The contents of
the following program
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are not intended to substitute
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for the advice of
your healthcare provider,
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and the producers of this
series assume no liability
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for the use or misuse
of the material presented.
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Creation or evolution,
design or random chance,
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they say it all
began with a big bang,
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but when we look at
the amazing human body,
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the answer is obvious.
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The complexity of the design
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exceeds anything
man has ever made.
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The body, it only
have been designed
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by the Master Designer
we read about in the Bible.
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Divine Design.
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Hi, I'm Patti Barnes,
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director of the Midwifery
Program at Hartland College.
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Today, we want to talk
about labor and delivery,
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the entering of the
baby into the world.
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There's a reason why the Bible
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often uses the analogy of
a woman in labor or travail,
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nothing seems to come closer
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to explaining
the pain and struggle
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that takes place
before a tremendous blessing
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is experience.
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The scripture speak
of the church in travail
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and the world itself
in pain to be delivered.
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Jesus used this illustration
to explain to His disciples
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that the sorrow they
were about to experience
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at His death would be
followed by great joy.
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In John 16:21, we read...
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"A woman when she is
in travail hath sorrow,
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because her hour is come:
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but as soon as she is
delivered of the child,
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she remembereth
no more the anguish,
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for joy that a man
is born into the world."
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Almost every woman
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who has given birth
can agree with that,
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the joy of
holding that newborn baby
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completely overshadows
the travail or labor.
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Let's look now at this
process of labor and delivery,
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and perhaps along the way
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we will see some
spiritual applications
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for the church
in these last days.
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The first thing
I want to discuss
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is how to determine
true labor from false labor.
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In an earlier session, we
talked about Braxton Hicks,
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the name given to
light, painless contractions
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that serve the purpose
of preparing the uterus
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for the real thing.
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Braxton Hicks usually
begins long before the delivery,
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therefore
contractions in themselves
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are not a sign of true labor.
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Before we go on,
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let's explain what
term contractions are?
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They are like a
tightening sensation
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that begins in the lower back
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and spreads around to the front.
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Cramping will also be felt.
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Downward pressure is
being applied on the uterus
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pushing the baby
downward into the birth canal.
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A natural
hormone called, Oxytocin
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is released from
the pituitary gland
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which triggers
these contractions.
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A Synthetic
Oxytocin called, Pitocin
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has been developed
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in order to
augment this process,
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but God is the designer
and creator of the real thing.
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To determine the
true labor from the false,
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we need to observe the timing,
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frequency and then
intensity of the contractions.
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Now, true labor contractions
come at regular intervals.
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False labor will be
your regular intervals.
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True labor
contractions intensify
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and grow closer together.
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False labor, they will not.
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True labors felt in
the back and lower front
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where false labor often
felt in the front and high.
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True labor will not cease
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with position
change or activity.
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False labor will cease.
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True labor, warm baths
or sleep will not stop them,
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but false labor, warm
baths and sleep will stop them.
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True labor loses the mucus plug
which has been for nine months
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served as a
barrier against bacteria.
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But false labor does
not lose the mucus plug.
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In true labor
the cervix softens,
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shortens and dilates
with effacement and dilation.
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False labor
minimal cervical change.
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The descent of the baby
or dropping into the pelvis
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is called Lightening
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and usually
begins two to four weeks
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before labor begins.
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However, with multis,
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those who have
had several babies,
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lightening can happen
right at the beginning of labor.
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When lightening occurs,
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it will bring some relief
to the mother's breathing,
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but will once
again increase pressure
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on the bladder.
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Don't be alarmed
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if the baby's movements
slow down now at this point,
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but you still need
to be feeling that baby.
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About this time, the
mother gets a burst of energy
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or what is called
the Nesting Instinct.
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This is probably
caused by the decrease
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in the progesterone level
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and an increase
in norepinephrine,
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but no one really knows for sure
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why that mother
suddenly gets an urge
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to clean the entire
house and cook up a storm.
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The drop in progesterone level
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will also encourage loose stools
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which is just another sign
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that true labor
is about to begin.
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True labor has three stages.
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The first stage of
labor has three phases.
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These are called the
latent or early phase,
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the active phase and
the transition phase.
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The second stage is the birth
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and the third stage
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is the delivery of the placenta.
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Let's look at the latent
phase of the first stage.
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This is the
longest phase of labor
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but fortunately the easiest.
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The contractions
are generally mild
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and establishing
a regular pattern.
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The cervix begins to effaced
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then out and dilate
around two to three centimeters.
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At this point the mother's
emotions begin to be vary,
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ranging from
excitement to apprehension.
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Contractions are not so intense
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so she said would
communicate freely.
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During this time she
should be encouraged to walk,
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eat and rest in
preparation for the next phase
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which will be more intense.
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Here is when we find great value
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in having a doula
or birthing assistant.
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As reported in the
journal of Perinatal Education,
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different studies comparing
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outcomes of two
groups of mothers,
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one with a doula
assistant and one without.
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They found that
those with doulas
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had significantly
better birth outcomes.
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They had fewer
C-sections, shorter labor
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and were more likely
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to breastfeed their
babies successfully.
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It was a continuous support
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and encouragement
that made the difference.
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Next we come to
the active phase,
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the contractions
become more intense
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and closer together.
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The cervix dilates to around
four to seven centimeters,
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and at this point she's going
to meet continuous support.
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Slowed controlled
breathing should be encouraged
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along with massage to
the lower back for relief.
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Hydrotherapy can also be
benefit easing the discomfort
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by relaxing the muscles.
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And at this point,
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she will
probably not want to eat
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but should be encouraged
to stay well hydrated.
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This will help her circulation
and energy level during labor.
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There had been several studies
on the benefits of walking
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and maintaining
an upright position
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throughout the
first stage of labor.
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They have concluded
based on their findings
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that women of low risk
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tend to have less
need for interventions,
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shorter labor,
and less C-sections.
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This is simple
matter of allowing gravity
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to work in the woman's favor.
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In addition, it
decreases the pain in the back
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but it's only increased
in a supine or flat position.
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We now move into the final phase
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of the first stage
called the transition phase.
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The contractions
are very intense now,
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and the dilation is usually
from seven to ten centimeters,
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which is
considered completely dilated
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allowing the baby's head
to fit through the cervix.
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This is the
hardest but shortest phase.
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Here is where
the mother might feel
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like she just
can't do it anymore.
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Now she needs
encouragement letting her know
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that it's almost over.
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She can do it in addition
to the dilation and intensity,
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the mother may also
experience nausea and vomiting,
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alternating
between sweats and chills
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and the impulse to push
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as a baby presses
against the sacrum.
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This now leads to the
second stage of labor,
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the birth.
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This is when the
mother begins pushing hard
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and the baby begins moving
into the delivery position.
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As a baby is moving
down into the pelvis,
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there are eight
movements the baby makes
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as it naturally navigate
through the birth canal.
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These are called
cardinal movements.
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The first one is engagement.
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When the head or the presenting
part enters the pelvis.
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Then descent,
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when the baby descents
through the pelvic inlet.
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Flexion, when the
head meets resistance,
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it flexes so that the
chin touches the chest.
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Internal rotation,
this is when the occiput
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or the back of the
head rotates to face down.
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Extension, this is when the
top of the head is delivered
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and the face and chin extends.
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Restitution, here the
head rotates 45 degrees.
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An external rotation,
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this occurs as a shoulders
rotate to align with the head
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and the anterior
shoulder is delivered.
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Expulsion, the
posterior shoulder is delivered
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followed by the
remainder of the body.
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By the way, these movements
are not made by the doctor
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or midwife, they
are ordained of God,
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a part of His miraculous plan.
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There are various
positions also for pushing,
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but the upright
position is superior
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as it allows gravity to work.
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Squatting can be effective
in increasing the opening
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of the birth canal by as
much as 20 to 30 percent.
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In addition, the
pain is somewhat less
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and the
contractions are more effective.
00:10:59.79\00:11:02.36
This can shorten the
duration of the pushing.
00:11:02.39\00:11:05.59
Now, that the baby
has been delivered,
00:11:05.63\00:11:07.90
we enter into the
third stage of labor
00:11:07.93\00:11:10.57
which is the
delivery of the placenta.
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This can take anywhere
from five to thirty minutes.
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Once the cord stops
pulsating, we clamp and cut it.
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We dry the baby and
wrap him in a blanket
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and give him to
the mom, to nurse.
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What takes place now is amazing
as a mom begins to nurse,
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there's a
natural Oxytocin release
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that causes
uterine contractions again,
00:11:31.09\00:11:33.79
which aids in
expelling the placenta
00:11:33.82\00:11:36.09
and reducing the uterus down
00:11:36.12\00:11:37.69
to about the size
of a large grapefruit.
00:11:37.73\00:11:41.06
Through a process
called involution,
00:11:41.10\00:11:43.50
it would take
about two weeks or so
00:11:43.53\00:11:45.30
for the uterus to
return to its near normal size.
00:11:45.33\00:11:49.40
I say near normal,
00:11:49.44\00:11:50.97
for the uterus
has stretched some
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and will remain a little larger
than its pre-pregnancy size.
00:11:52.64\00:11:56.81
It would take about six weeks
for the placenta site to heal.
00:11:56.85\00:12:00.85
Now, let's look at
some spiritual applications
00:12:00.88\00:12:04.05
we can draw from this
amazing process of childbirth.
00:12:04.09\00:12:07.56
In 1
Thessalonians 5:2-5 we read...
00:12:07.59\00:12:13.26
"For yourselves know perfectly
that the day of the Lord
00:12:13.29\00:12:16.33
so cometh as a
thief in the night.
00:12:16.36\00:12:19.33
For when they shall
say, Peace and safety,
00:12:19.37\00:12:22.77
then sudden
destruction cometh upon them,
00:12:22.80\00:12:25.47
as travail upon
a woman with child:
00:12:25.51\00:12:28.24
and they shall not escape.
00:12:28.28\00:12:30.55
But ye, brethren,
are not in darkness,
00:12:30.58\00:12:32.98
that that day should
overtake you as a thief.
00:12:33.01\00:12:35.78
Ye are the children of light,
and the children of the day:
00:12:35.82\00:12:39.19
we are not of the
night, nor of darkness."
00:12:39.22\00:12:42.52
The Apostle Paul uses the
example of a woman in labor
00:12:42.56\00:12:46.56
to give us an idea
of what it will be like
00:12:46.59\00:12:49.16
when the return
of Jesus is near.
00:12:49.20\00:12:51.77
A pregnant woman knows
when she is about to give birth
00:12:51.80\00:12:55.10
and there are obvious
signs and severe pains
00:12:55.14\00:12:57.91
that make it ever so clear
00:12:57.94\00:12:59.71
that a child is soon to be born.
00:12:59.74\00:13:01.88
Paul goes on in
verse 6 to say...
00:13:01.91\00:13:05.95
"Therefore let us
not sleep, as do others,
00:13:05.98\00:13:09.15
but let us watch and be sober."
00:13:09.18\00:13:11.95
Just like transition
00:13:11.99\00:13:13.56
is the hardest part of the birth
00:13:13.59\00:13:15.62
but the shortest,
00:13:15.66\00:13:16.99
the time of trouble
and the seven last plagues
00:13:17.03\00:13:20.10
will be like transition for us,
00:13:20.13\00:13:22.63
the hardest but the shortest
before the coming of the Lord.
00:13:22.66\00:13:29.10
In Galatians 4:19, Paul wrote...
00:13:29.14\00:13:32.97
"My little children,
00:13:33.01\00:13:34.34
of whom I travail in birth again
00:13:34.38\00:13:36.64
until Christ be formed in you."
00:13:36.68\00:13:39.71
With this in mind,
we should also labor
00:13:39.75\00:13:42.42
and travail to bring
others into the truth.
00:13:42.45\00:13:46.09
Join us next time for
more of the Divine Design.
00:13:46.12\00:13:49.72