How would Mary Poppins fare in labour? Practically perfect? Unlikely. Lucy Bolger Richard Sweeney Michael Foley Rhona Mahony 10779/rcsi.10787516.v1 https://repository.rcsi.com/articles/journal_contribution/How_would_Mary_Poppins_fare_in_labour_Practically_perfect_Unlikely_/10787516 <p><strong>Introduction </strong>Unrealistic expectations of labour in first time mothers can present challenges to physicians and midwives. This study calculated the percentage of “practically perfect” births in nulliparous women, defined as a labour without intervention, an intact perineum and a positive neonatal outcome.Methods: This was a retrospective study of the nulliparous deliveries that occurred in the National Maternity Hospital over two years (2014/2015). To extract the perfect births, we excluded deliveries <37 >weeks, induction/pre labour Caesarean Section (CS), Artificial Rupture of Membranes (ARM), oxytocin, fetal blood sample, emergency CS/instrumental deliveries, perineal damage and suboptimal Apgar scores.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong><strong> </strong>0.8% of nulliparous mothers had a practically perfect birth.</p> <p><strong>Discussion </strong>Our results provide a useful statistic for clinicians and nulliparous mothers, which could be further validated by similar studies in similar units. The study had a large cohort which objectively quantified perfect births. Research on the subjective perception of perfect births could add value to these findings.</p> 2019-11-22 16:44:09 Expectations Labor Mother Midwives Physicians Outcome. Obstetrics and Gynaecology