While every other developed nation of the 14 analysed in 1990 shows a 2017 death rate of less than 10 deaths per every 100,000 live births, the US rate has risen to 26.4. By comparison, the United Kingdom ranks second highest at 9.2 and Finland is the safest at 3.8. Furthermore, for every one of the 700 to 900 US woman who die each year during pregnancy or childbirth, 70 experience significant complications such as haemorrhage and organ failure, totalling more than one per cent of all births.Compared to other developed nations, the United States also has high infant mortality rates. The Trust for Americas Health reports that as of 2011, about one-third of American births have some complications; many are directly related to the mothers health including increasing rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and physical inactivity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has led an initiative to improve womans health previous to conception in an effort to improve both neonatal and maternal death rates. Labour and delivery complications
Obstructed labour
The second stage of labour may be delayed or lengthy due to poor or uncoordinated uterine action, an abnormal uterine position such as breech or shoulder dystocia, and cephalopelvic disproportion (a small pelvis or large infant). Prolonged labour may result in maternal exhaustion, fetal distress, and other complications including obstetric fistula. Eclampsia
Eclampsia is the onset of seizures (convulsions) in a woman with pre-eclampsia.
Delivery by extension. The back of the neck presses against the pubic bone and its chin leaves its chest, extending the neck – as if to look up, and the rest of its head passes out of the birth canal. Restitution. The fetal head turns through 45 degrees to restore its normal relationship with the shoulders, which are still at an angle. External rotation. The shoulders repeat the corkscrew movements of the head, which can be seen in the final movements of the fetal head.Failure to complete the cardinal movements of birth in the correct order may result in complications of labour and birth injuries. Early skin-to-skin contact
Skin-to-skin contact (SSC), sometimes also called kangaroo care, is a technique of newborn care where babies are kept chest-to-chest and skin-to-skin with a parent, typically their mother, though more recently (2022) their father as well. This means without the shirt or undergarments on the chest of both the baby and parent. A 2011 medical review found that early skin-to-skin contact resulted in a decrease in infant crying, improved cardio-respiratory stability and blood glucose levels, and improved breastfeeding duration. A 2016 Cochrane review also found that SSC at birth promotes the likelihood and effectiveness of breastfeeding.As of 2014, early postpartum SSC is endorsed by all major organizations that are responsible for the well-being of infants, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that "the process of
childbirth is not finished until the baby has safely transferred from placental to mammary nutrition."