birthing experience.