I cannot remember the events of my first birth experience, but I’m sure I was there because I came out alive. My second experience with birth, however, I remember vividly.
I was invited to observe a routine C-section as pre-medical volunteer at a hospital in Santa Monica, CA. Through the stench of burning flesh and fountains of strange fluid, new life came screaming into the world. I was overwhelmed by the love and excitement the family had for this new child. (left, Figure 1. After "routine" delivery.)
This was the moment I realized the birth of a child is anything but routine.As a neonatologist, I have since shared in the births of countless babies, including four of my own. While I no longer can remember the details of every birth, I still appreciate the moment of pure joy in a family’s life when they welcome a child into the world. I also understand the danger that every infant faces as he or she emerges from the mother’s womb. (right, Figure 2. Subgaleal hemorrhage after vacuum extraction.)
Newborns can be exposed to extreme pressure, grappling hooks, suction cups, razor-sharp blades, rapid hemodynamic changes, and millions of bacteria. These infants are expected to handle such offenses while managing to breathe air through fluid-filled lungs. It is truly a miracle that any of us survive! Although most newborns sail through birth without complications, the American Academy of Pediatrics offers help to pediatricians who manage those babies who face challenging deliveries:
I was invited to observe a routine C-section as pre-medical volunteer at a hospital in Santa Monica, CA. Through the stench of burning flesh and fountains of strange fluid, new life came screaming into the world. I was overwhelmed by the love and excitement the family had for this new child. (left, Figure 1. After "routine" delivery.)This was the moment I realized the birth of a child is anything but routine.As a neonatologist, I have since shared in the births of countless babies, including four of my own. While I no longer can remember the details of every birth, I still appreciate the moment of pure joy in a family’s life when they welcome a child into the world. I also understand the danger that every infant faces as he or she emerges from the mother’s womb. (right, Figure 2. Subgaleal hemorrhage after vacuum extraction.)
Newborns can be exposed to extreme pressure, grappling hooks, suction cups, razor-sharp blades, rapid hemodynamic changes, and millions of bacteria. These infants are expected to handle such offenses while managing to breathe air through fluid-filled lungs. It is truly a miracle that any of us survive! Although most newborns sail through birth without complications, the American Academy of Pediatrics offers help to pediatricians who manage those babies who face challenging deliveries:
- The Neonatal Resuscitation Program, now in its 7th edition, has improved survival by standardizing the management of hemodynamic changes and fluid-filled lungs in the delivery room.
- The AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn published a clinical report to help support neonates exposed to pathogenic bacteria; the 2012 report (reaffirmed in 2016) is available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/5/1006.
- In this month’s Pediatrics in Review, Drs. Akangire and Carter offer guidance to pediatricians caring for babies injured by hooks, blades, and other traumatic offenses in their article entitled, “Birth Injuries in Neonates.”
Pediatricians are called upon to help families navigate the unexpected reality of delivery room complication. Understanding how to manage neonatal resuscitation, sepsis, and birth injuries will help you handle the vast majority of birth-related problems.
