TY - JOUR T1 - Changes in the management of labour: 1. Length and management of the second stage JF - Canadian Medical Association Journal JO - CMAJ SP - 1041 LP - 1045 VL - 136 IS - 10 AU - J. L. Reynolds AU - P. L. Yudkin Y1 - 1987/05/15 UR - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/136/10/1041.abstract N2 - An analysis of 18,940 deliveries between 1981 and 1984 in a large British obstetric unit showed marked changes in the management of the second stage of labour. These changes included an increase in the length of the second stage (especially among primiparous women), a rise in the rate of spontaneous delivery and a large decline in the rate of episiotomy. There was no change in neonatal outcome or in the rate of maternal postpartum complications. These findings may have resulted from a more conservative approach to the management of the second stage. They may also reflect a better understanding among obstetric professionals of what constitutes a normal second stage and therefore better decisions about when to act and when to wait. ER -