The Ship Captain’s Medical Guide – Chapter 10 – Childbirth

If a pregnant woman goes into labour whilst at sea, try to get her ashore immediately. If this is not possible, try to get a doctor or midwife to her. If this is impossible, do not panic. The mother does all the work in delivering the baby and mainly needs calm, sensible encouragement. Most births occur between 38 to 40 weeks after the woman’s last period. If earlier than 36 weeks, the baby will be premature. The earlier the delivery, the more the risk of complications and death of the baby. On average, for a first child, labour takes about 16 hours. Women who have had children before can have a much shorter labour, and most will deliver within 12 hours. There are, however, wide variations.