Eureka! Institutional Repository

Childbirth is the procedure in which the fetus is separated from the mother’s body and comprises the last stage of pregnancy. The natural childbirth takes place in three stages the most critical of which is the second stage, because the good or bad output of this stage will determine both the mother’s and the baby’s health since there are possibilities for the appearance of problems and complications that have to be handled immediately and effectively. The purpose of this assignment is to describe the natural birth procedures focusing on the second stage. Furthermore, it is our aim to pinpoint the procedures concerning the midwife’s responsibilities during the second stage, her obligations and generally her contribution and the importance of her role, at a moment when a “new” human being faces for the first time the sunlight, life itself. This assignment is the result of a research made within the frame of our academic obligations. It consists of three chapters. The first chapter briefly describes the Woman’s Reproduction System while the second presents the three stages of the natural birth, the membranes rupture, the maternal contractions and the cervical dilatation. The third chapter focuses on the description of the second birth stage which is the object of this assignment. The description of the second birth stage includes the procedure of the smooth development as well as the potential malfunctions such as the malfunctions of the pelvic floor, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, the vaginal prolapse, abnormal fetus projection, fast delivery and early childbirth. Furthermore, it presents information about the midwifery care during the second birth stage, including pain management, breathing, pharmaceutical techniques and a variety of birth positions. During the composition of this assignment, we had to search a number of scientific magazines and bibliography as well as the internet. This process gave us the opportunity to understand better and more thoroughly the midwifery theory and practices which we were taught during our studies in the Midwifery Department. Hopefully, our work fulfills its purpose describing the birth procedures objectively and accurately and demonstrating the essential role of the midwife during child birth