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Review
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The 5 Ps of Labor: The Passenger

The third P is the fetus. The fetus is the

passenger and plays an active part in the
labor process as it moves and turns to
accommodate itself to the maternal pelvis.

The fetus enters the pelvis in the cephalic

presentation approximately 96% of the time.
The five bones, four sutures, and two
fontanelles of the fetal head make it possible
for the fetus to adapt to the maternal pelvis and
birth canal. The bones of the fetal head consist
of two fontal bones, two parietal bones
(crown), and one occipital bone (back of the
head). The sutures are made of a flexible
fibrous tissue and consist of the following:

Frontal suture, which separates the two

frontal bones
Coronal suture, which separates the
frontal from the parietal bones on each
side
Sagittal suture, which separates the two
parietal bones
Lambdoid suture, which separates the occipital bone from the parietal bones on both
sides

The two fontanelles are formed at the intersections of the sutures and bones of the fetal head.
The anterior fontanelle is diamond shaped and is formed by the intersection of the frontal,
coronal, and sagittal sutures. The posterior fontanelle is smaller, is triangular shaped, and is
formed by the intersection of the lambdoid and sagittal sutures. The diameters of the fetal
skull also influence the fetuss ability to navigate the maternal pelvis and birth canal. The
diameters consist of the suboccipitobregmatic, the biparital, the occipitomental, and the
 p g , p , p ,
occipitofrontal.