premature delivery


pre·ma·ture de·liv·er·y

childbirth 20-37 weeks into gestation.
See also: premature birth.

pre·ma·ture de·liv·er·y

(prē'mă-chŭr' dĕ-liv'ĕr-ē) Birth of a fetus before its proper time.
See also: premature birth

delivery

(di-liv'e-re) [Fr. fr L. deliberare, to set free] 1. Giving birth to a child, together with the placenta and membranes, by a parturient woman. See: labor2. The provision and administration of a therapeutic agent to a patient.

abdominal delivery

Delivery of a child by cesarean section.

assisted delivery

Assisted birth.

breech delivery

Delivery of the fetus that presents in the breech position, i.e., the buttocks are the first part of the body to be delivered. Synonym: breech extraction See: breech presentation

elective delivery

Aiding the birth of a newborn before the onset of uterine contractions or the spontaneous rupture of membranes.

forceps delivery

Delivery of a child by application of forceps to the fetal head. Outlet forceps deliveries are performed when the scalp of the fetus is visible at the vaginal introitus and the fetal skull has descended to the pelvic floor. Low forceps deliveries are performed when the fetal skull is at or > station +2 cm and not on the pelvic floor. Midforceps deliveries are performed when the station is above +2 cm but the head is engaged. High forceps deliveries, performed in the past, are no longer performed.

operative delivery

Delivery of a newborn with forceps, by surgery (e.g. Cesarean section), or by vacuum extraction.

postmortem delivery

Delivery of the child by either the abdominal or vaginal route after death of the mother.

precipitous delivery

An unexpected birth caused by swift progression through the second stage of labor with rapid fetal descent and expulsion. See: precipitate labor

Patient care

Although primiparas may experience unduly rapid labor and delivery, the event is more common among multiparas. Signs to be alert for are an accelerating second stage, such as the abrupt onset of strong contractions, an intense urge to bear down, or the patient's conviction that delivery is imminent. To diminish the urge to push, the woman should be encouraged to pant.

Emergency delivery by health care professionals. If time permits, the health care provider opens the emergency delivery pack, scrubs, and gloves, and places a sterile drape under the patient's buttocks. As crowning occurs, the health care provider uses the dominant hand to gently support the oncoming fetal head and the other hand to support the woman's perineum. If the amniotic sac is intact, the membranes are to be broken. The head should be born between contractions and supported as it emerges. The health care provider immediately feels for a nuchal cord. If the cord loosely encircles the infant's neck, it should be slipped over the infant's head. If it is tightly looped, two clamps are used to occlude the cord and cut it between them; the clamp is left in place. The health care provider unwinds the cord and suctions the infant's nose and mouth. He or she places one hand on either side of the infant's head and gently exerts downward traction to deliver the anterior shoulder. Gentle upward traction assists delivery of the posterior shoulder, and the body emerges as the mother gently pushes. Standard birthing protocols are then followed, such as using a bulb syringe to suction the newborn as needed, drying the infant, and placing the newborn on the mother's abdomen (skin to skin) in a head-dependent position to facilitate drainage of mucus and fluid. The patient is assessed for signs of placental separation (small gush of blood, more cord protruding from the vagina, fundal rebound). Traction on the cord to hasten placental separation is contraindicated. The postdelivery status of the mother and newborn is assessed and recorded.

premature delivery

Preterm delivery.

preterm delivery

Childbirth that occurs between the date of fetal viability and the end of the 37th week of gestation. Synonym: premature delivery See: preterm labor

site-specific delivery

Any of the techniques to help a therapeutic agent concentrate in the organ where it will have the greatest effect. These include attaching a drug to a monoclonal antibody or administering prodrugs that are converted to active agents only in targeted cells.

spontaneous delivery

Delivery of an infant without external aid.

vaginal delivery

Expulsion of a child, placenta, and membranes through the birth canal.

ventouse delivery

Removal of the fetus from the womb with a vacuum extractor.

Premature delivery

The birth of a live baby when a pregnancy ends spontaneously after the twentieth week.Mentioned in: Stillbirth