Medical Illustrations of Giving Birth, Labour and Delivery

Giving birth is probably one of the most intimate moments a person will have in their life, bringing a new baby into the world and one where special bonds are formed between the parents and their newborn child. Childbirth, therefore, is not a usual time for a camera or a photographer to be present.

It is also not possible to record such events or to photograph what can not be seen in terms of the anatomy, the physiological changes or the remarkable events that take place during child birth in and outside of the womb.

It is these particular times when an illustrative point of view is so valuable. A medical artist can record such events with such accuracy that they are an amazing account of what is normally very personal subject matter. And why are such illustrative recordings so valuable? It is because they can be used for education and teaching future parents about childbirth, labour and delivery of a baby.

Labour and Delivery Definitions and Facts

During the first stage of labour each woman’s experience will be different although there are general rules that apply. The date of the birth can vary by two weeks as there is no way to precisely predict the date of conception and when labour will begin. The first stage of labour begins when  the cervix dilates and effaces. The cervix opens (dilates) and thins out (effaces) to allow the baby to move into the birth canal. The cervix must be fully effaced and at least 10 centimetres dilated before a vaginal delivery.

The second stage of labour begins when the cervix is completely dilated. It ends when, following expulsive efforts and pushing by the mother, the infant is delivered.

The third stage of labour is the delivery of the membranes such as the amniotic bag that surrounded the baby and the placenta. In a vaginal delivery, after a woman has her baby, the uterus will continue to contract. These contractions will move the placenta forward for delivery. They aren’t usually as strong as labour contractions.

Giving Birth by Cesarian Delivery

A Cesarian Delivery or c-section, is the delivery of a baby carried out by a surgeon and his team completed through a surgical incision in the mother’s abdomen and uterus. A caesarean may be recommended as an procedure or done in an emergency if it’s thought a vaginal birth is too risky. The surgeon will manoeuvre the baby from the uterus and once delivered the surgeon closes the layers of the tissue repairing the uterus and the layers that were cut during the surgery.