When I arrived, mom was dilated to 5cm, coping well, resting
between contractions, and using breathing exercises. Her contractions remained
between 4 and 7 minutes apart for several hours, without any cervical change. Mom
spent some time in the tub, and then she was started on a low dose of Pitocin.
We decided to try to get mom up and moving around, and did one lap of the
L&D floor, with mom pausing for contractions with support from dad and me.
Mom vocalized during contractions, drawing a few doctors and nurses into the
hall to see what was going on.
We returned to the room and used the birth ball. Pitocin was
steadily increased, and mom’s contractions were closer together and stronger. Mom
was having a challenging time coping with the pain by this point, and was using
her first language as she contracted. I encouraged her to make guttural noises,
rather than high-pitched noises, and also recommended that she relax her mouth
and let her lips flap as she exhaled. She was able to relax her mouth and continued
to use this technique through her contractions. Her husband told us that she was
saying, “I can’t”, but we encouraged her that she was doing an amazing job, and
coping well.
All of a sudden, mom appeared to be pushing. As she had been
checked less than 30min before and was only at 5cm, we were surprised. The
nurse began calling the attending and resident and I encouraged the mom to
resist the urge to push by using shallow breathing techniques. As soon as the doctor
arrived, mom gave one solid push, and baby A was born!
This was an exciting birth—it was slow to start but then
went so fast!! It was interesting to support a mom with English as her second
language. It helped me to realize how important my presence and touch is, not
just verbal communication.
