Going Into Labor: Stationed

Video Transcript

"So another thing that is happening while you are in labor is called "stationed" and what that is that is basically your baby getting deeper down into your pelvis. You are going to definitely here about effacement and dilation when you get vaginal exams at the hospital or wherever you give birth. You might or might not hear about "stationed". But a baby, a station is related to your ischial spines on your pelvis. So these right here, I will show you from the back because it is easier to see it of the ischial spines, they are kind of pointy little spines right here. When a baby's head is even with these ischial spines that is considered zero station. So the baby's head would be right about here to be at "zero station". Anything above those spines is called "minus" and below that is called "plus". So usually when a woman starts labor she is probably going to be at about ""minus two, something like that. The baby is going to then keep descending while she is in labor and the baby is going to get into the plus. That means they are passed ischial spines. Once a baby is at about a "plus three", the baby's head is actually putting pressure on the woman's anus. So that is when woman starts to feel the urge to push. So usually about "plus three" is when they will start to feel the urge and then the baby is going to then descend down to "plus four". That is where they are going actually feel like they have to push the baby out. So one of the other things that is happening in labor that you are going to hear about possibly is "station". So here is another view of what station is, these are the ischial spines and right here, this thick line right here is "zero station". So this baby right now is at "zero station", so anything above that is considered "minus", so this baby would be at "minus three, minus two and minus one". Anything below that is "plus", then the baby is going to go to "plus one, plus two and plus three" and as you can see at "plus three" the baby is almost even with the bottom of the pelvis and at "plus four" is when a woman would start pushing the baby out."