Final answer:
Jeanine's labor has stalled at 2 cm cervical dilation, prompting the administration of pitocin to enhance contractions and progress toward delivery. Childbirth must proceed promptly once started to ensure the safety of both mother and baby, potentially requiring interventions like a Caesarian section.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jeanine is 41 weeks pregnant and has been experiencing prolonged labor without significant cervical dilation. Given that she is only 2 cm dilated with mild contractions and her amniotic sac remains intact, pitocin, a synthetic form of oxytocin, is started intravenously. Pitocin is administered to enhance the strength, duration, and frequency of uterine contractions, which is essential for advancing labor when it has stalled. This is aligned with the three stages of labor: cervical dilation, delivery of the baby, and delivery of the placenta. An inability to progress to the second stage necessitates medical intervention to decrease risks to the child and mother.
Childbirth involves significant changes in the mother's body and requires prompt progression once it begins. Positive feedback systems, intense muscular work of labor, and potential interventions like Pitocin restart and maintain labor. If unmanaged, stalled labor might endanger both mother and baby, necessitating interventions like a Caesarian section if vaginal delivery is not possible.