Читать книгу The Mother and Her Child - Lena K. Sadler - Страница 101

It is often the case that when we need our physician the most, he is busy with another patient and cannot come, or perhaps an automobile accident detains the man of the hour. The hospital delivery always possesses this advantage over the home—physicians are always on hand. We deem it wise to relate in detail the method of procedure during the rapid birth of a child; that the husband or nurse may give intelligent and clean service.

After the patient has been given the enema and has been shaved and the bath has been administered as previously directed, the helper most vigorously "scrubs up." There are three distinct phases to the "scrubbing up": First, the three-minute scrubbing of the hands and forearms with a clean brush and green soap; to be followed by, second, the trimming and cleaning of the finger nails, for it is here, under the nails, that the micro-organism lives and thrives that causes child-bed fever or septicemia; and, third, the final five-minute scrubbing of the fingers, hands, and forearms. An ordinary towel is not used to dry the well-cleansed hands, but they are now dipped in alcohol and allowed to dry in the air.

And now if the pains are returning every three to five minutes or if the bag of waters has broken, the patient should go to bed. She will lie down on her back with the knees drawn up and spread apart. The patient, having had the cleansing bath, is now washed with the disinfectant bath (2 antiseptic tablets to 1½ pints of water), from the breasts to the knees. Another member of the family takes the outer wrappings off the sterilized delivery pad and the "clean" helper places the sterile delivery pad under the expectant mother, who is directed to "bear down" when her pains come. She may be supported during these pains by pulling on a sheet that has been fastened to the foot of the bed.

The clean, helper then sits by her constantly until the baby is born but under no circumstances should touch her until after the head appears. Immediately after the birth of the head, the shoulders usually follow with the next pain, which ought to occur within two or three minutes. Occasionally the face turns blue, in such an instance, the mother is directed to strain vigorously and presses down heavily on the abdomen with both her hands, this usually hurries matters materially, and the body of the child follows quickly. The baby should cry at once. If the child does not show signs of life, quick, brisk slapping on the back usually brings relief. During the birth of the head it is imperative that, in the event of liquid passing at the same time, no water or blood be sucked into the mouth by the baby. Great care must be exercised in this matter. Should the baby remain blue, lay it quickly upon its right side near the mother, and after the pulse of the cord has stopped beating the clean helper ties the cord twice, two inches from the child and again two inches from this tying toward the mother, and then the cord is cut between the two tyings with scissors that have been boiled twenty minutes.

Should there be more difficulty with the breathing of the new born child, if slapping it on the back brings no relief, its back (with face well protected) may be dipped first in good warm water, then cold, again in the warm, again in the cold—this seldom fails. The child should then be kept very warm, lying on its right side.