INTRODUCTION
Pregnancy, the state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. This condition can be indicated by positive results on an over-the- counter urine test, and confirmed through a blood test, ultrasound, detection of fetal heartbeat, or an X-ray. Pregnancy lasts for about nine months, measured from the date of the woman’s last menstrual period (LMP). It is conventionally divided into three trimesters, each roughly three months long.
When gestation has completed, it goes through a process called delivery, where the developed fetus is expelled from the mother’s womb. There are two options of delivery: Cesarean section and NSVD or normal spontaneous vaginal delivery. A cesarean section is a surgical incision through the mother’s abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more fetuses. NSVD or normal spontaneous vaginal delivery is the delivery of the baby through vaginal route. It can also be called NSD or normal spontaneous delivery, or SVD or spontaneous vaginal delivery, where the mother delivers the baby with effort and force exertion.
Normal labor is defined as the gradual subjugation and dilatation of the uterine cervix as a result of rhythmic uterine contractions leading to the expulsion of the products of conception: the delivery of the fetus, membranes, umbilical cord, and placenta. Laboring cannot that be easy; thereby implicating that there are processes and stages to be undertaken to achieve spontaneous delivery.
Through which, Obstetrics have divided labor into four (4) stages thereby explaining this continuous process.
STAGE 1: It is usually the longest part of labor. It begins with regular uterine contractions and ends with complete cervical dilatation at 10 centimeters.
This stage is broken down into three (3) phases: the Early phase, where the contractions are usually very light and maybe approximately