RESQDOC
12-07-01, 10:41
A basic emergency delivery kit:
1. Your brain and clean hands. This is the most important! You have to keep your wits about you and be ready to help if Mother Nature is having problems! Cleanliness is CRITICAL. Post delivery deaths from all causes dropped 95%+ when delivery attendants, midwives, and physicians started washing their hands with soap. No fooling.
2. Something to suction the baby’s nose and mouth out, like a bulb syringe, turkey baster, etc. You can also finger sweep the mouth, or in a pinch put your mouth over the baby’s mouth and nose and suck.
3. Clean cord, cloth strips, cord clamps, etc. to tie off the cord and a sterile if possible otherwise immaculately clean instrument/bade/scissors to cut the cord. This is important. Neonatal tetanus from cord cutting with dirty instruments accounts for ¾ of all tetanus deaths worldwide. It’s OK to leave the cord attached, with placenta at an even level with the baby, for a while until you can get a clean instrument if needed.
4. Gloves, sterile is better, at least clean unused exam gloves.
5. Clean towels and pads, blankets to wrap baby in, etc.
Not much really. Prepackaged sterile delivery kits are available for about $10.00 with all of above in, worth a few bucks to have around if needed. Having caught babies on the fly with nothing but my bare hands, I really appreciate having even these few things above around! Check with RR. In my very rural area we have several home deliveries every year 'cause folks can't get here in time. I send these kits home with those that want them after teaching delivery mechanics on a practice model, including breech & prolapsed cord manuvers.
Do you know why they always run around boiling water & ripping up sheets in old movies featuring a delivery? The hot water is of course wanted for washing hands and instruments, but also hot moist packs can be placed against mom’s perineum to help soften the muscles and tissue and allow them to stretch easier with less chance of tearing. A completely lost technique in modern OB that works great.
Later,
Keith
1. Your brain and clean hands. This is the most important! You have to keep your wits about you and be ready to help if Mother Nature is having problems! Cleanliness is CRITICAL. Post delivery deaths from all causes dropped 95%+ when delivery attendants, midwives, and physicians started washing their hands with soap. No fooling.
2. Something to suction the baby’s nose and mouth out, like a bulb syringe, turkey baster, etc. You can also finger sweep the mouth, or in a pinch put your mouth over the baby’s mouth and nose and suck.
3. Clean cord, cloth strips, cord clamps, etc. to tie off the cord and a sterile if possible otherwise immaculately clean instrument/bade/scissors to cut the cord. This is important. Neonatal tetanus from cord cutting with dirty instruments accounts for ¾ of all tetanus deaths worldwide. It’s OK to leave the cord attached, with placenta at an even level with the baby, for a while until you can get a clean instrument if needed.
4. Gloves, sterile is better, at least clean unused exam gloves.
5. Clean towels and pads, blankets to wrap baby in, etc.
Not much really. Prepackaged sterile delivery kits are available for about $10.00 with all of above in, worth a few bucks to have around if needed. Having caught babies on the fly with nothing but my bare hands, I really appreciate having even these few things above around! Check with RR. In my very rural area we have several home deliveries every year 'cause folks can't get here in time. I send these kits home with those that want them after teaching delivery mechanics on a practice model, including breech & prolapsed cord manuvers.
Do you know why they always run around boiling water & ripping up sheets in old movies featuring a delivery? The hot water is of course wanted for washing hands and instruments, but also hot moist packs can be placed against mom’s perineum to help soften the muscles and tissue and allow them to stretch easier with less chance of tearing. A completely lost technique in modern OB that works great.
Later,
Keith