Variations from the expected in labour
While the aim of labour is to bring about the birth of you baby as naturally as possible, sometimes your baby didn’t get the memo and doesn’t cope with labour. This may be indicated by changes in their heart rate pattern and sometimes they may also pass meconium during labour and this can be observed by the waters turning green. If there is concern about how your baby is going, monitoring continuously with the Cardiotocograph will be recommended and sometimes it is possible to assess baby more accurately by taking a small blood test from your baby to see what is happening in their blood. The aim of this test is to see if it is safe for labour to continue.
If the progress of labour stops and we have done everything to improve the situation that we can, you may need some help to deliver your baby either by vacuum or forceps if you are already fully dilated or by caesarean section if you are not. This is a risk for all labouring Mums however we do our best to facilitate as natural a birth as safely possible.
Caesarean section
If a caesarean section is required to allow baby to be born safely, your support person will usually accompany you. The operating theatre is adjacent to the birth suite. The urgency of going there is determined by what is happening and occasionally we need to move quickly if baby appears to be at risk of lack of oxygen through the placenta. There are two dedicated operating theatres for urgent surgery, but occasionally there is a need to prioritise if several women need to access the theatre at the same time.
Instrumental birth
If there is a need to help deliver your baby vaginally I would usually chose to use the vacuum cup as it causes less trauma to you and usually only mild swelling to baby’s head which resolves quite quickly. Occasionally it is safer or more appropriate to use forceps and if that is the case I will explain why. If this is your first baby or forceps are used it is usually necessary to perform an episiotomy.