How to Deliver a Baby in an Emergency Situation

The best place for a baby to be born is a hospital. However, in an emergency, anyone of us may face a situation when we must deliver a baby ourselves. First thing: don't panic. Second: Follow this 8 steps guide.

Don't try to delay the birth. When a baby must come to this world, there is nothing you can do. Trying to keep the baby inside and delay the birth may suffocate the baby and kill it. Just be brave and deliver the baby.

Check the contractions. They will come closer and closer from each other, and they usually take 60 seconds of excruciating pain. If the contractions break from each other gets to 2 minutes or less, be prepared; you are going to deliver a baby.

Clean your hands very well. If you have chirurgic gloves use them, however, we hardly have any chirurgic gloves in emergencies. In that case, wash and rub your hands the best you can. If you deliver the baby with dirty hands, you may contaminate the baby or the mother.

Lay the future mother on her side. It will be more comfortable and will prevent the baby's weight to smash the veins on her back. The mother must be placed in delivering position only at the birth time.

If the mother thinks she wants to poop, don't allow her to go to the bathroom. It is probably a false alarm, caused by the baby's weight pressing her intestine. If the mother goes to the bathroom or stoop down, the baby may slide through the vagina and fall on the floor, what might hurt him.

When the baby starts to pass through the vagina it is “the time” to deliver the baby, and yet, the only thing you must do is wait with your hands near the vagina. The mother will do the rest of the work, and the baby will go out without any of your help. When the head goes out, support it with your hand, and then the rest of the body as soon as it leaves the mother's body. That's the point where you will be proud to say that you are delivering a baby.

After delivering the baby, you don't need to touch the umbilical chord. Instead, clean the baby's mouth and nose. In about 30 seconds the baby will be crying. If he doesn't, massage his back, and sooner or later he will cry and breathe. In television, doctors pull the baby upside down and hit his butt. In your case… don't do it. Doctors are trained to do it, and they know how much strength they can use without hurting the baby; you don't. Oh… and don't do a mouth to mouth on the baby if you think he is not breathing. You may explode his lungs this way.

There is no emergency in cutting the umbilical chord. You already delivered the baby. Wait for the doctor to do it, and since he will already be there, he can examine the mother and the baby and check if everything is all right. He may even tap you on the back and say something like “Great Job”.

Original at http://www.healthmad.com/Children/How-to-Deliver-a-Baby-in-an-Emergency-Situation.183131