Page 14 - 33Elctronic Book (3) Normal Labor

body; this protuberance is the sacral promontory — an important landmark for labor

and delivery.

3-Coccyx:

▪ The coccyx consists of four fused vertebrae forming a small triangular bone,
which articulates with the fifth sacral segment

The pelvic canal

The roughly circular space enclosed by the pubic bones at the front, and the ischium on

either side at the back, is called the pelvic canal — the bony passage through which
the fetus must pass. This canal has a curved shape because of the difference in size
between the anterior (front) and posterior (back) borders of the space created by the

pelvic bones. You can see it from the side view in (Figure 2 ).

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