Final answer:
Delivery takes place during the hospital admission of an obstetric patient, which involves the stages of cervical dilation, expulsion of the newborn, and delivery of the placenta, collectively known as labor. It usually occurs around the due date or within the next week, or earlier in cases of multiple pregnancies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Delivery, or childbirth, typically occurs during admission of an obstetric patient to the hospital. Specifically, delivery happens after labor has commenced, which can begin on the due date or within a week of it, unless it involves a multiple pregnancy, which may cause labor to begin early. The childbirth process is divided into three stages: cervical dilation, the expulsion of the newborn, and the afterbirth, where the placenta is delivered after the baby.
The average duration of pregnancy is about 40 weeks, divided into three trimesters. As the pregnancy progresses into its final weeks, physiological changes occur in response to hormones that trigger labor. Labor begins when the amniotic sac breaks, and the first stage involves the dilation of the cervix. In the second stage, the baby is expelled from the uterus. The uterus contracts, and the person giving birth pushes with the help of compressed abdominal muscles to aid delivery. The third stage involves the delivery of the placenta after the baby has been born and the organ has detached from the uterine wall. If labor stops, synthetic oxytocin, known as Pitocin, can be administered to resume the birthing process.