In plain words
Second-stage arrest is a clinical term for labor that has stopped moving forward during the . The cervix is fully open, but the baby has not moved down through the birth canal within the time clinicians expect. Before using the term, the team looks at the baby's position, the strength of contractions, the mother's pushing, and the baby's heart rate. It is not a judgment about the mother's effort. A diagnosis can lead to a conversation about options, such as more time, changes in position, or assisted delivery. The time limits clinicians use changed in 2014, when ACOG and SMFM lengthened them to match modern labor patterns. Mothers often hear the phrase not progressing during this stage.
The deeper version
Second-stage arrest is failure of fetal descent or of pushing progress to delivery within a defined time after full , with thresholds adjusted for parity and neuraxial analgesia. The ACOG and SMFM consensus of 2014 lengthened the accepted time limits, reflecting contemporary labor curves such as Zhang and colleagues (2010). Management described in the consensus includes continued observation when the fetal status is reassuring, position changes, and operative vaginal delivery when criteria are met, with considered for failure. Evidence on the risks of extended second stages is observational, and the thresholds remain an area of clinical debate.
Where it comes up
- Vacuum and forceps birthsBirth and the First Days
- Pushing and positions for birthGetting Ready for Birth
- The stages of labor, plainlyBirth and the First Days
What mothers here say about second-stage arrest
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- ACOG and SMFM — Obstetric Care Consensus No. 1: Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery, 2014
- Zhang J et al. — Contemporary patterns of spontaneous labor with normal neonatal outcomes. Obstetrics and Gynecology 2010