Quick Update from OB-GYN
It’s one more reason, seen personally by Yours Truly, that I cannot in any way agree with elective deliveries away from a recognized health-care institution. (Now don’t you”natural people” go get all upset at me.) Simply put, a shoulder dystocia is defined by the anterior shoulder of an infant becoming entrapped behind the pubic symphysis, thereby disallowing a normal delivery. So there you are: baby is not moving anywhere, its head is saying “hello world” (fetal distress is, needless to say, strongly present) but shoulder is stuck securely behind the maternal pelvis. So, third-year-medical-student, what do you do? A simple easier-said-than-done process:
- DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME, OR ALONE, OR HOME ALONE. BADBADBADBAD!!!!
- Pray. Seriously.
- Check your pulse. The first pulse to check in any emergency is your own.
- McRobert’s Maneuver.
- Suprapubic pressure. That’s PRESSURE, not a light touch.
Yup, glad I read about that before it jumped me all-of-a-sudden yesterday. Scared me to pieces,but I’m SO GLAD there was someone with more training than I in the room, quarterbacking the situation.
It gave me time to check my pulse.
No grins.
Resolution: Baby lived, but took a few minutes several seconds to show any signs of life. I’m getting practice at swallowing my heart.
Relieved smile.
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NEWSFLASH #1. Obstetrics has a litany of things involved in it that aren’t pretty, or fun to deal with. It has its exhilarating moments, sure, but it’s not all fun and games.
NEWSFLASH #2. Gynecology is not entirely an enjoyable field either. There’s…never mind, I won’t go there. Just believe me.
NEWSFLASH #3. I’m enjoying OB-GYN more than I thought I would, but not enough to do it for the rest of my life.
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