Labor doesn’t always go as expected. At times certain complications can occur even though you had a healthy pregnancy. You must be aware of these complications so that you can take the necessary steps during pregnancy to avoid any consequences during labor. This article helps you to understand a few of those complications in detail.

Tears and injury
         During the delivery process, the vagina, anus, and surrounding tissue are prone to tear. This is most common during vaginal birth. Doing pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy strengthens the pelvic floor muscles and reduces the risk of having tears. If your doctor finds that you are at risk of having a tear during delivery then the episiotomy would be done. 
         Injury to the cervix and lower segment of the uterus is rare but it can occur. It occurs more commonly in women who had previous c-sections since during labor there is pressure over the suture from the previous surgery. In such cases of suspected uterine rupture emergency LSCS is performed followed by surgical closure of the ruptured site.

Problems with umbilical cord
         The umbilical cord could get wrapped around the baby’s neck and may tighten during labor causing suffocation to the baby. Rarely they can even get wrapped around a single arm or leg. In these cases, emergency c-section is usually done.

Early breaking of water
         Usually, water breaks anytime between 37-39 weeks and within 24 hours the Labor starts. If it breaks before 37 weeks it is a concern since it can cause infection in the baby. It is common in women who have excessive amniotic fluid and who have a habit of smoking and women who has history of recurrent urinary tract infections or vaginal infections during pregnancy. The key to avoid this complication is by being on rest, avoid smoking and taking your urinary tract infections or vaginal infections seriously during pregnancy and get treated.

Meconium aspiration
         Meconium is where the baby passes stool inside the womb which causes the baby to experience difficulty in breathing. It is the leading cause of death in newborns. It occurs in 1 in 20 births. Women who smoke during pregnancy have a high risk of having it. Normal vaginal delivery is very much possible with meconium stained liquor without fetal distress and the baby is usually kept in NICU after birth for recovering the lungs.

Shoulder dystocia
         It is one of the complications that can occur during vaginal delivery where the head comes out but one of the shoulders becomes stuck and there is difficulty in delivering the shoulder. The only way to prevent this is to plan elective C-Section for big babies. The major cause is because the baby is too large or the pelvis is too small. This happens most commonly in a Diabetic mother(Uncontrolled).

Failure to progress
         Failure of progression of labor leads to prolonged labor which lasts more than 20 hours if it is a first delivery or more than 14 hours in subsequent deliveries. It is caused when the uterine contractions are weak which results in slow cervical dilations. Having a walk, adequate hydration may help. If none of these works then either labor-inducing medications are given or c section will be performed.

Fetal distress
         Fetal distress is diagnosed when there is an irregular or abnormal heartbeat of the baby in the womb. Changing the position, staying hydrated and Nasal O2 helps to a certain extent. But if the baby is not doing well, in some cases c section is necessary.