Twins
A couple of weeks ago I was asked by another midwife if I was able to help her attend the homebirth of a woman who was having twins. This woman has 5 other children all born in a small country hospital. The reason that she has decided on a homebirth was that the local hospital would not let her birth twins and she would have to travel to a hospital over 100km away. So yesterday I met this woman for the first time. I had previously spoken to her on the phone but this was our first face to face meeting. We got on so well that our first meeting lasted for over 3 hours. Last night a little before midnight I get a phone call from this woman, she wants to know what it feels like when your waters break. She said that she turned over in bed and all this fluid came out, she was not sure if she had just wet herself. After a brief discussion it was obvious to me that it was her waters. She also tells that she is getting some slight pain in her lower back, these pains are not there all the time but come and go every 5 mins or so. I told her that she is in labour but as it is a little too early for her to birth at home(she is not yet 35 weeks) and she should go to the hospital and I would meet her there. This she agreed to and said that she would get a few things together and give me another ring when she is leaving home. A few minutes later the phone rings again, it?s her husband, he tells me that just as they were going out the front door his wife said that she needs to push. I told him to phone an ambulance and I would also come to the house (I was about 20 minutes drive away). My wife is driving and I am on the phone to the woman?s sister who was at the house. About 5 Minutes before I get to the house I hear a baby cry, number 1 is out and sounds healthy. I arrive at the house to find mum on hands and knees with baby number 1 wrapped in a towel laying on the floor he is very healthy, pink occasionally crying. Dad is waiting for baby number 2, he asks if I want to take over, I told him he is doing a great job and if he is happy then he can also catch this baby. Dad tells me that he can feel an arm I look and see a hand and the head crowning. A couple of pushes from mum and the baby is out. He is flat, not breathing not moving, face is blue/black. Thankfully I notice that the crown of the head is nice and pink and realise that this blue/black is bruising. 10 mins of bag and mask O2 and the baby starts to respond, still not breathing but making some slight effort to do so. Ambo?s arrive. I continue with bag and mask in the back of the ambulance. When we arrive at the hospital the baby is slowly improving but still not breathing without assistance. 1 hour later the baby is breathing on his own. I stay with them until a little after 0500 when they are flown to a larger hospital for observation and further tests. This afternoon I get a phone call from the husband, he tells me that the babies are doing well, continuing to improve and breathing on their own. He also tells me that they are expected to be discharged home in the next couple of days.
This was my first twins homebirth and although I was on my own, (the other midwife lives 4 hours away) and things did not quite go to plan, I would not hesitate to accept another twin homebirth.
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