What Is Arrest of Active Phase?

Labor usually happens slowly for a woman during what is called the "latent" phase. After dilation reaches 4 cm, labor changes to the "active" phase, essentially meaning labor is quickening (including contractions) in anticipation of the baby's birth. An arrest of this active phase means labor has stopped, which normally shouldn't happen.

Classification

• There should be dilation of the cervix between 1.2 and 1.5 centimeters an hour. If you go into active labor and it is happening slower than this, it is considered an arrest of your active labor phase.

Types

• There are complete and partial arrests of the active phase. A partial arrest means labor has simply dropped below the expected rate but it will likely pick back up. A complete arrest means there has been two hours of no labor progress.

Causes

• Two causes account for the bulk of arrests: inadequate contractions or an internal barrier to labor. Contractions are considered erroneous if the break between them is longer than four minutes, or if they don't last longer than 30 seconds. Internal issues can include an improper feto-pelvic proportion (the pelvis is not big enough to let the baby through), fetal malposition (the baby's head is not in a good place inside the mother's body) or asynclitism (the baby's head is angled dangerously).

Treatments

• Problems with contractions can be helped by stimulating the uterus using oxytocin delivered intravenously. Internal problems are obviously more complex and take longer to solve. Usually the baby can still be delivered, although it may have to come slower with a doctor's aid.

C-Sections

• If the baby cannot be delivered through the uterus, then a C-section will be necessary. Doctors will usually try to see if they can solve the inner problem, but if it is too dangerous for the mother or baby, they will turn to a C-section.