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COMMON HEALTHCARE LABOR PRACTICES FOR NORMAL DELIVERY AND BIRTH
Support people and witnesses
- Partner
- Doula
- Friends or relatives
- Children (during labor and/or birth)
Vaginal exams
- At caregiver's discretion
- At mother's request or if needed for clinical decision
- Examiners
Labor positions
- Caregiver's choice
- Freedom to change positions, stand, and/or walk around
- Postural aids (birth ball, tub, beanbag chair, or other)
- Food and fluids
- Eat and drink as desired
- Clear fluids (water, juice, Popsicles) by mouth
- Ice chips only
- Saline or heparin lock
- IV fluids
Emptying bladder
- Walk to toilet
- Bedside commode
- Bedpan
- Catheter
Monitoring fetal heart rate
- Auscultation with fetoscope or stethoscope
- Auscultation with Doptone (ultrasound stethoscope)
- Intermittent external electronic fetal monitoring
- Continuous with telemetry
- Continuous electronic monitoring (internal or external)
Pain relief
Medications and medical procedures
- Systemic medications
- Sedatives and hypnotics
- Tranquilizers
- Inhalation analgesia
- Narcotic or narcotic-like analgesics
- Narcotic antagonists
General anesthesia
Regional and local analgesia and anesthesia
- Standard epidural block
- Segmental ("light") epidural block
- Epidural or spinal (intrathecal) analgesia with narcotic or narcotic-like drugs
- Epidural or spinal (intrathecal) narcotics followed by epidural anesthetic ("caine" drug)
- Spinal (intrathecal) block (with "caine" drug)
- Sterile water block
- Paracervical block
- Pudendal block
- "Local" perineal block
Nonmedical comfort measures
Emotional support from partner, friends, doula, and/or staff
Relaxation, breathing, focusing, and/or visualization
Positioning, changing position, walking, rocking, and/or counterpressure
Hot or cold compresses
Water therapy (bath, whirlpool, or shower)
Massage, acupressure, or acupuncture
Hypnosis
Aromatherapy
Music
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WOMEN’S HEALTH |