PRETERM LABOR
CRITICAL REFLECTION PAPER
Case: Ana Mendoza is a 20-year-old, primipara, living in Delpan, Manila City who was in preterm
labor at 30 weeks of pregnancy. Ana discounted the symptoms she was having because she did
not think they could be early labor. What are the signs of early labor that you would have liked
her to have been aware of? What nursing health teaching can you provide to prevent preterm
labor? Why is there a need to monitor preterm labor?
Preterm labor is a labor that begins early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Labor is the
process your body goes through to give birth to your baby and an early labor can lead to preterm
birth. Sometimes labor starts on its own without warning and we don’t know what causes it. Even
if a pregnant mother does everything right during pregnancy, she can still give birth early. Even
though we don’t always know for sure what causes preterm labor, we do know some things that
make a pregnant woman more likely to have preterm labor than others. Now, a mother may
think that if she is at high risk for preterm labor she will surely give birth early. So we want to give
them assurance that having a risk factor doesn’t mean for sure that you’ll have preterm labor or
give birth early, for as long as it is treated and managed.
As for Ana Mendoza’s case, she is a 20 year old, primipara who was in preterm labor at
30 weeks of pregnancy, since labor occurs before 37 weeks. As a recall, ages younger than 17
and older than 35 is more likely to have preterm labor and give birth early. Ana is also in her
primipara, meaning her first pregnancy, so there is no way that she had a preterm birth in the
past. Ana is living in Delpan, Manila City. As assessment, I could see from this that the place where
she lives might be a risk factor in her everyday life. Exposure to air pollution, chemicals, plastics
and secondhand smoke might affect her and her baby’s health.
I would have liked her to have been aware of early signs and symptoms of preterm labor so
she doesn’t reject the symptoms she’s having. These symptoms are: persistent, dull, low
backache, vaginal spotting, and feeling of pelvic pressure, abdominal tightening, menstrual-like
cramping, increased vaginal discharge and uterine contractions. Many women do not recognize
signs of preterm labor and wait before they seek help, just like what Ana did. She discounted the
symptoms she was having because she did not think they could be early labor. So it is important
that we educate them and provide them information about this. I wish she would have been
aware of these signs so she can recognize what early labor is and seek care to have premature
labor halted. There are ways to prevent preterm labor, and here’s what a pregnant woman can
do to prevent preterm labor:
● Bed rest
● Drink 8 to 10 glasses of fluids daily
CRITICAL REFLECTION PAPER
Case: Ana Mendoza is a 20-year-old, primipara, living in Delpan, Manila City who was in preterm
labor at 30 weeks of pregnancy. Ana discounted the symptoms she was having because she did
not think they could be early labor. What are the signs of early labor that you would have liked
her to have been aware of? What nursing health teaching can you provide to prevent preterm
labor? Why is there a need to monitor preterm labor?
Preterm labor is a labor that begins early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Labor is the
process your body goes through to give birth to your baby and an early labor can lead to preterm
birth. Sometimes labor starts on its own without warning and we don’t know what causes it. Even
if a pregnant mother does everything right during pregnancy, she can still give birth early. Even
though we don’t always know for sure what causes preterm labor, we do know some things that
make a pregnant woman more likely to have preterm labor than others. Now, a mother may
think that if she is at high risk for preterm labor she will surely give birth early. So we want to give
them assurance that having a risk factor doesn’t mean for sure that you’ll have preterm labor or
give birth early, for as long as it is treated and managed.
As for Ana Mendoza’s case, she is a 20 year old, primipara who was in preterm labor at
30 weeks of pregnancy, since labor occurs before 37 weeks. As a recall, ages younger than 17
and older than 35 is more likely to have preterm labor and give birth early. Ana is also in her
primipara, meaning her first pregnancy, so there is no way that she had a preterm birth in the
past. Ana is living in Delpan, Manila City. As assessment, I could see from this that the place where
she lives might be a risk factor in her everyday life. Exposure to air pollution, chemicals, plastics
and secondhand smoke might affect her and her baby’s health.
I would have liked her to have been aware of early signs and symptoms of preterm labor so
she doesn’t reject the symptoms she’s having. These symptoms are: persistent, dull, low
backache, vaginal spotting, and feeling of pelvic pressure, abdominal tightening, menstrual-like
cramping, increased vaginal discharge and uterine contractions. Many women do not recognize
signs of preterm labor and wait before they seek help, just like what Ana did. She discounted the
symptoms she was having because she did not think they could be early labor. So it is important
that we educate them and provide them information about this. I wish she would have been
aware of these signs so she can recognize what early labor is and seek care to have premature
labor halted. There are ways to prevent preterm labor, and here’s what a pregnant woman can
do to prevent preterm labor:
● Bed rest
● Drink 8 to 10 glasses of fluids daily
