> >> Do you know of anyone who practices this procedure or do you do it
> >> yourself? Do the women consent to this practice?
Dear Elaine
I can't believe I have never questioned this practice. I still do this
because this is what I was taught and it is in Myles, though have never seen
it referred to anywhere else.
I remember as a student being fraught because the babe's head was tight on
the perineum, and had great difficulty feeling for cord as my mentor told me
to. I thought I'd never seen anything like it not realising this was my
first experience of shoulder dystocia. Anyway, cord was so tight round the
neck it was almost flat, mentor said clamp and cut it - great difficulty not
involving maternal tissues but eventually done. Babe's face bluish, tried
to help babe out at next push or two, no movement. Emergency buzzer pressed
and babe out within next two pushes and was well, thank goodness.
Have debriefed this before with colleagues who said I definitely should have
cut cord, but have always wondered what would have happened if babe had been
on the perineum for any longer without the cord for support.
But feeling for cord is just so routine here, and because epidurals are too,
women are not really aware of it going on.
Now I feel really bad about not giving choice in this area-feel a change in
practice coming on
Regards
Cheryl
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