midwife's muse

Wednesday - Sitting with my daughters, cheering Jack's efforts at walking (ten steps and then a nappy squashing bump), and the phone ring. It's my colleague, one of my ladies, whose booked for a homebirth, water's have gone, and she has started having contractions, do I want to go out to her? I declined as very, very early on, but when things get moving give me a ring back. Pregnant daughter is really jealous, she had met M at antenatal classes and had got chatting. In the evening they phoned me again to say that labour had not really started yet, did I want to be called out in the night? We were going out so I declined.

Thursday - Phone call from colleague saying that M had been taken in to hospital as her waters had been 'gone' for over 18 hours and baby still not born but that colleague had gone home with M's house keys. I was taking daughter to hospital for antenatal so I offered to take the keys in with me. Took daughter to appointment and went into labour ward to see M and return keys. By then M had the drip to speed up labour running, was on a monitor, and puffing away on the gas and air. We had a long chat about what was happening with her labour, it had been stalled for 12 hours now, contractions every 2 minutes but her cervix staying at 5cms dilated, and I suggested an epidural*. M and her partner mulled it over and decided that she would have one. The midwife caring for her had just left the room to arrange for an anaesthetist when in strolls the Doc. Very nice, introduced himself, shook hands, and then announced that he would like to help baby out, with a caesarian. M shouted, and burst into tears, whilst her husband stood staring at the Doctor in disbelief. I plonked myself down with M, put my arm around her and explained to the Doc that this lady had wanted a homebirth, we were not questioning his judgement but really he needed to take his revelations slightly slower, and talk us through his decision-making process. I suddenly realised that he had no idea who I was, sitting there looking very Mumsy, so I enlightened him. To his credit he then apologised and did what I had asked. M calmed down, her partner remained very questioning, and angry, but that was understandable. We sat and chatted it all over, and they agreed to the section. An hour after I had just 'popped' to labour ward I returned to daughter, who was sitting on the ward chatting to the midwives, luckily she is used to my assurances that I will ' only be a minute'. Then she asked how M was doing, I told her, she was really upset for M 'cos she knew how much she had wanted a homebirth. I dropped her at her house and returned home. Other daughters car was in our drive, as I walked into the kitchen I saw the note on the side - Dinner, in blue bowl...., I had forgotten that I had said we would have Jack whilst they went to see the mortgage company! Luckily Hubby (still limping) was having command passed to him. I called out that the cavalry had arrived and a little person tottered into the kitchen, across the breakfast room and held out his arms to be picked up, yes, Jack is walking, non-stop. To celebrate what a big boy he is Hubby and I took him to the Polling Station where he entertained the queueing voters with his impersonation of someone speaking Welsh in a very loud voice.

Still no Baby Bean though.

* I am not known for routinely suggesting, or advocating epidurals. They definitely have a place though. With M, her labour had, to her, lasted 18 hours. At a conservative estimate it was likely to last another 6 hours, and she had not slept all this time. Weighing everything up I felt doubtful that she was going to have a normal birth, but more than that I felt she needed a rest, so I felt that, at this stage, the benefits of an epidural, would outweigh the downsides.

6.5.05 11:34