Today’s post is from a 3-month-old mother.
On December 16 last year, Clover gave birth to her second child in her car on her way to the hospital.
It all happened so fast, it was only 1 hour and 40 minutes from the first contraction to the birth of the baby. There are no medical staff by her side, only a helpless husband.
She and her husband named the baby “Bu Deng,” the sound he made when he landed on the passenger seat.
It wasn’t until she was discharged from the hospital that she learned about the concept of “emergency labor”—the time from regular contractions to delivery of the baby, which took no more than 3 hours in total.
Emergency birth has many risks: for the mother, it is easy to cause perineal tear, and it may also lead to complications such as postpartum hemorrhage and wound infection; for the fetus, it is prone to hypoxia, Intracranial blood vessels rupture, etc., and may also be injured by falling. This is scary.
En remembered that her first delivery 4 years ago should have been an emergency. Women with a history of acute labor are more likely to have similar situations in subsequent deliveries.
Both she and her husband believed that the doctor at the time should have made a diagnosis of an emergency and explained the risks to her. Sadly, that didn’t happen.
So she decided to write about this experience, so that more people would understand that an emergency labor is not as simple as a “happy birth”.
1
On December 16, 2021, Beijing, a freezing morning rush after a cold snap, my second child was born. His arrival was so thrilling that no one saw how he came to the ground.
It was a customary Thursday morning, before 6am, and I woke up with a 38W+4 pregnancy. I had an unsatisfactory sleep the night before, and in the third trimester, I could only sleep on the left side, and I always had weird dreams. I was woken up once or twice by the urination, I was awakened by the sound of my husband’s snoring and the vibrating sound of my son kicking on the bed, and I was tickled by a dog…
I finished the 45-minute mat exercise as usual, and was about to do a simple cleaning, make breakfast, wait for my husband and son to wake up, and suddenly felt a burst of soreness in the lower abdomen, and then an urgent rectal pressure, and the accompanying diarrhea.
This kind of embarrassment, which I often encountered when I was out walking with my baby this time, was suspiciously early today. I looked at my watch, it was 6:46.
There is still half a month before the doctor’s estimated due date. According to the original plan, I will have a weekly routine obstetric examination that day, monitoring the fetal heart rate, re-evaluating the size of the pelvis, and performing nucleic acid tests. Get tested and prepare for hospitalization.
When the same soreness strikes again, look at the watch again, it’s nearly 7:15 — contractions that are half an hour apart!
Thinking that it is not too early for my child to get up at this time, I decisively opened 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 use The fastest way to get dressed, go to the toilet, and drink water. A few weeks ago, we invited him to discuss the various situations that my mother will face after “starting”, and taught him all the correct ways to deal with it.
Photos of Clover during pregnancy
Picture source: provided by Murphy
After more than 20 minutes, the third contraction was obviously painful. I subconsciously leaned over and squatted on the porch, my son ran over and asked with concern, “Mom, what’s wrong with you?” I rubbed the child into my arms, hugged and kissed, “It’s okay, baby, we need to move faster, put on a down jacket and shoes. !”
My real concern at this point was the poor road conditions during the morning rush hour.
I was told early in the morning by the people around me that the second child will be born quickly, so be prepared. I laughed and talked about “how fast it can be”, but I was very clear in my heart that when I had my first child, my water broke at about 3 am, I drove to the hospital for more than ten minutes, I felt contractions at 4 am, and my son was already in my arms at 7 am. Got milk.
Don’t waste time!
Three to five minutes to send the baby to the kindergarten, we turned into the only way to get on the expressway. That is X Changcun Road, a famous traffic jam spot in Beijing IT circle, and every morning and evening peak must be “purple red”. I had a fourth contraction that wasn’t too hard, and the intervals between contractions were getting shorter and shorter. At this time, there is less than one kilometer away from the entrance of Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway.
“This is the fastest route.” However, Da Bai (the name his son gave to my car) took only one step and stopped in the long queue. At the same time that I was in N gear, my body accurately predicted that the fifth contraction was coming.
The pain this time made me hold my breath, I wanted to straighten my body, and I remembered that I should use the horseshoe breathing method (actually it is the Ramaze breathing method, which allows the mother to Focus on adjusting your breathing to relieve pain). Well, I haven’t had time to watch the instructional video…
The contractions are like a bird hovering above my head, and the pain is its shadow, passing me over and over again. It flew faster and faster, and the shadow suddenly grabbed my neck, one after another, as if it would never let go.
I slammed on the brakes rationally and told my husband and myself that I was no longer fit to drive. The two of them opened the door almost at the same time, I circled the front of the car, and he went to the rear. I remember how the cold slammed into my open collar, but it wasn’t the cold air that swept Beijing that made me run around in an embarrassed way, but another contraction.
We chose to take a detour around an unnamed path.
“This is the quickest.” The gentleman’s tone was affirmative, and I knew he was trying to comfort him.
“How fast?” I don’t appreciate it.
“Navigation says 8 minutes.”
The two glanced at the phone at the same time. Next to the purple line on the navigation interface, the Arabic numeral “8” seemed to be a sinner. It silently becomes “9”.
“Find a place to park, call an ambulance, it’s too late.”
2
By the time I decided to call an ambulance, my labor had grown to every two or three minutes. I couldn’t sit in the seat at all, I felt like a plantain struggling in a storm. storm? No, that was the sweetheart in my belly.
“Can’t stop on this road!” I raised my voice. The road was so narrow that the car was blocked as soon as the car stopped, and the ambulance could not get in. Even if they can get in, can they find this trail that doesn’t even have a name on the navigation?
I screamed and felt like my baby was about to come out!
My memory remains hazy afterward on how we got off the unnamed side road onto the highway ramp. I heard the gentleman yelling beside me, telling the 120 operator about my situation and our location. I heard the women on the phone asking calmly and eagerly, mixed with the urging of the husband who lost his mind: “It’s too late! Please hurry up!”
I also heard myself wailing, in an unfamiliar voice, like an absurd coloratura soprano performance. It has to drown out all sounds, and the woman in the co-pilot seat who is fighting against “Shadow” has been twisted like a steel spoon – “Child! I feel it! Head!”
Soon, the call from the ambulance came in. The gentleman continued to roar in a hoarse voice. I had no time to prick up my ears to capture the information points, and only cared about the time when it came.
He tried to calm down and relayed the answer to me — 15 minutes, which should not be consolation this time.
I took off my pants and panties to my knees so I didn’t have to shout between contractions. The left seat in the rear row is my son’s safety seat, and the right side has also been installed with a newborn safety carrier. There is no choice. I straddle the shift slot with one leg and prepare to lie down in the front row.
At this time, you should take out alcohol wipes to disinfect your hands, but large and small bags are in the trunk. The last thing I want right now is to let the cold outside come in again, and I don’t want my husband to walk away.
The hellish labors are back! I am clearly aware that lying down does not help at all. I tried to squat in front of the passenger seat with my legs on the edge of the seat. It’s time to push hard! A terrible thought passed by, the baby can’t be held in the birth canal!
I should have my fingers open by now. Not only do I have a violent bowel movement, but I can also feel that the child’s head seems to have come out? !
Source: Zhanku Hailuo
I remember 4 years ago my midwife told me to not overexert myself at this stage, or I could tear the birth canal. But I found that the only thing I could do was to listen to my body: it was “she”, savagely exerting force without any rules; it was “she”, shouting uncontrollably; it was “she”, thinking about death, But jump to hope now!
Following the almost continuous contractions, I exerted a few times, so strong that I was amazed that I had accumulated so much energy in my body that I was sure it was still lurking. greater energy. I think of participating in the 4×400 relay race when I was in school, the feeling of pride and exhilaration after letting go, and the roller coaster ride 20 years ago after breaking up with my first love boyfriend, and howling with a vengeance as the body flipped and moved in the air. called…
My vagina seemed to have become an external object, and I felt it stretched out more than I could have imagined. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, will it get out of hand and burst like a water-filled balloon?
My body is giving orders again. As I exerted my strength again, I felt my lower body slip, a subtle pleasure in the release of pressure, and then I heard a “step up” sound. Almost at the same time, I heard the baby cry. And the ensemble of the two is the siren of the ambulance piercing the entire highway.
3
I never thought my baby would be born in the passenger seat, and even a few minutes ago I thought it would be in an ambulance.
I turned my head to take a look. The baby who was crying intently was writhing with a pink body, his quivering gums rosy and bright, and his arms waving rhythmically. Our umbilical cords were still attached, so I didn’t dare to turn around and hug Ta, besides, my hands were not disinfected.
I look like a seasoned midwife, and I can tell my baby weighs at least 6 pounds. I brought Ta here with my own power, and I put Ta in Dabai’s co-pilot seat!
I turned my head and hugged the gentleman in the driver’s seat tightly, burying my head in the familiar shoulder. I heard the baby’s cry getting louder and louder, and I also heard myself gasping heavily.
Afterwards, I made friends with him and a few close friends, saying that the biggest regret in my life will most likely be fixed that morning. As a mother, I didn’t choose to hug my sweetheart, or even wrap a dress for Ta, but chose to hug Mr. I never confided that it was because I instinctively had a divine reverence for the new life still connected to my umbilical cord, for some energy that Ta radiated.
In contrast, Mr. and I are theBabies who need to be soothed on a cold morning.
The co-pilot’s door opened, and the voice was a doctor’s brother. I didn’t dare to twist my body easily, not sure if he picked up Bu Deng for the first time, I just remembered that he asked me if there was any discomfort.
I took off my down jacket and gave it to him to wrap my baby. I also took off my pink sweater because I thought the down jacket was too hard and too cold.
The eldest doctor helped me onto the stretcher, and he put the tightly wrapped Buden on my lap to keep warm. The two of us were pushed towards the ambulance, just a few short steps, and the biting air made me shiver uncontrollably.
When I got into the ambulance, I heard the doctor say to turn up the heat to the highest level. He told me that Bu Deng’s blood oxygen was normal, Bu Deng opened his eyes, and Bu Deng’s expression was very rich… I knew that he had been intentionally chatting with me, describing Bu Deng’s situation to me, so that I could relax.
The driver’s uncle asked, “A boy or a girl?” The doctor said he hadn’t had time to look. A few minutes later, he said with a smile, it was a boy.
Step-by-step photo
Picture source: provided by Murphy
4
I naively thought that when I got into the hospital, I could go straight to the maternity ward. On the maternity check-up day a week ago, I purchased the luxury “production and waiting” service. Now it seems that with the “step up” sound from the co-pilot position, it was all lost.
I found myself being pushed into the emergency room. There are already a group of doctors and nurses waiting. They are from the emergency department, obstetrics, and pediatrics. I can’t tell who is who. There are many concerned eyes and many warm hands. I received the blessings and encouragement from many nurses, who were women/people/professionals who asked me when my contractions started and why I didn’t get to the hospital in time.
They said Buden would be carried to the other side of the room for inspection. I heard the kind voice of the doctor on the ambulance. Before he left, he was explaining to the obstetrician how the umbilical cord was simply handled for Buden on the ambulance.
I heard the reassuring phrase “Oxygen normoxic” again, then Gender Male, 3080 g, 16 December 2021 –
Hmm, time of birth? “8:36 is when we arrive.”
I was finally helped from the stretcher to the ER bed. It was doomed to be like that. I was dragged in a blood suit, and my underwear and outer pants were a mess. There was no time to take a breath, and suddenly there was another familiar abdominal pain, and contractions came again? !
Obstetricians and midwives are already at the end of the bed. “Put your feet up! Now the placenta will be delivered!”
I couldn’t move my body in pain, and I just used a lot of strength, and my pants and legs were twisted together again, and my whole lower body was no longer listening to my brain.
“Come on! Put it on!” The midwife started pulling on my feet and calves. I suddenly remembered that when I gave birth to my brother, the three midwives asked me to do the same thing. At that time, I would open all my fingers, my lower abdomen was in severe pain, my calf cramped, and I couldn’t move at all, and they taught me in a sarcastic tone.
I will not bear it this time. “I really hurt! If I could move, why wouldn’t I cooperate with you!”
The obstetrician quickly touched my head as a sign of reassurance. The doctor on the ambulance also explained to me that the pain when the placenta was delivered was normal, and the pain of the second child was normal. The pain of postpartum uterine contractions is more severe, plus it is painless without using it, which really needs me to work hard to overcome. Before that, I had already applied for painless needles, and the money had been paid, because Bu Deng came into this world in a hurry, so it was too late to use it.
If the pain wave that just passed can be regarded as the mother and son fighting side by side, then the final battle of the birth of the placenta now belongs to me alone. I was shivering, unable to fight back, feeling like a hedgehog with its belly bared, exposing my weakest point.
“I’m going to press my stomach, don’t be afraid! It will definitely hurt, but the placenta must come out…” The midwife’s tone softened.
Compared to contractions, the pain of pressing the stomach can be almost ignored by my nerves. 1-2-3! 1-2-3! I felt empty, over, and the placenta came out.
The eldest doctor in the ambulance is still standing quietly in the corner of the hospital bed, waiting for things to calm down and make a final handover with other medical staff to confirm that he is no longer needed. At this moment, I heard a nurse whisper softly, “Hurry up and change the gloves for this eldest brother!” I realized that he had been silently holding up a pair of bloody hands.
Later, until he left, the doctors in the emergency room still praised his handling of the umbilical cord.
I don’t know if the rescue for me and Buden is common to this big brother, and if it will leave some impression on his working life. What I do know is that he was the first person to hug Bideng, and he was the first person Bideng saw in this world.
I will never forget his gentleness, courage, and calmness, and his power to make me gentle, courageous, and calm.
Before leaving the hospital, Meen and Buden took a group photo
Picture source: provided by Murphy
5
Bu Deng finally got breastfeeding. This kid can really eat! Mum was impressed by how sophisticated and powerful the first suck was.
We were left in the emergency room for observation for half an hour, during which time I had two nasal swabs. The gentleman who drove Dabai and then rushed to the hospital underwent nucleic acid testing, blood test and chest CT as required. All the results were negative until about 4 pm, and we were finally reunited in the warm ward.
I spent three days and four nights in the maternity ward. For the first two nights, postpartum contractions made me so painful that I couldn’t sleep.
Because I was producing in a car, not a sterile environment, in order to check for the risk of infection, both I and Stepeng had blood tests. Although the results were the same, the doctor still put me on antibiotics for three days.
Until the day I was discharged from the hospital, I still heard someone from the nurse station talking about my “gossip” through the door.
Before I was discharged from the hospital, I was told that the 14,625 yuan for the “birth and waiting” fee and the 5,200 yuan for the painless injection would be fully refunded.
I threw away the blood-stained black down jacket, and Mr. scrubbed the white passenger as if nothing had happened. We drove on the Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway again, and the husband joked, “Little Bu Deng, the place where you were born is about to arrive, right under the bridge!”
I said to him: “Although you are fortunate enough to make up for the shortcomings of your life and successfully accompany the baby to “sit down”, no one in this world has seen how Bu Deng came from, like you As I said, your vision was blocked by my body at that time!”
“I saw the h-ball!” he said, pointing to the toy stuffed puppy in front of the windshield. At this moment, Bu Deng was sleeping relaxed and 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 couldn’t hold back, and finally sent a long WeChat message to my dearest mother. Then, the family also knew, they were all surprised, especially the mother-in-law was afraid.
In the ambulance, I heard the word “emergency delivery” for the first time from the doctor’s elder brother. After I was 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 didn’t think about asking anything.
It wasn’t until I got home, through the information I stumbled upon at “Dr. Clove”, that I really understood the definition of an acute labor – the total time from the appearance of regular contractions to the delivery of the fetus is not more than 3 hours.
I suddenly remembered that my first labor was supposed to be an emergency. Women with a history of acute labor are more likely to have similar situations in subsequent deliveries.
I also learned about the risk of emergency labor: for mothers, high-strength and high-frequency uterine contractions can easily cause perineal tearing, and may also lead to complications such as postpartum hemorrhage and wound infection; For the fetus, the interval between the uterus of the expectant mother is too short, which causes the blood circulation of the placenta to be blocked, and the unborn baby is prone to hypoxia. The baby is born too fast and cannot adapt to the changes in intrauterine and external pressure in time, which may cause the rupture of intracranial blood vessels. Also, trauma can occur if the baby is not caught.
On that thrilling winter morning, neither my husband nor I expected to hold the child’s head. We only thought that there was a seat in the back to pick up the child. This is a very dangerous place.
Luckily mother and baby are safe, I have no lacerations or complications and my baby is healthy.
Mean’s discharge certificate shows a diagnosis of acute labor
Picture source: provided by Murphy
Talking about Mr. Yu, we all agreed that the doctor of that year should have made a diagnosis of emergency labor for me, and had the responsibility to explain to me the relevant risks and the possible risks in the next labor. Special case.
Unfortunately, none of this happened.
I still remember a detail at that time: the first internal examination, the doctor left the ward after confirming that the second finger was prescribed. Within an hour I developed a strong urge to defecate and unbearable pain. According to the pager to explain the situation, the doctor did not show up for a long time, and there is a high probability that I, a primipara, were making a fuss.
Mr. went to the doctor at least three times. I still remember her footsteps when she walked into the ward, and her panic when she held her bloody fist during the second internal examination. At that time, I had opened my fingers for a long time and had to enter the delivery room immediately.
My husband and I felt that if the first emergency had been taken seriously, if we had learned something about it, Buden would not have the name he has now, and the story of his birth would be different different. We will most likely call 120 as soon as possible, and he will be born safely in the hands of medical staff.
42 days after giving birth to Bu Deng, when I went to the hospital for a review, it was obvious that the attending doctor was very concerned about Bu Deng’s condition. That was a well-known obstetrics director, who was sympathetic to mothers on weekdays, and did not care too much about the born child.
But he still didn’t say anything about the emergency.
As a result, I decided to write about my own experience, so that more people would know that an emergency birth is not as simple as “happy birth”, and I hope that fewer families will experience what we have experienced. of thrills.
Another purpose is to let Bu Deng grow up and be sensible and show him and his brother the stories that belong to him. As soon as the younger brother was born, he brought such a story. In the future, the two of them will use their gentleness, tenacity and strength to explore and accept more life stories in this world.
This article is sponsored by the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Zhejiang University School of MedicineReviewed by Obstetrician Chang Su
Written by: Clover
Producer: Chen Yihan
Source of the first image: Zhanku Hailuo
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