Precipitate delivery (also called rapid labor) refers to

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...

after an unusually rapid labor. It is typically defined expulsion of the infant within 3 hours of regular contractions starting, although some providers consider anything less than 5 hours to be precipitous. In contrast, typical labor lasts between 6 and 18 hours on average. It is uncommon, and an understudied topic. In the United States it occurs in 1%-3% of all births.

Predisposing factors

There is no way to predict rapid delivery, and sometimes no predisposing factors are present. However, there are factors which make it more likely, including: #

Placental abruption Placental abruption is when the placenta separates early from the uterus, in other words separates before childbirth. It occurs most commonly around 25 weeks of pregnancy. Symptoms may include vaginal bleeding, lower abdominal pain, and danger ...

. # Having prior births. # Previous rapid delivery. # Young maternal age (teenagers). #

Preterm delivery Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is betwee ...

. # Lower birth weight. # Hypertensive disorders.

Danger of precipitate delivery

Some associations commonly found include:

Maternal

Lacerations of the

cervix The cervix (: cervices) or cervix uteri is a dynamic fibromuscular sexual organ of the female reproductive system that connects the vagina with the uterine cavity. The human female cervix has been documented anatomically since at least the time ...

vagina In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular sex organ, reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The #Vag ...

, and/or

perineum The perineum (: perineums or perinea) in placentalia, placental mammals is the space between the anus and the genitals. The human perineum is between the anus and scrotum in the male or between the anus and vulva in the female. The perineum is ...

(25x greater odds than in typical labor). Rapid descent and delivery of an infant does not always allow maternal tissues adequate time to stretch and accommodate the passage of the infant. There may be

hemorrhaging Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, ...

(35x greater odds than in typical labor) originating from lacerations and/or

hematoma A hematoma, also spelled haematoma, or blood suffusion is a localized bleeding outside of blood vessels, due to either disease or trauma including injury or surgery and may involve blood continuing to seep from broken capillaries. A hematoma is ...

s of the cervix, vagina, perineum, or uterus. There may be infection as a result of unsterile delivery due to inability to reach a sterile environment in time. Intense pain is more likely than in normal labor, where each contraction gradually opens the cervix and prods the baby out. In precipitous labor, the cervix still has to open just as wide, and the baby still has to move just as far—but in much less time. This can also result in emotional effects, such as feeling disconnected and out of control of one's body. Psychological trauma afterwards is common. The risk of preterm delivery in future pregnancies is about 7.3% after a precipitate delivery, compared to 2.6% after a normal labor.

Neonatal

Precipitate delivery may cause aspiration of

amniotic fluid The amniotic fluid is the protective liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a gravid amniote. This fluid serves as a cushion for the growing fetus, but also serves to facilitate the exchange of nutrients, water, and biochemical products betwee ...

, especially if the birth is unattended. As with the mother, there may be infection in the newborn as a result of unsterile delivery.

References

{{Reflist Childbirth