Whereas, emergency birth refers to instances when a birth happens in a place other than a hospital, this is quite rare but situations may arise that call for emergency birth and the process has to begin immediately. It could happen at home, in a car, or just about anywhere other than in a hospital, and that’s where knowledge of how to manage emergency birth can help greatly in ensuring that the two individuals involved are safe. At KD Blossom Women and Child Care Hospital, our excellent gynaecologist and an expert support team are ready for such a situation all the time. This blog will discuss what happens during an emergency birth, the necessary preparations that you can take should you find yourself in this situation and what you are supposed to do next.
The assessment of emergency birth is based on a situation whereby birth occurs haphazardly, rapidly, or without prior preparation within less than three hours of contracting. This must be one of the shocking experiences that one would never wish to encounter and this alone may cause undue stress but when the individual is calm and has an idea how things are supposed to be done then there is a way out.
Although one can never know at what time an emergency birth might happen, there are things that the mother can do to lessen the pressure and possible harm of such an incident.
1. Knowledge and Education: They let their clients know some things that indicate that the labor has begun and then what to do if the contractions begin to advance rapidly. Pregnancy classes are very important since they prepare mothers for the delivery process.
2. Emergency Kit: Childbirth; carry essentials such as new-born towels, sterile gloves, scissors to cut the umbilical cord, a bulb syringe for cleaning the new-born’s airways plus a blanket for the new-born’s warmth.
3. Communication Plan: There should be communication measures in place so as to ensure effective communication. People should have special contacts for assistance in the emergency cases, including the emergency services number, a health care provider, and any other handy contacts.
Some of the measures that one should take when undertaking emergency birth are as follows:
1. Use the provided guidelines on how to stay calm and where to call for help in case of an emergency: The first and the most obvious thing to do in a situation like this is to follow the classical advice and keep calm. Call emergency services immediately. In case you are alone, keep the phone’s volume on, and follow the instructions provided by the operator.
2. Lots of people spend a large amount of time at work, and everyone needs to have a clean and safe place to go to, especially if one’s home life is not ideal: First, it is crucial to evacuate to a safer and cleaner space. If it’s indoors, lie on any clean surface you can think of like on a bed with towels spread underneath your body. If so, it is advisable to look for an area that is unlikely to have many people around and where the floor is clean and dry.
3. Support the Mother: Comfort the mother and encourage her in her weakness. Just tell her to relax, and take deep breaths for her to calm her down. Place her in a comfortable position with her lower limbs if possible lying flat on her back or if she is more comfortable in a squatted position, then that should be done as well.
4. Guide the Birth Process: If the birth has progress to a crowning point where the head starts to show, gently help support the heads from being born. Do not pull on the baby, this goes hand in hand with holding the babies from the neck. With each contraction, allow the baby to come out on its own, AS IS often seen in water births.
5. Clear the Baby’s Airways: When the baby is born, make sure that there air passage is clear Since this passage may be obstructed by the placenta after the baby is born, make sure it is clear to allow the baby breathe well. If the baby is still awake, or if the crying stops, and the baby seems to have some respiratory distress, then insert the bulb syringe and gently blow air in the baby’s mouth and suction the nasal area.
6. Keep the Baby Warm: Physically put the baby in direct skin-to-skin contact with the mother and then immediately place a blanket over both the baby and the mother. This assists with getting to know the baby and also helps in warming the baby or controlling their temperature.
7. Wait for the Placenta: Avoid tugging on the umbilical cord in order to obtain the after birth as it may cause distress to the mother and the baby. In cases where, it has not emerged on its own, wait for the placenta to be expelled naturally may take up to 30 minutes. In case the afterbirth arrives, spread it on an absorbent material and place it at the same level as the baby until assistance is sought.
To protect the rights and ensure the safety of all involved, here are steps that need to be taken as soon as the baby is born until the arrival of professional medical assistance. The expert gynaecologists at KD Blossom Women and Child Care Hospital, have trained the other healthcare staff for such a situation and all the necessary measures for aftercare as well.
1. Monitor the Baby’s Breathing: Make sure the baby is properly breathing and his or her skin is normal. If the baby is not breathing, administer back rub or tickling on the feet region of the baby. Maintain rescue breathing should the need arise where the rescuer is trained to do so.
2. Control Bleeding: Some of the common pregnancy related complications that the mother might be susceptible to are: The mother might develop an infection after birth and might also bleed to death after delivery. Tell her to apply pressure to her abdomen gently by massaging the area as that will help the uterus to contract in order to minimize the bleeding. Correctly, place your fingers just below her navel and apply gently. BEST Firm gentle pressure can be applied to this point.
3. Stay Together and Warm: Parent: Continue to have the baby lie close to the mother so that the baby can be warm and bond easily. Those involved in the incident should be covered with blankets to prevent hypothermia before being taken to the hospital.
In the case of the birth it may seem that everything went fine and yet, it is necessary to ask for help from a medical professional as soon as possible. The mother needs to be checked for other conditions that may not have manifested during childbirth while the baby will also require a check to determine whether it has any health problems.