The Penn Medicine Labor Podcast

Today, we are joined by Dr. Dacarla Albright, an Ob/Gyn, who talks to us about recovery postpartum. 

We answer the following questions: 

1. I’ve had my baby… now what?

   • What I will tell our patients is that the postpartum period lasts for six weeks. So basically, that means that it takes your body six weeks to go back to working like it did before pregnancy. And there are some things that may change forever.

   • They should rest...

Today, we are joined by Dr. Kirstin Leitner, an Ob/Gyn, who answers our questions about what happens when we are 10 cm dilated, or what we call "the second stage of labor." 

1. What is the second stage of labor and how long does it take?

   • Before we talk about the second stage of labor, let’s go back and talk about how labor is divided up. The first stage of labor is when someone is contracting, and the cervix is changing, from...

Today we are joined by Dr. Florencia Polite, an Ob/Gyn, who discusses with us reasons for having a C-section. 

We answer the following questions: 

1. What is a cesarean section?
   • A cesarean section, or C-section, as many people call it, is a type of abdominal surgery that allows your doctor to get the baby out from the womb through an incision or cut on your belly--often near your bikini line. It is very common -- about 30% of ...

Today we are joined by Maggie Power, a midwife, who talks to us about the normal labor process. 

We answer the following questions: 

1. What is labor?

   • Labor is when a pregnant person has uncomfortable contractions of their uterus, or womb, and their cervix starts to open. If everything goes as expected, at the very end, the person is able to push and deliver their baby (or babies) vaginally.

   • There can be many reasons for co...

Today, we are joined by Dr. Jennifer Mccoy, a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, to answer our questions about complications of labor and birth. 

We answer the following question: 

1. How common are complications in labor and birth?
   • While most people have safe, normal labor, sometimes, even pregnant people who are at the lowest risk can have problems or complications during labor and birth. Some of these cannot be predicted u...

Today, we are joined by Dr. Jenny Dworzak, an anesthesiologist, who talks to us about anesthesia. 

On today's podcast we answer the following. 

1) What kinds of medication-based pain relief are available for labor?

• IV pain medications: most have short-lived effects and require repeat dosing with a limit to benefits and more side effects (itching, nausea) for mom, most can affect baby’s heart rate and breathing and may increase ...