I was in the clinic at 10am on day shift. She walked in, young, smiling, pregnant and pleasantly active in labor! Glory was her name. She’s 18 years old and 40 weeks/ 6 days pregnant with her first child. She was having mild contractions lasting 50 seconds every 3 mins. I did my first IE (internal examination) on her and she was 8cm dilated, 90% effaced, 0 station, with a very posterior cervix. I could feel the BOW (bag of waters) buldging with each contraction, ready to break at any moment. I could feel the babies sutures from 9-3 o’clock. She breathed beautiful through her contractions while the babies heart beat stayed normal and consistent (136, 140, 130). Before I could take her vitals one last time, Glory wanted to push!! I had her lay down on the bed and checked to see where she was, and boom! Babies head and hair was visible! I threw on my gloves and we breathed and pushed together. We got her on the birth stool because she had a low pubic bone and this helped open up her pelvis. Her bana (husband) got behind her and supported her while she pushed. He was young, terrified out of his mind and shook more then she did. He kept looking at me while she would scream like “Ma’m is this normal?!?” haha! I kept reassuring him that this was all very normal, and to keep breathing! After a few pushes on the birth stool, the babies heart tones dropped dramatically. From 140’s to 80, 90, 70, 68! So while she pushed I rubbed the top of the babies head to stimulate him and at the same time applied perineal pressure so she would not tear. Right before the baby’s head was crowning, I moved her back into supine position on the bed where she pushed the baby’s head out nice and slowly…no tear!!J I checked for nuchal cord, and there was none! The baby natural restituted to the left, then I helped guide his tiny shoulders all the way out, gently maneuvering him up and down until all 5 lbs, 11oz of him was born!! A tiny new baby boy! Aw the glory of new life! He came out blue and floppy with mild caput on the crown of his head. He was not crying yet. After a few seconds of stimulation, a wonderful wailing cry burst forth from his lungs!! Praise you Lord! We gave him free flow oxygen and placed him on his mamas tummy, where she met him face to face with wide eyes in amazement of this tiny new life that was growing in her for 40 weeks and now she was seeing him!! He was a little small and malnourished looking, after assessing and examining him, we realized that he was an IUGR/SGA baby, but none the less healthy and adorable! All in all it was a beautiful birth! Thank you Lord!!
