CHILDBIRTH FUNDAMENTALS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

Panic attacks whenever an expectant mother is just about to deliver a child. This is even more profound when the mother’s water break and no medical assistance is near. Majority of us become dumbfounded and remain clueless what to do.

It is always important to be prepared with the basic knowledge of child-birth as it may help both the mother and the child.

What You Should You Do To Prepare

Before the labor kicks or between contractions, strive to make the following preparations – improvise where you can:

• Line the bottom of a cot (makeshift bed) with a folded blanket, shawl or towel. Fold another blanket in readiness for when the baby is born. Keep in mind a baby’s head is large in proportion to its body, so you do not need a pillow. If there is no cot, use a drawer or a cardboard box.
• Prepare a bed or a large clean surface such as a table for the mother to lie on. Spread a plastic sheet or newspaper over the surface and covet it with clean sheet or towel.
• Find a clean pair of scissors and some string. Cut three pieces of string, each about 20cm long.
• If possible, sterilize the string and scissors by boiling them in water for about 10 minutes. Wrap them in a clean cloth. Do not touch the sterilized scissor blades.
• Fold a blanket in three from top to bottom in order to cover the mother’s top during delivery. If possible, wrap the blanket in a clean sheet.
• Three or four more clean towels and several pieces of cloth or sheets should be stacked ready, if available. Also avail an adult diaper for the mother to use after the birth, and a nappy for the baby.

How You Can Help a Mother During Labor

When the labor starts, follow the instructions below to ensure the mother is safe and healthy.

• Give the mother occasional small drinks of milk or water, but nothing to eat. The body’s digestive system shuts down during labor, so food will not be digested anyway and might cause discomfort.
• As the contractions become more frequent, or if the water break, tell her to lie on the bed or on a prepared surface in the position most comfortable for her.
• If the pains are bad, it may help if she breathes deeply, in and out, with each contraction, and does not hold her breathe.
• If she complains of tingling fingers or a trembling sensation when she does this, she is taking too much oxygen. The best way to help her is to cup your hands loosely over her mouth and nose during the contraction so that she rebreathes some of her exhaled air. The tingling sensation should stop.
• During this stage, encourage her to relax as far as possible between and during the contractions, and not to push down.
• As the next stage of labor begins, the mother will feel an unmistakable urge to push down. By this time the contractions may be occurring every two or three minutes, a clear indication of giving birth- though it may still take up to an hour to complete
• Encourage her to lie on her back or side – whichever is comfortable to her – and tell her to hold her breathe with each occurring contractions and push hard.
• Remember to tell to grip her thighs just behind her knees, and pull her legs at the same time as she is pushing down.

Delivering The Baby

Strong will and bravery are required at this point of child birth since it is the most laboring to the mother and her attendant.

• Support her shoulder with pillows and cushions.
• When the baby’s head first appears, put a clean towel or cloth under the mother’s buttocks and a clean towel or sheet on the bed between her legs.
• When the head is fully out, support the baby with clean cupped hands. If a membrane covers the baby’s face, remove it gently but quickly.
• As the shoulders emerge, support them gently but do not pull. One shoulder appears first. The second will follow easily if you gently raise the baby’s head. The rest of the baby will be born without difficulty.
• Support the body with one hand. When the birth is complete, wipe away mucus or blood from the mouth with a clean cloth.
• If the baby does not breathe immediately, hold the child with the head lowered than the body to drain any mucus. Do not slap the baby. If necessary, blow hard on the baby’s chest.
• Once the baby is breathing normally, which usually happens within a few seconds of birth making the baby to cry, tie the cord with two pieces of clean strings as tight as you can about 15cm and 20cm from the baby’s navel.
• Cut the cord with clean scissors between the two ties. Make a further secure tie about 10cm from the navel. There is no need to cut the cord closer to the navel since it will fall off on its own in a few days.
• Put a clean dressing over the end of the cord attached to the baby. Wrap the baby warmly particularly from the top of the head.
• Give the baby to the mother and wrap her warmly in blankets. Now wait for the placenta to appear. Do not pull on the cord to speed delivery. It will deliver itself.

Special Scenarios During Birth

Cord around the neck

Here, you gently hook a finger around the cord and loop it over the baby’s head. Be careful not to pull the baby or cord/

Breech Birth

This is when the baby’s bottom appears first.

·         Support the bay as it emerges, but do not pull.

·         When the shoulders are out, ease the body up so that the mouth is clear to breathe

After Delivering The Baby

Normally, the uterus takes 5 to 15 minutes to contract again and expel the placenta.

• When these contractions start, place a bowl between the mother’s legs.
• Do not pull the cord to speed delivery of the placenta. It will deliver itself.
• When the placenta is fully out, put it aside in the bowl, with the cord, to show a doctor or midwife later.
• Wash the mother, fix the adult diaper in place and give her fresh clothes if possible.
• Tidy the room and if the mother wants something to eat or drink, she can now have it.
• Put the baby to the mother’s breast if she wants to feed it.
• If the mother is asleep, lay the baby in a cot/cradle on its side to drain any remaining mucus from the lungs and with the head low to ensure a good flow of blood to the brain.