SURPISE BABY!

Monday the 23rd
Day shift! I was first up and received a patient during endorsements and popped in to check on her while report was being given on other patients. I began checking her vital signs because she didn't look terribly active. After I had checked her pulse and blood pressure she looked at me with frantic eyes and said, "Puede imong otong?" Translation: Can I push? I calmly put some gloves and said that I would check her to see, while telling her to "ginhawa" (translation: breathe). She did so and when I checked I got one heck of a surprise!

As I peeked I noted that she still had her panties on! They were bulging with baby's nearly crowning head! As I pulled them down, I yelled into endorsements "CROWNING!" When baby's head was out, I checked for a cord wrap and noted a nuchal cord- wrapped around the neck but not tightly. She continued to push and I supported the baby as it came out. By this time my supervisor had made it into the room and grabbed a towel and started drying the baby gloveless because of the baby's fast entry into the world! I could see other midwives scrambling to get the birth cart ready and pick up the chart. The charter asked me what time baby was out and I made a rough guestimate of 6:30AM.

This papa was VERY proud! When I took pictures he just kept looking at his baby.

 Baby girl was healthy but caught me by surprise for sure! I checked my patient for a tear and none was present. AMEN! Especially since her delivery was so very fast! Since it was her third baby, mama knew what to do with breast feeding and baby sucked very well! Another surprise about this couple was how soon they asked to go home. After mama had washed in the CR(comfort room=bathroom), only two hours after delivery, they asked if it would be okay for them to go home. I told them of our policy to keep them for at least 6 hours and give the baby bath before they left. Because she delivered so early in the shift, I got to do all of the postpartum care and discharge her too!

They named the baby girl Danica. She was 3800grams and pretty active.

Later during shift, I was sitting and chatting with one of the older midwives, who has a quite sense of humor and cracks me up said, "You know Casey. When you yelled about head coming and crowning you sounded a bit scared." I told her, "Well wouldn't you be?!" She proceeded to laugh with me. All in all a pretty memorable birth.

Note to all of my lady friends who will ever be in labor: please remove your panties when you are in labor. Thank you!