Fabulous Status by Patricia Torngren I love it that you didnt try to feel to see if the cord was around the neck. The new procedure is never to do that, but to deliver the baby first and then unwind the cord. If the cord is very short you use the somersault manoevre to get the baby out before unwinding the cord. There are very good reasons for not trying to pull the cord over the babys head. If the cord is very short it could pull the placenta away from the uterine wall, causing what would amount to a placental abruption. Since it can take at least one or two contractions to get the shoulders out after the head delivers, such a baby could die from anoxia. I think we had an article with illustraions go through here -- do people remember it? We need to keep that placenta attached and working till after the cord stops pulsating -- another reason not to give an artificial oxytocic to hasten the delivery of the placenta. We can have it on standby in the case that there might be a PPH, but using it routinely, especially in a natural, undisturbed birth is not necessary and best avoided.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 18:50:46 +0000