deafness
labour can be difficult enough, but, as Ciara moore found out, acting as birthing partner for her profoundly deaf sister brought its own challenges...
Facing a
profound challenge W
hen it comes to labour, there are a number of different things a birthing partner has the
responsibility of remembering, such as: What is my partner’s birth plan? What do I need to pack? What are my partner’s wishes with regards to pain relief ? However, one question which may be less
likely to cross your mind is: Will my partner be able to hear and understand what is being asked of her? Two years ago, as I prepared to be birthing
partner for my profoundly deaf sister, this was the question I had to ask myself. My sister Kirsty's pregnancy had generally
gone quite smoothly but, about a week away from her due date, she was experiencing less movement and so was advised to make her way to hospital. As she made her way there, Kirsty didn't even take her bag with her because she wasn't expecting anything to happen! However, when she got to the hospital, the midwives put her on to a monitor, and told her that the baby wasn't happy, and that she wouldn’t be leaving hospital without her! Te decision was then made for
prostaglandin to be used to kick start labour. In this case it was in the form of a vaginal tablet, which caused the muscle of the cervix to ripen, stimulating contractions. Te following morning, Kirsty’s waters
broke, and Kirsty's partner Andy and I made our way to the hospital. At this point I was really glad that I was there because Kirsty and Andy (who is also deaf ), had actually
12MODERNMUM Autumn 2016
opted for no interpreter because they weren't keen on having a stranger there. During the labour, however, Kirsty became dizzy on the gas and air and couldn't concentrate or lip read properly, so she eventually asked for one. While we were waiting for the interpreter to arrive, I was able to listen and ask questions about what was going on and pass this on to Kirsty and Andy. At this point the midwives checked the
baby and found that she was still not happy, and so a fetal blood sample was taken. Tis involved a tiny amount of blood being taken from baby’s head and this was then checked for oxygen levels to see if baby was coping okay with labour - a painless procedure for both involved. Te results showed that baby was still
distressed, and with Kirsty only being three centimetres dilated, an emergency Caesarean section was looking likely. Tings suddenly took a change for the better,
however, when baby decided she was on the move. Kirsty got the urge to push and, by the time another midwife was called to check, she was ten centimetres dilated! For a deaf couple, sign language is their
main form of communication, and at the pushing stage this became an issue, as one of Andy’s hands was very much preoccupied with Kirsty squeezing it, so it fell to me to tell my sister what the midwife was asking her to do. A few puffs of gas and air - and some silent tears later - baby popped out aſter a short 20 minutes of pushing. Trough what seemed like enough tears
to fill the river Nile, I finally caught my first glimpse of a beautiful baby girl - Kieva. We all watched as Andy cut the cord and Kieva was set free for a much-needed cuddle from her mum. Because Kirsty was sent to speech
therapy from a young age, her speech is now at a level where it is easy to sometimes forget she is actually deaf. However, being present at the birth really highlighted to me the challenges she faces every day: challenges which surfaced immediately aſter Kieva's birth. During the overnight stay, for example,
Andy wasn’t allowed to stay and so Kirsty found it difficult to sleep because she couldn’t hear her baby. In the end, she had to ask for a cot right next to her bed so she could feel her instead. One thing I discovered from being part of
the labour was that it was difficult not to get upset when Kirsty was upset. As a birthing partner, I knew it was my job to be the
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