Let's do some math. 12 laboring mamas. 2 available beds. That's craziness right there. I don't need to tell you that the ward was PACKED yesterday. Everywhere I looked, there were pregnant women - some composed, sitting and patiently waiting, others bent over, moaning and clutching at whatever would hold their weight. It was overwhelming and I didn't know where to begin or whom to choose first!
I decided to offer my services to a young mama who was lying on a gurney in the back hallway. As she was making the most noise, I thought this would be the most helpful. If anything, to help calm her and make the environment more relaxing for the 11 other ladies hanging around. She was soaked in amniotic fluid and writhing around on the little plastic mattress. She was in labor with her fourth child who was overdue by almost two weeks.
We were both relieved when she was finally given a bed and a midwife checked her progress. She was 8 cm! She had gone through most of her labor alone in that dirty, dimly-lit stretch of forgotten hallway. Poor woman!
She was by far, the loudest mama I have ever worked with. She screamed at the top of her lungs with each contraction. Not a high-pitched girly scream but one of those deep, she-man, start-with-a-growl, crazy lady screams. At one point during her labor, she was standing with her arms around my neck. A contraction came on strong and fast and she took in a deep breath for, what I was sure was going to be another banshee cry so I braced myself for the impending hearing loss but it never came! I congratulated myself on a small victory for it was all I could do to keep her in the good graces of the ward staff. She was scolded multiple times for making too much noise and somehow, I felt personally responsible for her receiving the correction! I know that's ridiculous but I felt that I should be doing more to calm her and help her focus.
Well along came 10 cm and the urge to push but a check by a nursing student showed a little lip of skin that was preventing the baby from descending properly through the birth canal. Now they were saying she wasn't fully dilated! As if this poor mama hadn't already had a hard day, she was told to, "Rest for an hour and then you can push." Um, what?! She was in agony as each contraction brought the overwhelming urge to do what was the natural next step. I'm aware that the muscles will contract and "push" by themselves without any work from the mama but this woman was told not to help - not to bear down. Oh boy.
I was so proud of her as she shifted positions and rolled from side to side to try and maintain control. A couple of times, she got up to squat but was sternly told that she needed to get back in bed, lie down and rest. Ugh. So frustrating for both of us. I thought the squatting would be helpful in moving that lip out of the way and that it would be a pain relieving posture. Each time she was told to relax or a contraction came, she looked into my eyes with the most pleading, pathetic expression. If it had been me, I would have threatened to punch that student if he used the words "rest" or "relax" again!
After the longest hour, she was allowed to help in what her body was already doing and she delivered a big baby girl within a few minutes of resuming her pushing.
This entire situation perplexed me so when I got home, I looked up what I could find on the little bit of skin that thwarted this mama's labor. Here's what I found and I am so excited because it describes my situation exactly! I hope this info is helpful for you too. Although, you probably already knew what was going on... Apparently, that bit of skin is referred to as the "anterior cervical lip" and is very common. The author of the article below talks about the physiology of this particular point in labor which offers great insight into why the anterior cervical lip even happens.
http://midwifethinking.com/2011/01/22/the-anterior-cervical-lip-how-to-ruin-a-perfectly-good-birth/
There you have it. I wish I had just a little more authority in the ward. (famous last words) If I did, I would have gone ahead and told that mama to let her body dictate what happened next. I would have let her push and praised her desire to squat. And I would have let her she-man holler all she wanted. Hey, if it helps...
Showing posts with label squatting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label squatting. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Sunday, 3 November 2013
8 Pounds of Good News!
Imagine my surprise when I peeked through the curtain and saw a mama in the waiting area, legs splayed, puddle of water on the floor and the family rushing around her in excited concern.
I couldn't get out to her right away and neither could the midwives so her family took her into the closest room, the place where the midwives do paper work and drink tea. When I got there, the mama was squatting down pushing and her mother was right there preparing to catch her grandbaby!
Unsure of what to do and not wanting to ask them to move, I just talked excitedly about the coming baby and for more details about what was going on.
Just when I was running out of things to ask, the midwife came in and rather abruptly told the mama to follow her to a bed. The mother's hands we wet with amniotic fluid so I showed her to a sink and while she washed, we visited.
She told me that this was her daughter's second child. Her first had been born at the hospital on a busy day when there wasn't enough staff and it had died. Oh how my heart went out for this mama! How she must be reliving that horrible day right at that moment! Her mother clutched my arm, looked into my eyes and pleaded with me to take care of her daughter.
Oh sweet lady. Let me tell you about my Lord who already knows your daughter and loves her deeply. I wish I would've said these words out loud.
After showing the mother back out to the waiting area, I went over and stood with her daughter. Within a few moments, a big baby boy came splashing out into the cold room. It didn't seem to register for this mama that her child was here, alive and healthy. It wasn't until she put her hands on her baby that her face softened. I think it was then that she really saw him.
As my friend and I were leaving the ward, we passed the family, all anxiously awaiting any news of their daughter and sister. The mother jumped up and rushed over to me. "Has she had the baby? Is it alright? Is she alright?" The questions came in a hurry and I barely caught each one as my brain translated. I answered.
"She has delivered!"
"What is it??!"
"It's a boy!"
Then came all the hugs, the kisses, laughter and perhaps a little dancing! Any bystander may have thought we were apart of their family if my friend and I weren't so white!
We left laughing and praising God.
I couldn't get out to her right away and neither could the midwives so her family took her into the closest room, the place where the midwives do paper work and drink tea. When I got there, the mama was squatting down pushing and her mother was right there preparing to catch her grandbaby!
Unsure of what to do and not wanting to ask them to move, I just talked excitedly about the coming baby and for more details about what was going on.
Just when I was running out of things to ask, the midwife came in and rather abruptly told the mama to follow her to a bed. The mother's hands we wet with amniotic fluid so I showed her to a sink and while she washed, we visited.
She told me that this was her daughter's second child. Her first had been born at the hospital on a busy day when there wasn't enough staff and it had died. Oh how my heart went out for this mama! How she must be reliving that horrible day right at that moment! Her mother clutched my arm, looked into my eyes and pleaded with me to take care of her daughter.
Oh sweet lady. Let me tell you about my Lord who already knows your daughter and loves her deeply. I wish I would've said these words out loud.
After showing the mother back out to the waiting area, I went over and stood with her daughter. Within a few moments, a big baby boy came splashing out into the cold room. It didn't seem to register for this mama that her child was here, alive and healthy. It wasn't until she put her hands on her baby that her face softened. I think it was then that she really saw him.
As my friend and I were leaving the ward, we passed the family, all anxiously awaiting any news of their daughter and sister. The mother jumped up and rushed over to me. "Has she had the baby? Is it alright? Is she alright?" The questions came in a hurry and I barely caught each one as my brain translated. I answered.
"She has delivered!"
"What is it??!"
"It's a boy!"
Then came all the hugs, the kisses, laughter and perhaps a little dancing! Any bystander may have thought we were apart of their family if my friend and I weren't so white!
We left laughing and praising God.
Monday, 7 October 2013
God's Providence
I couldn't wait to get to the ward this past weekend. I had been looking forward to going for days so when I walked down the hall towards labor and delivery and heard the familiar sounds of advanced labor, I was excited! Sweet babies! New mamas! A satisfying day filled with back rubs and the bestowing of courage! Perhaps a little too cheerful?
There were two mamas pushing and doing a very good job. I immediately moved to one bed, that of an HIV positive woman, and introduced myself. Within minutes she said, "I can feel the head!" I took a little peek and sure enough, something was happening! Her membranes were still intact and her baby was crowning still in it's sack!
The baby's head was born before I could get a nurse's attention so I very awkwardly supported it with one hand and encouraged the mama to slow down and breathe in little puffs.
The nurse barely had her gloves on when, out came that sweetie, water bag and all! What a gift from God that she was protected from her mama's disease!
I never want to step on toes, damage the relationship I have with the nurses and midwives or just royally screw something up so I stick solely to my doula job. Thus, I watched for what felt like an eternity while the nurse just looked at the baby lying on the bed! I think she was hesitant to touch it as it was from a woman with HIV.
I'm sure it was only seconds later, she scooped that baby up by one leg and laid her across her mama's chest. It was only then that I noticed the amniotic fluid pooling on the plastic mattress and dripping down my leg and the front of my blouse. Awesome. And we're only 30 minutes into the day!
The ward was quiet - unusually so and it afforded my friend and I the opportunity to team up and work with another woman for the rest of the afternoon.
She dilated fully and then rolled over for a nap! After a long rest, she squatted, with the help of my rebozo tied to the bed frame. After much pushing and a lot of encouragement, she delivered a tiny, lifeless baby. And my heart leaped into the back of my throat.
The baby boy was so small and so white. The nurse took him to the warmer and began CPR. She was struggling to get a tight seal with the ambu bag and wasn't getting good breaths in the infant. A midwife came and started to hook up a nasal cannula but found the oxygen tank was empty. I wanted to scream as I watched all of this take place in what felt like slow motion.
At the time, I wasn't giving these two ladies enough credit (and I can imagine they would've preferred I wasn't watching). They've seen it all and they've dealt with it all. After this weekend, I have a great deal more respect for these tough women!
They worked together and a long 20-some minutes later, color was returning to the hands and arms of the baby and he let out a little cry - the sweetest sound on earth. After some more time and oxygen, while not out of the woods, he was breathing more steadily and looking quite nice and pink.
As we were leaving to go home, I marveled at God's providence. He protected a baby girl by allowing her to be born inside her bag of waters and He kept the ward quiet so that we could pour all of our attention on a first-time mama and the nurses could pour all of their energy and knowledge into a tiny, baby boy.
It was a good day.
There were two mamas pushing and doing a very good job. I immediately moved to one bed, that of an HIV positive woman, and introduced myself. Within minutes she said, "I can feel the head!" I took a little peek and sure enough, something was happening! Her membranes were still intact and her baby was crowning still in it's sack!
The baby's head was born before I could get a nurse's attention so I very awkwardly supported it with one hand and encouraged the mama to slow down and breathe in little puffs.
The nurse barely had her gloves on when, out came that sweetie, water bag and all! What a gift from God that she was protected from her mama's disease!
I never want to step on toes, damage the relationship I have with the nurses and midwives or just royally screw something up so I stick solely to my doula job. Thus, I watched for what felt like an eternity while the nurse just looked at the baby lying on the bed! I think she was hesitant to touch it as it was from a woman with HIV.
I'm sure it was only seconds later, she scooped that baby up by one leg and laid her across her mama's chest. It was only then that I noticed the amniotic fluid pooling on the plastic mattress and dripping down my leg and the front of my blouse. Awesome. And we're only 30 minutes into the day!
The ward was quiet - unusually so and it afforded my friend and I the opportunity to team up and work with another woman for the rest of the afternoon.
She dilated fully and then rolled over for a nap! After a long rest, she squatted, with the help of my rebozo tied to the bed frame. After much pushing and a lot of encouragement, she delivered a tiny, lifeless baby. And my heart leaped into the back of my throat.
The baby boy was so small and so white. The nurse took him to the warmer and began CPR. She was struggling to get a tight seal with the ambu bag and wasn't getting good breaths in the infant. A midwife came and started to hook up a nasal cannula but found the oxygen tank was empty. I wanted to scream as I watched all of this take place in what felt like slow motion.
At the time, I wasn't giving these two ladies enough credit (and I can imagine they would've preferred I wasn't watching). They've seen it all and they've dealt with it all. After this weekend, I have a great deal more respect for these tough women!
They worked together and a long 20-some minutes later, color was returning to the hands and arms of the baby and he let out a little cry - the sweetest sound on earth. After some more time and oxygen, while not out of the woods, he was breathing more steadily and looking quite nice and pink.
As we were leaving to go home, I marveled at God's providence. He protected a baby girl by allowing her to be born inside her bag of waters and He kept the ward quiet so that we could pour all of our attention on a first-time mama and the nurses could pour all of their energy and knowledge into a tiny, baby boy.
It was a good day.
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