Critical maternal outcomes

• Uterine hyperstimulation with fetal heart rate changes necessitating intervention
• Maternal mortality
• Total duration of labour
• Serious maternal morbidity
• Postpartum haemorrhage
• Vaginal birth not achieved within 24 hours, from onset of labour
• Duration of the first stage of labour
• Caesarean section for fetal distress

Critical infant outcomes

• Stillbirth or neonatal death
• Neonatal morbidity, excluding fatal malformations (e.g. seizures, birth asphyxia)
• Apgar score < 7 at five minutes
• Cord blood arterial pH < 7.1
• Birth trauma (e.g. cephalhaematoma, Erb's palsy, bone fracture)

Important maternal outcomes

• Hyperstimulation of labour
• Dysfunctional labour
• Spontaneous vaginal birth
• Blood transfusion
• Caesarean section for prolonged labour
• Duration of second stage of labour
• Chorioamnionitis
• Adverse effects of amniotomy: umbilical cord prolapse, infection
• Time interval between amniotomy and birth of baby
• Epidural analgesia
• Third and fourth degree tears
• Duration of rupture of the membranes at the time of delivery
• Rate of cervical dilatation (cm/hr)
• Instrumental vaginal birth
• Postnatal depression
• Pulmonary embolism
• Satisfaction with childbirth experience
• Antepartum haemorrhage
• Prolonged hospital stay
• Postpartum re-hospitalization
• Maternal health service utilization (cost)
• Pyrexia

Important infant outcomes

• Admission to neonatal intensive care unit
• Need for intubation at delivery
• Childhood disability
• Prolonged stay for infants
• Readmission to hospital for infants
• Jaundice