The difficult baby delivery is something even doctors who have done hundreds of deliveries hope to avoid. But it could happen. To you. So here’s what we do.
Disclaimer
Repeat, here’s what experts do.
Obviously, you need to be actively working on getting this mother to the emergency room. Keep the windows cracked to increase oxygen to the mother – and you – as you make no delay getting to the emergency room. I cannot advise that you speed. But, maybe notify 911 while you are in route to possibly get an escort.
The following is for education purposes only, and it’s not recommended that anybody without a license to practice medicine partake in any of these procedures ever.
Discussion
The primary reason for a difficult delivery of a baby is shoulder dystocia. Because of the way the baby presented, the shoulders are not passing through as smoothly as you would hoped. That of course is an understatement.
The pneumonic that even good obstetricians use to safely explore all options to deliver such a baby might be helpful to any non-expert like non-OB/GYN physicians, and the like, as well, to at least know about. It’s “HELPERZ”…
Helpers
Episiotomy (repair later!)
Legs
Push
Enter
Rotate
Zavenelli manuever
Helpers. As is the case in even the normal delivery for someone who does not do deliveries usually, get help. Helpers are always around. Anyone will do.
Episiotomy. Episiotomy means the physician cuts some of the vagina to allow the baby to come out. Obviously, something you should not be doing or in anyway involve yourself.
Legs. Mom’s legs are lifted up and back in something that has come to be called the McRobert’s maneuver. Yeah; it had a name.
Push. Experts having trouble with the really difficult delivery will push the baby’s shoulder toward the supra pubic region.
Enter. Enter and using what has come to be called the Wood’s corkscrew maneuver, the delivery specialist can…
Rotate. OB etc. rotates the baby so as to
deliver the arm and axilla first, and not the shoulder first.
Zavenelli maneuver. This is the greatly dreaded last resort. It is pushing baby back in. Wait. Wait. Here me out; for an emergent C-section of course.
The Difficult Placenta? “D-P”. Don’t pull. Bimanual massage is key. And doctors use medications like oxytocin and methergen to the increase tone of the placenta so that it comes out more readily. Not your world of course. At least I hope not.
Conclusion
Live right and count your blessings. And hope that this never becomes relevant to you or your loved ones. Again, this was for educational purposes only. Stay well.
