Management of Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery

Most of the nearly 4 million births in the United States annually are normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries. In the first stage of labor, normal birth outcomes can be improved by encouraging the patient to walk and stay in upright positions, waiting until at least 6 cm dilation to diagnose active stage arrest, providing continuous labor support, using intermittent auscultation in low-risk deliveries, and following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for group B streptococcus prophylaxis. Most women with a low transverse uterine incision are candidates for a trial of labor after cesarean delivery and should be counseled accordingly. Pain management during labor includes complementary modalities and systemic opioids, epidural anesthesia, and pudendal block. Outcomes in the second stage of labor can be improved by using warm perineal compresses, allowing women more time to push before intervening, and offering labor support. Delayed pushing increases the length of the second stage of labor and does not affect the rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery. A tight nuchal cord can be clamped twice and cut before delivery of the shoulders, or the baby may be delivered using a somersault maneuver in which the cord is left nuchal and the distance from the cord to placenta minimized by pushing the head toward the maternal thigh. After delivery, skin-to-skin contact with the mother is recommended. Beyond 35 weeks’ gestation, there is no benefit to bulb suctioning the nose and mouth. Postpartum maternal and neonatal outcomes can be improved through delayed cord clamping, active management to prevent postpartum hemorrhage, careful examination for external anal sphincter injuries, and use of absorbable synthetic suture for second-degree perineal laceration repair. Practices that will not improve outcomes and may result in negative outcomes include discontinuation of epidurals late in labor and routine episiotomy.