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Chapter 43 - Normal Labour

from Section 5 - Intrapartum Care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2021

By
Silvia Serrano  and
Diogo Ayres-de-Campos
Edited by
Tahir Mahmood ,
Charles Savona Ventura ,
Ioannis Messinis  and
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Tahir Mahmood
Affiliation:
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Charles Savona Ventura
Affiliation:
University of Malta, Malta
Ioannis Messinis
Affiliation:
University of Thessaly, Greece
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Affiliation:
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, UK
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Summary

Labour is defined as a series of physiological phenomena whereby the fetus, membranes and placenta are expelled from the uterus at a period in pregnancy where extrauterine survival is possible. The onset of labour implies the occurrence of rhythmic and effective uterine contractions that lead to progressive effacement and dilation of the cervix. This process is required before the fetus can progress through the birth canal.

Type
Chapter
Information
The EBCOG Postgraduate Textbook of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Obstetrics & Maternal-Fetal Medicine
 , pp. 359 - 366
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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