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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childbirth
Cervical effacement, which is the thinning and stretching of the cervix, and cervical dilation occur during the
closing weeks of pregnancy and is usually complete or near complete, by the end of the latent phase. The degree
of cervical effacement may be felt during a vaginal examination. A 'long' cervix implies that effacement has not
yet occurred. Latent phase ends with the onset of active first stage, and this transition is defined retrospectively.
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6 of 26
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childbirth
The second stage of birth will vary by factors including parity (the
number of children a woman has had), fetal size, anesthesia, and the
presence of infection. Longer labours are associated with declining rates
of spontaneous vaginal delivery and increasing rates of infection, perineal
laceration, and obstetric hemorrhage, as well as the need for intensive
care of the neonate.[31]
Fourth stage
The "fourth stage of labour" is the period beginning immediately after the birth of a child and extending for
about six weeks. The terms postpartum and postnatal are often used to describe this period.[39] It is the time in
which the mother's body, including hormone levels and uterus size, return to a non-pregnant state and the
newborn adjusts to life outside the mother's body. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes the postnatal
period as the most critical and yet the most neglected phase in the lives of mothers and babies; most deaths occur
during the postnatal period.[40]
Following the birth, if the mother had an episiotomy or a tearing of the perineum, it is stitched. The mother
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