What are the main causes of dystocia? How to promote uterine recovery?

Many pregnant mothers tend to overthink what if they have a difficult birth. So, what are the main causes of difficult births?

What is dystocia

Dystocia refers to an abnormally slow progress of the mother's delivery process. Dystocia increases the morbidity and mortality of both the mother and the fetus. Dystocia for pregnant women generally refers to certain situations that occur during the delivery process, causing problems for the baby itself, or caused by the mother's narrow pelvic cavity, abnormal uterine or vaginal structure, weak or abnormal uterine contraction. Dystocia literally means "difficult delivery". Clinically, it manifests as a slow delivery process or even cessation. The main cause of dystocia is weak qi and blood or qi stagnation and blood stasis, which affect the normal activity of the uterus and cause dystocia. Whether the fetus can be delivered smoothly through the vagina depends on three major factors: labor force, birth canal and fetus. If one or more of these factors are abnormal, it can lead to dystocia.

What are the causes of dystocia?

One is related to the shape of the pelvis.

In fact, a person's height is not directly proportional to the size of their pelvis, but is related to the shape of their pelvis. Tall women do not necessarily have large pelvises. If their hips are not wide like a boy's pelvis, they will be more likely to have a difficult birth. On the contrary, small pregnant mothers, because their hips are wide, have a typical female pelvis, so they will have a much smoother birth.

Second, it is related to the size of the fetus.

Whether the size of the fetus is symmetrical to the pelvis is also the key to whether a normal birth can be achieved. Due to the influence of genes and hereditary factors, the size of the fetus is basically similar to the body shape of the parents. Therefore, the pelvis can be large or small, and the same is true for the fetus. If the fetus is small, even if the shape of the pelvis is a little abnormal or slightly small, it will not affect it at all.

The third is related to the position of the fetus.

The position of the fetus in the mother's body is also very important. The position of the fetus in the mother's belly will change as the labor progresses. It is possible that the fetus is in an abnormal position, which will make it difficult for the mother to give birth. Therefore, it is recommended to do a pre-pregnancy check.

The third is related to the pregnant mother’s productivity.

Giving birth mainly depends on the strength of the pregnant mother during childbirth, so no matter how wide the pelvis is, the pregnant mother must have enough labor force to give birth to the baby smoothly. Labor force is the most important force of the pregnant mother's uterine contraction. Only when the force is right can the baby be forced out of the uterus smoothly. The contraction of the uterus has a certain regularity. Whether it is fast or slow, it will cause dystocia for the pregnant mother.

Fourth, it is related to the mood of the pregnant mother.

If the pregnant mother is not mentally prepared for childbirth in time, or is extremely panicked about giving birth and cannot cooperate well with the doctor during delivery, it will cause dystocia.

How to reduce the chance of dystocia

1. Early detection

The causes of dystocia caused by adverse factors are sometimes very clear, such as obvious pelvic abnormalities and abnormal fetal position, which can be discovered and treated in time during prenatal examinations or labor. Therefore, during pregnancy, pregnant women must have regular prenatal examinations in designated hospitals. During these prenatal examinations, doctors will monitor the growth of the fetus in the uterus and can promptly detect whether the pregnant woman herself has factors that may cause dystocia. Once an abnormal trend is found, doctors can take effective measures to correct it.

2. Balance nutrition and avoid eating too much which may cause fetal obesity.

The fetus is too big, which is the main reason for dystocia nowadays. Nowadays, people's living standards have improved, and most of them are only children, so they are very precious to their families. Therefore, pregnant women are desperately supplemented with nutrition, which leads to obesity in pregnant women and fetuses, which brings great difficulties to delivery. Experts point out that during pregnancy, the weight gain of pregnant women should be controlled within a reasonable range of 10 to 14 kilograms. If the baby's head is too big (BPD exceeds 10 cm), delivery will be difficult. Once BPD exceeds 10.5 cm, normal delivery will be impossible. Therefore, as long as you can balance nutrition during pregnancy and ensure the nutrients needed for fetal development, it is enough.

3. Have regular prenatal checkups to reduce or eliminate factors that may cause dystocia for the mother and fetus.

Prenatal check-ups can check whether the mother has related diseases on the one hand, and whether the fetus develops normally on the other hand. They can effectively monitor the entire pregnancy, so they are still very necessary. For example, malposition of the fetus is an important cause of dystocia, which can be discovered early through prenatal check-ups. As long as pregnant women follow the doctor's advice and actively cooperate to adjust the fetal position, they can generally give birth normally. If you don't do a prenatal check-up during pregnancy, you will find out that the fetus is in an abnormal position when you are about to give birth, which is very harmful to the smooth progress of delivery and the health of the mother and fetus. Therefore, pregnant women should have regular prenatal check-ups to detect and solve problems as early as possible.

4. Pay attention to exercise to help with delivery.

Some pregnant women do not like to exercise, or try not to exercise during pregnancy for the safety of the fetus, which is very undesirable. Experts remind pregnant mothers that if their physical conditions allow, they should exercise appropriately during pregnancy. Childbirth is a very energy-consuming and physically demanding sport, and pregnant mothers should save energy for a smooth delivery. Some pregnant women do not have enough physical strength to maintain the delivery process, resulting in a long delivery time, which causes fetal hypoxia. Therefore, during pregnancy, expectant mothers should exercise more, strengthen their cardiopulmonary function and various aspects of their physical condition, and lay a good foundation for a smooth delivery.

How to promote uterine recovery

1. The harm of poor uterine recovery after childbirth

Poor postpartum uterine recovery is potentially harmful to women. It directly affects women's normal menstruation, may cause women to suffer from cervical disease, uterine disease and other problems, and even have a negative impact on pregnancy.

2. How to promote postpartum uterine recovery

1. Urinate promptly after delivery

To promote the recovery of the uterus after childbirth, first of all, you must urinate in time within 4-6 hours after childbirth, otherwise it is very likely to cause urine retention, causing the bladder to expand, thereby squeezing the uterus, causing uterine contraction to be affected and symptoms of postpartum hemorrhage or cystitis to appear. Therefore, you must urinate in time after childbirth.

2. Get out of bed and move around appropriately

If the mother's physical condition allows, she should get out of bed and move around as soon as possible after childbirth, which will help her recover her physical strength. Staying in bed for a long time is not good for her recovery. In addition, you can massage your abdomen appropriately, which can help promote the recovery of the uterus and discharge the lochia in the uterus.

3. Do not eat blood-activating foods

Some mothers take a lot of supplements during the confinement period, and they worry about excessive blood loss during childbirth, so they eat more blood-enriching and blood-activating foods. In fact, this is wrong. You should not eat more blood-activating foods in the short period after childbirth, as it will prolong the time of lochia.

4. Promote breastfeeding

If the physical conditions of the mother and baby allow, breastfeeding must be promoted and the baby should be allowed to suck more. Sucking stimulation can promote the secretion of prolactin and oxytocin in the mother, which is beneficial to the secretion of breast milk and the recovery of the uterus.

5. Pay attention to personal hygiene

After childbirth, you must pay attention to personal hygiene, especially the cleaning and disinfection of the genitals. You should change underwear and sanitary napkins frequently, and use diluted potassium permanganate solution for cleaning and disinfection. This will make the genitals less susceptible to infection and is also conducive to the normal recovery of the uterus.