A Doula's Experience... Hi Doulas. My mid July client and I went to her appt for U/S on the 3rd. Baby had been measuring small for awhile. My client had been telling me she "felt something was wrong." I told her she needed to go with her mama intuition. So on the 3rd they did an U/S and it showed very low fluid, high cord pressure, and baby at 5.8lbs (and we all know that is almost always wrong!) She was admitted that evening into the high risk ward and another U/S showed even more grim results. I spent the night with mama as her husband had to take care of their two year old. My clients mother was flying to stay with them but not there yet. They ran fluids, and in the late morning at 38 weeks, 3 days they (including mama) decided that it was more beneficial for baby to be born than to stay in. Mama was a VBAC and was so hoping she could deliver this baby vaginally. That was not meant to be. I explained to her that it was now important for baby to be born quickly so she could eat at mama's, as her placenta was no longer providing food for her baby. (they all liked that explanation!) They would not induce and no one was sure how this small baby girl would even handle the rigors of labor. So it was decided to do the c-section and I would be with her in the OR. Again her husband was with their 2 year old as they had no one to watch him and her mom was still not here from a foreign country. They were all so wonderful to this mama. After they got her prepped the baby's nurse (a high risk OB nursing instructor at a local university) came to get me. My client was crying and extremely upset. The room was so quiet when I went in and I just went to her and cradled her head and talked to her. She calmed very quickly and had a death grip on my hand. They got to work and a 4lb 12oz baby girl was born about 10 minutes later!! Apgars were 8 and 9!! She was absolutely beautiful and crying loudly! The whole room cheered because earlier in the U/S it showed two "bubbles" in her tummy area and they were not sure if she was ok. A neonatologist was in the OR and after checking her declared...an extremely HEALTHY baby girl....but only very small. Within 1 hr 15 minutes from the start of the c-section the baby was in the recovery room with mama and I had a very happy nursing relationship started! This little baby took to nursing right from the get go....perrrrrrrrrrrrfect latch! She nursed and swallowed for an hour. Mama had still been nursing her two year old and not only had yummy mature milk for her little angel but colostrum. Mama is doing fine and is happy with her decision to go ahead with yet another section. Upon my questioning in the OR....the placenta was very small and calcified in several places. So there is the reason for the IUGR (intra-uterine growth retardation). Here's such a funny story about all this. Little baby has hair about one inch long! As she was nursing this poor little thing kept reaching back pulling her own hair and then yelping about it. She did this 3 times! The baby nurse from the NICU stayed with the baby, my client, and me in the recovery room. She asked me if I'd be willing to come speak to her high risk OB Nursing Students at the University. You bet I would! She says she was amazed at how I was able to soothe my client and how well I worked in harmony with her. The anesthesiologist came out and said the same thing to me. The NICU nurse wants her students to start to understand "more than the medical side of a woman laboring and delivering!" Another marathon birth (24 hours for this one, the last one was 32 hours) I had never attended a birth at this hospital and was pleasantly surprised at the welcome of a doula. The nurses even brought me in a rollaway bed and made sure I was comfortable. They were so kind and gentle with my client.....empowered her even though her birth was not the VBAC she had hoped for. |
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Cascade Christian Childbirth Association
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