Emergency Child Birth
Emily Klein
4/11/2012
The bond between a mother and baby is one that is unexplainable. The nine months that the child endures while getting ready to take the first breathe of air, is a very exciting experience but what might be a picture perfect pregnancy to the world might not be so much for the ones behind the scenes. I am going to be talking about the signs and symptoms, cause and effects, evaluation, and the process of emergency care that it will take if a women has to partake in emergency childbirth.
Signs and Symptoms
At the end term of your pregnancy, whether it is an emergency or not the signs and symptoms are the same. It is very important that a woman pays attention to her body in this last term, because if she ignores one of these signs it could be fatal for both the mother and the child. This is the only similar thing that occurs when it comes to emergency childbirth. As found on Medicine Online the major signs and symptoms for both childbirth and emergency childbirth include regular contractions that last three minutes apart lasting about a minute each, a sensation of rectal pressure also can be perceived as needing to have a bowel movement caused by the baby’s head in the birth canal. Some other signs and symptoms are having a strong urge to push, bulging of the birth canal to where the baby’s head is visible, and the mother warning the people that she knows the baby is coming. When a women is having these symptoms it is very important that she either gets to the hospital, or 9-1-1 is contacted immediately.
Cause and Effects
There are many different stages in labor. When the water breaks, that usually means the baby about to come, and this is when the contractions start developing stronger and more frequently. There are times when your water will break earlier then expected and urgent care will be needed. According to Medicine Online some reasons for the cause of emergency childbirth include already have had a kid before, going into labor earlier then 36 weeks, being seriously ill or injured, or having Marfan’s syndrome (a disease having to do with certain connective tissues). These causes are just a few but the most common when it comes to reasons for having to have emergency childbirth.
Unfortunately with every cause there must be an effect. Emergency childbirth can end up well and everything be fine, but there are times when things just don’t go right and things happen. For example, the woman could lose a lot of blood making it dangerous for her during and after the birth of her child. There could be many complications in having the baby which could send the woman into shock which could cause a huge impact on the child as well. Not only does emergency childbirth cause physical damage, but also emotional. For a woman to go through the stress that the delivery process will cause could be very dangerous to the mental health of the woman as well. It is very important that not on the woman see’s an emotional counselor but also everyone else that was involved in the process in the birth (Guide to Emergency Childbirth).
Evaluation
It is very important for the woman about to give immediate birth to have the right care, and that starts with a very thorough evaluation from the person/persons going to assist. According to the Guide to Emergency Childbirth the first step is to make sure that the labor has actually begun and it is not just a scare. After making a positive accusation, the person assisting needs to keep the woman calm so they can ask questions and get positive reinforcement so when they make the call to 911 they know exactly what is going on. Some of the most important things to find out is how much pain they are handling, and how often the contractions are happening. The next step in the evaluation it to check to make sure there is no unordinary blood coming from anywhere especially the vagina area, also during this make sure her body temperature is regular not to high and not too cold. The evaluation is a very important part to the woman about to go through emergency childbirth for both her health and the babies.
Process of Emergency Childbirth
In most cases the person assisting the woman in labor will be able to get the woman to the hospital or 911 will come in time, but there are many instances when it really is a huge emergency and the assisting person will have to deliver the baby. This process is a very crucial to do correctly and with a lot of care. The process is very easy, but while in panic mode you must find a way to keep yourself focused as you continue with the steps. There are many steps consist of:
1. Do not panic. Remaining calm can help you focus on the birth, even if you are alone.
2.Call your doctor, or 9-1-1 if you are able. If you are in your car, pull over and put on your hazard lights..
3.Remind mother to try to pant, or only push very gently with the contractions.
4.As the baby's head becomes visible, place your hand on the head and provide it with support to keep it from popping out. Remind mother to try and pant during this part to help prevent tearing. If you're alone, simply place your hands over the baby's head as best as possible.
5.Make sure to wear gloves because you will be touching blood.
6.Do not pull on the baby, very gently guide the baby out using both hands.
7.Carfully stroke downward on the baby's nose to help expel the excess mucus and amniotic fluid.
8. Place the baby skin-to-skin on mom, with the baby's head slightly lower than it's body to help facilitate draining the mucus. Cover both of them with dry blankets or towels.
9.DO NOT cut or pull on the umbilical cord wait for 9-1-1 services to arrive at the scene.
10.If the placenta is born place it next to the baby, again DO NOT cut the cord.
11.Keep mom and baby safe until help gets there (Weiss).
Following these steps are very important to saving both the mothers life and child’s life. Being able to take these steps and do them correctly will be a huge impact on everyone’s life involved.
Emergency childbirth is nothing to joke about. It has many risks to it but also has many positives the main one being the newborn child. It is a very risky thing to complete, but listening to the first cry will not only bring joy over the mothers heart but also everyone else who was helping which makes it in the end worth every moment of the terrifying procedure.