theCATCH.

I know I pumped everyone up a little TOO early for my first delivery...it did not end up happening on Monday as I had anticipated. I transported my first labour that day due to BOW rupture for +12 hours and infection can set in the longer you wait. I'm still not sure what happened to that girl. and I endorsed to the midwives on the next shift my second labour of the day, who was not very active yet and had just come in a 1/2 hour prior to me leaving.
BUT
I had day shift this morning. and was PRIViledged to deliver a BE-U-tiful baby boy at 8:24 am. To make an inCREDibly long story short, we did an AROM (artificial rupture of membranes) because she wasn't progressing..oh, MAYbe i should tell you who 'she' is! The incredibly brave MariAnn Pitao, a 32 year old, has two sons already, the second of which she had a caesarean section because of a breech presentation. [not many have delivered VBACs (vaginal birth after ceasarean)] SO, after AROM the head was right 'there' and visible, it only took two more pushes with some perineal support for 'head out'. Once the head is out you need to slip your fingers down along the neck to check for a cord wrap, there wasn't any umbilical cords, but i DID find a HAND! thats right! I've never seen a birth like this before, with a 'nuchal hand', but my supervisor talked me through pulling the hand (and arm) out with the head, then I carefullly shifted the baby down and back up, then down again, to wiggle it the rest of the way out! IT.WAS.NUTS.

I don't know... feeling the baby coming out like that, HELPing it come out like that, was unlike ANYthing I could have imagined it to be - so much so that I teared up, and ALmost balled right there. An-An was great about letting someone capture her third birth and my first delivery on camera, and i think my emotions shocked her, but i'm sure she appreciated them! She was such a strong woman throughout the entire ordeal!

NOW, on to the 'other' stuff...the stuff AFTER 'baby out' that no one talks about: the postpartum hemorrhage was pretty bad, she lost 1280 ccs in total. We gave her methergine right away to contract the uterus in an attempt to stop the bleeding, and an IV was started not long after I did CCT (controlled cord traction, pulling on the cord to make the placenta come out). Twice throughout the immediate postpartum 10 units oxytocin were injected because she wouldn't stop bleeeeeding...my arm was sore from massaging the fundus (uterus) for so long. Once all that was under control, she needed to pee but couldn't with the bedpan for some reason, so my supervisor guided me through the process of catheterization, and after that, we made it an 'indwelling catheter' so that we could proceed to suture her first degree tear. My supervisor was there, pointing where to 'bite' and where to make each stitch, so i sutured, but..didn't use my brain to do it. I'm good at tying those knots now though. Hands ON learning is where its at.

That pRETty much sums it up..I ate a fast lunch around 1, and was back in there doing the baby bath, and the newborn exam, and postpartum checks, and such. 8 hours flEW by, and I hadn't finished all the papework before it was time for another shift change! Tomorrow is my FIRST 1st day baby checkUP, which I have scheduled for 4pm, because I am on swing shift (2-10). There's a possibility of yet another handle tomorrow, although, I will not be the first up because I will most likely have the most recent catch. But now that i'm in the rotation, it'll be NOthin' but babies'n'blood from now on!! hhaha. God's good.

I think I'll post more pictures, for those of you with strong stomachs, on my other site because it's easier to load pics from there... and there mIGHt even be a video or two to upload:)