I have only just got around to reconnecting to oz mid after Darwin and so glad I did so I could read this great story
Andrea Quanchi
On Monday, March 1, 2004, at 10:35 PM, Mrs Joanne M Fisher wrote:
Beautifully told Tina.
Cheers,
Joanne.
----- Original Message -----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 5:37 PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] BORN IN CAUL
Hello fellow ozmiders.....
I have pasted below a birth story from my journal of a babe born in the caul.....I have had three women in my time as a mid student, birth their babes in the caul....the first at home thru water.....then this wonderful birth with 'Kirsty' in hospital on the shower floor....and again recently....a wonderful hospital birth...again in the shower....
Cheers Tina Pettigrew.
3rd year B Mid Student ACU Melb
-----------------------------
Home tonight from another day of birthing 'with woman'. I started
back on placement today - 2/days a week for the next couple of months.
ON arriving this morning, the 'board' in birth suite was full with
labouring women and/or women who had recently birthed their babes...I
was allocated to work with a young woman in 'early' labour. Labour
commenced at 2100hrs last night with irregular tightenings and a
large bloody show. Kirsty arrived at hospital at 0400hrs this
morning...today her EDB...healthy pregnancy.
I met 18 yr old Kirsty (not her real name) her ex partner and their
little boy (16 month toddler). Kirsty was on the bed leaning over the
bean bag. Ex partner, 24 yr old...father of both the children...was
present to care for the toddler as they have noone else to support
them. Both Kirsty's parents are in jail...her only local family an
elderly grandmother...Ex partner also soon to be imprisoned in a few
weeks time...
Instantly we connected.....the partner was in and out of the room
with the small child....so she was all alone....she was frightened
and in pain. Her labour with her first babe was 25 hours, epidural,
ventouse and 2 degree tear...
This labour was beginning to escalate when I arrived 0730 hrs. I
offered her words of encouragement.....massage for her low back
pain....and finally coaxed her into the shower on the mediball at
0800.....Kirsty was very tired...having been awake all night, and
with 16 month old toddler in tow who had not yet slept!!!!
Lights dimed in the shower, hot water and rocking on medi ball,
midwife student shoes off bear feet, pants rolled up to my
knees...working with her, with 16 month toddler under my arm pit
wondering what mum was doing....toddler on my knee now (trying to
keep him out of the water :-)) partner returns from outside and takes
toddler for walk...Kirsty making heaps of birth noise, and needing to
rest...lays down on the mat in the shower...hot water running over
her...its all quiet and dark, just the sound of running water....by
0900...Kirsty really working hard now...says she's going to
die....wants the pain to stop...Partner returns...toddler in
tow....Kirsty 'freaks out' with him present now...fearful for
him "seeing me in pain" wants him to go. Really distressed and,
crying, screaming for me to make it all stop...I stroke her
forehead....take her in my arms and cuddle on the shower floor...she
ceases to cry...wants a VE to assess her progress before having an
epidural. O/VE 6-7cm....won't have gas (says she'll die)....decides
no epidural...and has 100mgs of IM pethide, tries some gas with some
great words from the midwife who is alittle more assertive with her
than me, she eventually refocuses on birthing her baby....membranes
still intact...RMO wanting to rupture them....midwife does some fancy
foot work with the doctor...no ARM :-))
The next hour is soooo intense...Kirsty's labour is full on
now...still in the shower...sucking on the gas...leaning up over her
partner who is on the mediball...then at 1015 hours...that incredible
birth roar came...a sensation new to Kirsty who felt none of her 2nd
stage with babe no 1. with the epidural. Reassuring her "you are
safe" its "OK to go with what you are feeling"....Kirsty begins the
work of pushing her babe out...over a bean bag now (still in the
shower and wasn't I popular with the Div 2 - a wet soggy bean bag!!!)
I can see her babes head emerging....as the babes begins to
crown...Kirsty instinctively reaches down to touch her babe and
reassure herself that she was not "fucking splitting apart"....and
gently, ever so gently, she breathes her 3505gm daughter out and into
my hands at 1044 hrs....babe born in the caul....membranes still
intact that I gently peel away as I pass her thru Kirsty's legs and
lay her down beneath her.....she is euphoric...triumphant...!!!
Active third stage...1ml IM syntometrine and CCT...EBL 150ml...
Babe beautiful breastfeeder....(Kirsty BF babe no. 1 for 11
months)...Perineum intact...no other tears or grazes :-)) Midwife
student delighted!!
I continue to be amazed at the strengh of 'woman'...this young
woman...with the odds stacked against her....a long road ahead of
her...but she is a fighter and with strengh beyond words...I continue
to learn so much from women like Kirsty...they teach us what it is to
be resilient...strong and determined in life. To be present 'with'
her today was a true honour and a privilege.
