Welcome to my blog!

This blog was created with the intention of sharing my life and midwifery experiences with my community as I branch into international midwifery. I hope to keep people up to date and in touch with me, and with the places and people where I'll be.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

an almost c-section

So today was interesting...isn't it always so interesting here...this morning I arrive and there's this lady who was sent from a different hospital to St Therese because she had "CPD" (bab'y head can't fit through the mom's pelvis)---I ask how dilated she is, and the MW from the night before says she's complete...she has been there for half an hour, and they have already called the Dr and started prepping her for a c/s. I check her, and the head is low, and she is starting to push a little, and she feels like she has enough room to me. She is exhausted, out of her mind, and just chanting over and over that she can't do it and that she doesn't have enough room for the bb to come out. Because that's what everyone has been telling her. I say that I want to help her, and I start trying to help her. And monitoring her (fetal heart tones). The MW and nurse from the night before get angry with me and are being VERY negative and there are all these people talking at once--the students were all there--no one is trying to help her, or me, no one is tuning in. Except one student, she tuned in and came and stayed by her side and was supporting her. But there's all of this noise and negative talk about how she DOESN'T have room, etc...and they're like: "there's caput!" (swelling on the bb's head). that means that there is CPD! and I'm like: " no, caput is normal. " she has enough room. well, luckily Marthonie walked in, and I told her what was going on, and she checked her too, and agreed with me that she felt roomy enough to try for a vaginal birth, and she tried to explain to the people who were mad that she agreed with me. She really got my back. The Dr arrived, he checked her, and let us proceed. Unfortunately this woman was already so scared and convinced that her body wasn't capable of doing it, that it was hard, but she DID get into it. After a little while I was able to get her into a kneeling position, off her back, and that helped. And people started collaborating and helping (the students). And, she had her baby. It was fine. Everything was fine. The Dr came in awhile later and was very happy to see that he had birthed, and thanked me. I thanked him for his patience, and for him allowing us to help her. He thanked me for my patience. This lady was on the brink of getting a c/s that she really didn't need. It was like, she had come in, and the people here, they didn't eval her for themselves, they just said, ok, she can't do it and needs a c/s. when she was so close to birthing. Geez. The other thing is the chaos, the yelling, having all of these people around, with no one actually helping the mom. So, I was very happy, and very thankful to Marthonie for her support and collaboration, but also very annoyed at the fact that this other MW had gotten so angry at me for wanting to help this lady and for challenging a bogus diagnosis.
We had another birth later in the afternoon--a nice birth--another first timer, who was exhausted and out of her mind, but that is normal, and it was nice, no one was mean to her, the MW's and nurses who were there with me, we were a good team...in the end we ended up cutting an epis, and it was the right thing to do--but, everything was good.
Ok...that is all for now...the days are passing a little faster now...I am settling in a little more to my environment...accepting it more...I feel so thankful for that...
love you all...
Reina

2 comments:

  1. I am so glad you were able to support that woman and stand true.Wonderful that you could finally get support from your coworkers.I've observed over the years in the medical field that for some people it's all about control and power and being "right"-guess that can be true for all of us at times but seems like some people get really vested in that kind of attitude and power trip.Seems like your hospital there get a lot of referrals and some really scary situations develop like ecclampsia and people get used to being in crisis mode all the time and forget birth can be normal.
    this is happening at most hospitals in the States now where we have a 31% C-section rate. I'm so proud of you for helping these women .
    Love to you,Meg

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great strength, wonderful support. What an admirable spirit. Thank you for your perseverance.

    ReplyDelete