ינהאַלט
Emergency deliveries at home: the Samu’s instructions
Impromptu home births: it happens!
Every year, mothers give birth at home when this was not expected. This is the case ofAnaïs who had to give birth to her little Lisa with the help of the firefighters in his mother-in-law’s living room in Offranville (Seine-Maritime). Within a few minutes, she could have given birth to the child with a simple telephone assistance. “My companion said to himself that at worst, if the firefighters did not come in time with the Smur [mobile emergency and resuscitation service], he would contact a doctor who would give him advice by phone to give birth. “
Another mother, in the Pyrenees, had no choice but to give birth at home , in the dark after a power cut caused by snow. She was guided over the phone by the firefighters. As she told the daily newspaper La République de Pyrénées: “My daughter was in a ball, she did not move, she was all blue… It was there that I was very afraid. I started screaming andthe firefighter explained to me what to do. He told me to check if the cord was wrapped around his neck. This was the case. I hadn’t even seen it! He then told me to give him word of mouth. Ava quickly regained her colors. She moved “
It’s a recurring anxiety on the Net : What if I couldn’t make it to the maternity ward because of the snow? Like this mother on a forum: “I have been very anxious for a few days: in my region the roads are impassable because of the snow. No vehicle can circulate. I have a lot of contractions.What will I do if the childbirth starts? “Or this other:” It may be a bit silly question but … Last year we had 3 days of snow at 80 / 90cm. I am at term. How do I do if it starts again this year? I ask the farmer to take me to the maternity ward in a tractor?Should I call the fire department? »
Guiding eviction from a distance
These situations are indeed not so rare when the weather conditions are complicated. Doctor Gilles Bagou, emergency resuscitator at Samu de Lyon, has observed an increase in the number of babies born at home in an emergency in recent years. in the Lyon region.
“When a woman calls urgently, explaining that she is about to give birth, first of all, we check if the different decision-making elements allowing to say that the childbirth is imminent are present, he asks. Then you also have to know if she is alone or with someone. A third person will be able to help him to position himself better or will be able to get sheets or towels in reinforcement. ” Doctor advises lying on your side or squatting since the baby will seek to dive down.
The doctor is in any case very reassuring: ” All women are made to give birth alone. Of course, the ideal is to be in the maternity ward, especially if there is a complication, but physiologically, when everything is medically normal, women are all designed to give life by themselves- themselves, without help. We only accompany them, whether we are on the phone or in the delivery room. »
First step: managing contractions. On the phone, the doctor should help the woman breathe during the contractions, minute after minute. The mother-to-be must get some air between two contractions and above all, very important, push during the contraction. Between these, she can breathe normally. ” In 3 expulsive efforts, the child will be there. It is important not to pull the baby, even at the beginning, when the head appears and disappears again with the next contraction. “
Protect the baby from the cold
Once the baby is out it is essential to put it immediately warm against the mother’s stomach and wipe it off, especially on the head, with a terry towel. It must be protected from the cold because it is the first risk for a newborn baby. To make him react, you have to tickle the soles of his feet. The baby will cry out in response to the air entering his lungs for the first time. “If the cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck, once outside, it is not absolutely necessary to release it immediately, assures Gilles Bagou, there is no risk for the child. ” In general, avoid touching the cord, and wait for help. “We can eventually clamp it, using kitchen string that we will tie in two places: ten centimeters from the umbilicus and then a little higher. But it is not at all essential. ” The placenta, on the other hand, should descend on its own after 15 to 30 minutes. Part may be stuck in the vagina, someone will need to release it entirely. In general, for this delicate operation, the helpers had time to arrive.
Samu doctors or firefighters are more used to this kind of situation. The interlocutor at the end of the line will seek to reassure, calm, speak firmly so that the mother can do the right things, and will encourage her continuously to allow her to better manage this solo childbirth. « As in the maternity ward, the doctor accompanies the mother until the expulsion, but, as always when everything goes well, she is the one who does everything.»