labour
“At the end of the day, some babies just need extra help to be born”
> instead of your front. Although contractions will usually help the baby to rotate in labour, sometimes this doesn’t happen and assistance is required
• Tiredness in mum, particularly if the labour has been long
If any of these signs are observed, the midwife or doctor has a couple of tools to help gently pull baby out. Te decision to help you have your baby using forceps or ventouse will generally include you, but the decision on which to use – forceps or ventouse – is usually that of the doctor alone. Forceps are like large hollow spoons,
which are specially made to cradle the baby’s head. Tey are inserted into the vagina one at either side of baby’s head using plenty of lubricating cream. Once they are inserted, the midwife will tell you to push when you have a contraction. At the same time, the doctor will pull on the forceps and help you to push your baby’s head down the birth canal. It may take a few pushes for baby’s head to emerge. Once this has happened, the doctor will take the forceps off and, with the next contraction, the midwife will tell you to push again so that baby can be born. With forceps, your baby may have a mark
on his cheek, but this will disappear within a day or two. Te ventouse is a suction cup, which is
attached to your baby’s head before birth. It usually takes a little longer to apply than forceps because the suction has to be built up. Once the ventouse extractor is in place,
18MODERNMUM Autumn 2016
the procedure is the same as for forceps. With a ventouse delivery, baby may have
some swelling and bruising where the cup was applied, but, as with the forceps delivery, these marks will disappear within a few days.
Episiotomy An episiotomy is a small cut, which is made under local anaesthetic in the perineum - the area between the vagina and the anus. It's made to prevent the skin tearing, which is much worse than a controlled cut. With care and attention to basic hygiene, the cut will heal quite quickly and leave no lasting effects.
Induction Induction of labour is the term used for starting labour artificially and usually happens if there is a risk to mum's health, such as high blood pressure, or to the baby's health, if, for example, it isn't growing normally. A prolonged pregnancy – longer than
42 weeks – can lead to placental insufficiency. Tis means that the placenta is not doing its job of nurturing the foetus so well. In this instance, induction may also be recommended by the midwife or obstetrician. Two of the most common forms of
induction are:
Syntocinon:When you are in labour, your body produces the hormone, oxytocin,
which stimulates your uterus into contracting. Syntocinon is an artificial form of oxytocin, which is given in an intravenous infusion and measured by a pump.
Prostaglandin E2:Tis comes in pessary, tablet or gel form and is used to ripen the cervix, giving nature a push in the right direction.
Caesarean section A Caesarean section occurs when baby is delivered by cutting through the mum's abdomen and into the womb. Baby is then liſted out. In the past, a Caesarean or C- section was only used when there was a real medical need, but in the last few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of women, who choose to have C-sections. Tere are two types of Caesarean:
Elective - that is, planned in advance. Tis may be recommended if the midwife and doctor believe a normal birth would be dangerous for either mum or baby.
Emergency - this is where the mum gets into some real difficulty and a normal birth cannot take place.
Caesareans are always performed under anaesthetic. Where possible, an epidural will be used. Tis is a special anaesthetic, which completely numbs the nerves between the birth canal and the brain, allowing mum to stay fully awake without pain. „
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