Today's submission comes from a mother who has just given birth for 3 months.
On December 16 last year, On her way to the hospital, Shern gave birth to her second child in her car.
Everything happened so fast, from the first contractions to the birth of the child, just 1 hour and 40 minutes. There were no medical staff around her, only a helpless husband.
She and her husband named the child "Budeng," the sound he made when he was born, falling in the passenger seat.
It wasn't until after discharge that she learned about the concept of "emergency delivery"—from regular contractions to fetal delivery, a total time of no more than 3 hours.
There are many risks in emergency delivery: for women, it is easy to cause perineal tears, which may also lead to complications such as postpartum haemorrhage and wound infection; for the fetus, it is easy to have hypoxia, intracranial blood vessel rupture, etc., and may also be injured due to falling. This is frightening.
Akane remembered that her first birth 4 years ago should also be an emergency. Women with a history of emergency labor are prone to repeat similar situations in subsequent births.
Both she and her husband believed that the doctor should make a diagnosis of emergency delivery and explain the risks to her. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
Therefore, she decided to write about this experience, hoping that more people would understand that emergency delivery is not as simple as "having a happy birth".
1
On December 16, 2021, in Beijing, my second child was born after a cold morning peak after the cold snap. His arrival was so thrilling that no one saw how he fell to the ground.
It was a customary Thursday morning, and before 6 o'clock, I got up at 38W+4 pregnant. The previous night's sleep was not satisfactory, and after entering the third trimester, I could only sleep to the left, always having some weird dreams. Awakened by urine once or twice, awakened by the sound of mr. purring and the vibration of his son's foot on the bed, tickled by the dog...
I finished the 45-minute mat exercise as usual, and was preparing to simply clean the room and make breakfast, waiting for my husband and son to wake up, and suddenly felt a bout of soreness in the lower abdomen, followed by an urgent feeling of rectal compression, and the diarrhea that followed.
This kind of embarrassment, which I often encountered when I was pregnant this time when I was walking my baby, arrived suspiciously early today. I looked at my watch, 6:46.
Half a month before the doctor's estimated due date, according to the original plan, I would go to the weekly routine obstetric examination that day, monitor the fetal heartbeat, re-evaluate the size of the pelvis, and undergo nucleic acid testing to prepare for hospitalization.
When the same soreness strikes again, look at the watch again, it's nearly 7 o'clock - it's a half-hour interval of contractions!
Thinking that it was not too early for the child to get up at this time, I decisively pulled open the bedroom door, woke up my husband and son, described the general situation to my son in a relaxed tone as much as possible, and asked him to dress himself, go to the toilet, and drink water as quickly as possible. A few weeks ago, we invited him to discuss the various situations that his mother would face after the "launch" and taught him the correct way to deal with it.
Photos of Akane during pregnancy
Image source: Courtesy of Akane
More than twenty minutes later, the third contraction was already markedly painful. I subconsciously squatted down on the porch, and my son ran over and asked with concern, "Mom, what's wrong with you?" I rubbed the child into my arms and hugged and kissed her hard, "It's okay baby, we need to move faster, put on a down jacket and shoes!"
At this time, what I was really worried about was the poor road conditions in the morning rush hour.
Early in the morning, I was warned by the people around me that the second child should be born quickly and should be prepared. I laughed and talked about "how fast it can be", but I knew very well in my heart that when I was first born, I broke the water at nearly 3 o'clock in the morning, drove more than ten minutes to the hospital, felt contractions at 4 o'clock, and at 7 o'clock, my son was already nursing in my arms.
Can't delay!
After three or five minutes to send the baby to the kindergarten, we turned into the only way to the highway. It is the famous traffic jam in Beijing's IT circle X Factory Village Road, and every morning and evening rush hour must be "purple red". I was greeted with a fourth contraction that was not too difficult, and the interval between the two contractions was getting shorter and shorter. At this time, it is less than one kilometer away from the entrance of the Beijing-Singapore Expressway.
"This is the fastest route." However, Dabai (the name my son gave to my family's car) only moved one step and stopped in the long line. At the same time as hanging up the N gear, my body accurately predicted that the fifth contraction was coming.
This time the pain made me hold my breath, and I wanted to straighten my body, remembering that I should use the Maha La Breathing Method (which is actually the Ramazer Breathing Method, which allows the mother to focus on adjusting the breathing and thus relieving the pain). Well, the instructional video I haven't had time to watch yet...
The contractions were like a bird hovering above my head, and the pain was its shadow, skimming over me again and again. It flew faster and faster, and the black shadow suddenly grabbed my neck, one after another, as if it would not let go again.
I rationally slammed on the brakes and told my husband, and also to myself, that I was no longer fit to continue driving. The two opened the car door almost at the same time, and I went around the front of the car and he walked to the rear. I remember how swiftly the cold penetrated my open collar, but what made me curl up and run was not the cold air that swept through Beijing, but another contraction.
We chose to take a detour around an unnamed path.
"This is the fastest." The gentleman's tone was affirmative, and I knew he was trying to comfort him.
"How fast?" I don't appreciate it.
"Navigation speaks for 8 minutes."
The two looked at their phones at the same time, and next to the purple-red lines of the navigation interface, the Arabic numeral "8" looked like a sinner. It silently became "9".
"Find a place to park, call an ambulance, it's too late."
2
When I decided to call an ambulance, the pain had progressed to two or three minutes. I couldn't sit in my seat at all, and I felt a lot like a plantain struggling in a storm. storm? No, that's the heart and liver baby in my belly.
"You can't stop on this road!" I raised my voice. The road was too narrow, and as soon as the car stopped, it was completely blocked, and the ambulance could not enter. Even if they could, would they be able to find this trail that didn't even have a name on the navigation?
I screamed and felt like the baby in my stomach was about to come out!
Later, how we drove from the nameless path to the high-speed ramp, my memory is always blurred. I heard my husband yelling beside me, telling the 120 operator about me and where we were. I heard the woman on the phone asking calmly and eagerly, mixed with the husband's clueless urging: "It's too late!" Hurry up, please!"
I also heard my own howl, which was extremely strange, like an absurd flower soprano performance. It had to overwhelm all the sounds, and the woman in the co-pilot's seat who was wrestling with the "black shadow" had twisted like a steel spoon — "Child! I felt it! Head!"
Soon, a call from the ambulance came in. Sir continued to roar in a hoarse voice, and I had no time to prick up my ears to catch the information points in it, only concerned about the time it came.
He tried to calm down and relayed the answer to me—15 minutes, which should not be comforting this time.
Taking advantage of the fact that I didn't have to scream hard between contractions, I took my pants and panties off to my knees together. The left seat in the back row is my son's car seat, and the right side has also installed a newborn safety carrycot, there is no choice, I crossed one leg across the shift slot, ready to lie horizontally in the front row.
At this time, you should take out alcohol wipes to disinfect your hands, but the large bags and small bags are in the trunk. At the moment, the last thing I wanted was to let the cold outside drill in again, and I didn't want my husband to walk away.
Hellish pain is here again! I realized clearly that lying down didn't make it at all. I tried to half-crouch in front of the co-pilot position with my legs against the edge of the seat. It's time to push harder! A terrible thought crossed the air, and the child could not be held in the birth canal!
By now that my fingers are fully open, I not only have a sharp urge to defecate, but I can feel that the child's head seems to have come out?!
Source: Station Cool Helo
I remember 4 years ago the midwife asked me not to overexert at this stage, otherwise it might cause a tear in the birth canal. But I found that the only thing I could do was to listen to my own body: it was "she", who was savagely exerting force without order; it was "she", who was shouting uncontrollably; it was "she", thinking about death, but immediately leaping into hope!
With the almost coherent contractions, I exerted several thrusts, so strong that even I was amazed that there was so much energy accumulated in my body that I was sure that it still had even greater energy lurking in it. I think of participating in the 4×400 relay race when I was in school, the feeling of pride and happiness after letting go, remembering the roller coaster ride after breaking up with my first love boyfriend 20 years ago, and howling in vent by the body flipping in mid-air...
My vagina seemed to have become an object outside my body, and I felt it stretched wide open, beyond what I had imagined. I don't know what's going to happen next, will it get out of control and burst like a balloon full of water?
My body was giving orders again. With another thrust, I felt a slip of my lower body, a subtle pleasure of pressure release, followed by the sound of "stepping down". Almost at the same time, I heard the baby's cry. In concert with the two, an ambulance pierces the siren of the entire highway.
3
I never thought a child would be born in the passenger seat, even a few minutes ago, I thought it would be in an ambulance.
I turned my head to look at the crying baby who was writhing her pink body, her trembling gums rosy and bright, and her arms waving rhythmically. Our umbilical cord was still attached, and I didn't dare to turn back and hug him, and besides, my hands were not sterilized.
I was like a seasoned midwife, looking at it and knowing that the child weighed at least 6 pounds. I brought Ta with my own strength, and I put Ta safely in the passenger seat of the great white!
I turned my head, wrapped my arms around the gentleman standing in the driver's seat, and buried my head in my shoulder with a familiar smell. I heard my baby's cries getting louder and louder, and I heard my own heavy gasps.
Later, he and several close friends made friends, saying that the biggest regret in life was most likely frozen that morning. As a mother, I did not choose to hug my heart and liver baby, or even wrapped a dress for Ta, but chose to hug my husband. I have not revealed that this is because I instinctively develop a divine reverence for the new being, which is still connected to my umbilical cord, for some kind of energy that it radiates.
In contrast, my husband and I were the babies who needed to comfort each other on that cold morning.
The co-pilot's door opened, and the voice was heard by a doctor's big brother. I didn't dare to twist my body easily, not sure if he picked up the step at the first time, but I remember asking me if I was uncomfortable.
I took off my down jacket and gave it to him to wrap around the baby. The pink sweater on my body was also taken off because I thought the down jacket was too hard and too cold.
The doctor's eldest brother helped me on a stretcher, and he put the tightly wrapped step on my lap for warmth. The two of us were pushed into the ambulance, and in just a few short steps, the biting air made me shiver uncontrollably.
When I got into the ambulance, I heard the doctor's elder brother say that the warm air should be turned to the highest. He told me that Budeng's blood oxygen was normal, Budeng's eyes were open, and Budeng's expression was very rich... I knew he had been interested in chatting with me and describing the situation to me so that I could relax.
The driver's uncle asked, "Boys and girls?" The doctor said he hadn't come to see it yet. A few minutes later, he said with a smile that it was a boy.
A recent photo of the step
4
I naively thought that when I entered the hospital, I could be admitted directly to the maternity ward. On the day of the maternity check-up a week ago, I purchased the luxurious "maternity integration" service, and now it seems that with the sound of "stepping" in the co-pilot's seat, it is all adrift.
I found myself being pushed into the emergency room. There are already a bunch of doctors and nurses waiting, they come from the emergency department, obstetrics, pediatrics, I can't tell who is who, a lot of concerned eyes, a lot of warm hands. I received the blessings and encouragement from a number of nurses who, as women/visitors/professional practitioners, asked me when I started to contract and why I was too late to get to the hospital.
They said Bu Deng would be carried to the other side of the room for examination. I heard the kind voice of the doctor's big brother in the ambulance, he had not left, he was explaining to the obstetrician how the umbilical cord was simply treated for Bu Deng in the ambulance.
I heard the reassuring phrase "normal blood oxygen" again, and then the gender male, weighing 3080 g, date of birth December 16, 2021 -
Well, what time of birth? "8:36 is the time we arrive."
I was finally carried from the stretcher to the bed in the emergency room. That was doomed, and I dragged a bloody coat and my panties and panties were in a mess. Didn't come and catch my breath, suddenly there was a familiar pain in the lower abdomen, and the contractions came again?!
Obstetricians and midwives are already waiting at the end of the bed. "Put your feet up!" Now I'm going to deliver the placenta!"
I couldn't move my body in pain, and with the strength I had just used, my pants and legs were twisted together again, and my whole lower body was no longer listening to the brain.
"Hurry up!" Put it up!" The midwife started pulling on my feet and calves. I suddenly remembered that when I had my brother, the three midwives told me to do the same. I would have ten fingers open, my lower abdomen was in severe pain, my calves were still cramping, I couldn't move at all, and they taught me in a mocking tone, and the mother needed encouragement.
I couldn't bear it this time. "I really hurt!" If I can move, why don't I cooperate with you?"
The obstetrician quickly touched my head to show reassurance, and the doctor's brother on the ambulance also explained to me that the pain during placental delivery was normal, and the postpartum contraction pain of the second child was more intense, plus it was painless without use, which really needed me to work hard to overcome. Previously, I had already applied for a painless needle, and the money had also been paid, because Bu Deng was in a hurry to come to this world, and it was too late to use it.
If the wave of pain that has just passed can be regarded as a mother and son fighting side by side, then the final song of the battle delivered by the placenta now belongs to me alone. I was shaking, powerless to fight back, feeling like a hedgehog with its belly exposed, exposing its most vulnerable points.
"Don't be afraid to press your stomach!" It's going to hurt, but the placenta has to come out..." The midwife's tone softened.
Compared to contractions, the pain in my stomach can almost be ignored by my nerves. 1—2—3 ！ 1—2—3 ！ I felt empty underneath, it was over, the placenta came out.
The doctor's eldest brother in the ambulance was still standing quietly in the corner of the bed, waiting for everything to calm down and make a final handover with the other medical staff to confirm that he was no longer needed. At this time, I heard a nurse whisper, "Hurry up and change the gloves of this big brother!" I found out that he had been silently holding up a pair of bloody hands.
Later, until he left, the doctors in the emergency room were still admiring his handling of the umbilical cord.
I don't know if the rescues for me and Buden were common for the big brother and whether they would leave some impression on his working life. What I know is that he was the first person to hold The Beginning, and the first person that Stepeng saw when he came into this world was also him.
I will never forget his gentleness, boldness and calmness, and his power to make me gentle, bold and calm.
Before being discharged from the hospital, Akane and Budeng took a group photo
5
Budeng finally had milk. This boy can really eat! The first suck was sophisticated and powerful, which impressed my mother deeply.
We were left in the emergency room for observation for half an hour, during which time I took two nasal swabs. The gentleman who drove to the hospital in the big white and then underwent nucleic acid tests, blood tests, and chest CT as prescribed until about 4 p.m., when all the results were negative, and we were finally reunited in the warm ward.
I stayed in the maternity ward for three days and four nights. Two nights ago, postpartum contractions left me in so much pain that I couldn't sleep.
Because I was producing in a car, not a sterile environment, in order to check the risk of infection, Bu Deng and I both tested blood routines. Although the results were not unusual, the doctor let me infuse antibiotics for three days.
Until the day I was discharged from the hospital, I heard someone at the nurse's station talking about my "gossip" across the door.
Before I was discharged from the hospital, I was told that the "maternity and waiting" fee of 14625 yuan and the painless needle fee of 5200 yuan would be refunded.
I threw away the blood-stained black down jacket, and Sir scrubbed the big white co-pilot as if nothing had happened. We drove on the Jingxin Expressway again, and Mr. Budeng joked: "Budeng little friend, the place where you were born is coming, just under the bridge!"
I said to him, "Although you were fortunate enough to make up for the shortcomings of life and successfully accompany the baby to the baby's "seat", no one in this world saw how Budeng came from, as you said, at that time, your vision was blocked by my body!" 」
"Baked balls have seen!" He pointed to the toy plush puppy in front of the windshield and said. At this moment, Bu Deng was sleeping soundly in the safety basket in the back row.
Initially, the four elderly people in the family were only told that they were "in a hurry", but everything was normal. Two days later, I did not hold back, and finally gave a long WeChat message to the closest mother. Then, everyone in the family knew, they were all surprised, and the mother-in-law was especially afraid.
At that time, in the ambulance, I heard the term "emergency delivery" from the doctor's eldest brother for the first time, and after being admitted to the ward, I also heard the medical staff mention it. I think it should mean that the production is very fast, and I don't think about asking anything.
It wasn't until I got home, through the information I stumbled upon at Dr. Lilac, that I really understood the definition of emergency delivery — from regular contractions to fetal delivery, a total time of no more than 3 hours.
I suddenly remembered that my first birth should also be an emergency. Women with a history of emergency labor are prone to repeat similar situations in subsequent births.
I also learned about the risks of emergency delivery: for women, large and frequent contractions can easily cause perineal tears, which can also lead to complications such as postpartum haemorrhage and wound infection; for fetuses, the interval between uterus openings is too short, resulting in blocked blood circulation in the placenta, and unaccompanied babies are prone to lack of oxygen. Babies are born too quickly and cannot adapt to changes in intrauterine and external pressure in time, which may cause intracranial blood vessels to rupture. In addition, if the baby is not caught, trauma can also occur.
On that thrilling winter morning, my husband and I did not think of holding the child's head, but only thought that there was a seat in the back that could catch the child. That's where it's dangerous.
Fortunately, the mother and child are safe, I don't have any lacerations and complications, and the baby is also very healthy.
On Akane's discharge certificate, there was a diagnosis of emergency delivery
Speaking of mr. Yu, we invariably believe that the doctors of that year should make an emergency delivery diagnosis for me, and it is also the responsibility to explain to me the relevant risks and the special circumstances that may occur at the next birth.
Unfortunately, this did not happen.
I remember a detail at the time: the first internal examination, the doctor confirmed that the second finger was prescribed and then left the ward. I developed a strong bowel movement within an hour, and the pain was unbearable. According to the pager to explain the situation, the doctor did not appear for a long time, and it is most likely that I, the new mother, was making a fuss.
Sir went to the doctor at least three times. I still remember her footsteps when she walked into the ward, and the panic I couldn't hide when she took out her bloody fist for the second internal examination, when I had opened all ten fingers for a long time and had to go into the delivery room immediately.
My husband and I felt that if the first emergency birth had been taken seriously, if we had known something about emergency delivery, Bu Deng would not have the name he has now, and the story of his birth would have been different. We will most likely dial 120 as soon as possible, and he will be born safely in the hands of medical staff.
42 days after giving birth to Budeng, when I went to the hospital for a review, I obviously felt that the attending doctor was very concerned about Budeng's situation. It was a well-known obstetric director who was usually very sorry for the mother and did not ask too much about the newborn child.
But he still didn't say anything about the emergency delivery.
Therefore, I decided to write down my own experience, hoping that more people would understand that emergency delivery is not as simple as "having a happy birth", and I hope that fewer families will experience the thrills we have experienced.
The other purpose is to wait for Budeng to grow up and understand things, and to show him and his brother the story that belongs to him. As soon as the younger brother was born, he brought such a story, and in the future, the two of them will rely on their gentleness, tenacity and strength to explore and accept more life stories in this world.
This article was reviewed by Su Chang, obstetrician and gynecologist at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Author: Akane
Producer: Chen Yihan
First image source: Stand Cool Helo
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