The Effect of Fetal Weight and Uterine Contractions on the Duration of Labor

Abstract

Background: Prolonged labor is defined as labor that has lasted 12 hours or more but is not followed by birth. The incidence of prolonged labor is quite high; it is known that 1 in 5 maternity mothers experience prolonged labor. The case of prolonged labor is included in the list of the 10 highest cases at Srikandi General Hospital Jember, Indonesia. Prolonged labor lasting > 12 hours is associated with severe postpartum hemorrhage, which is the second leading cause of death in East Java and the leading cause of maternal death in Jember Regency. Several factors are thought to affect the duration of labor including uterine contractions and fetal weight. Purpose: This study aims to determine the effect of fetal weight and uterine contractions on the duration of labor at Srikandi IBI General Hospital, Jember, East Java, Indonesia. Methodology: This is an observational analytic study using a cross-sectional design. The population consists of mothers who give birth at Srikandi General Hospital, Jember: 119 mothers who give birth with a sample size according to the Slovin formula of 92 mothers who give birth determined through Systematic Random Sampling. Research variables were assessed through partographs. Data were analyzed by path analysis. Findings: fetal weight has no significant effect on the duration of labor in both the first and second stages (t value = -0.07; 0.91). Uterine contractions had a significant effect on the duration of the second stage (t value = -2.22; -3.65) but did not significantly affect the duration of the first stage of labor (t value = -0.73; -1.13). Conclusion: This study shows that the more adequate uterine contractions, the shorter the duration of the second stage of labor. There may be other factors that influence the duration of labor including age, parity, nutritional status, maternal nutrition, psychology, family assistance, and non-pharmacological care. Further research is needed to examine the effect of these variables on labor.