I think every pregnant woman thinks about the possibility of going through an emergency birth – having the baby before she arrives at the hospital, or before her doctor arrives at her house if she is having a home birth. Images of women giving birth in taxi cabs come to mind, or, if you’ve ever seen the show “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant,” images of women giving birth in their bathtubs. It sounds so scary, then again, why should it be? I often wonder why something so common and so natural is so frightening and mysterious to most of us. Shouldn’t delivering a baby be one of those things that every person knows how to do? They should add it to high school curriculum. It’s certainly more useful than memorizing ancient poetry, right? Every person should be able to balance a checkbook, drive a car, and deliver a baby.
If a woman is healthy and her baby is healthy, there is not a whole lot you need to do to intervene. If labor is so fast that you cannot make it to the hospital, chances are things are going well and you have nothing to worry about. The important thing to remember is to remain calm. If you are the mother and you are by yourself, remember to breathe and try to push very lightly or pant. Your body will do most of the work and this will decrease your chances of tearing. As the baby crowns, support the head to keep it from popping out. Do not pull on the baby, simply support the head and once it emerges, gently stroke your finger down the baby’s nose to push out any mucus. If the bag of waters is intact, break it and wipe the baby’s face with a clean towel. Check to see if the cord is wrapped around the neck. If it is, gently pull it up and over the baby’s head. As the baby is born, place her on mama’s stomach (that might be your stomach), skin-to-skin, and cover her with blankets. Keep baby’s head a little lower than her body to help with drainage. If you have a suction bulb, you can use that to suck fluid from the baby’s mouth and nose. Don’t tug on the umbilical cord. Wait for the placenta to be born. Once the placenta comes out, place it next to the baby and wait for help to arrive. You do not need to cut the cord.