I have said this before, but I really, really, really need to learn Spanish. It is not even an option anymore. Five years ago I would have said—ah, I probably won’t serve anyone who speaks Spanish. Well, nope that is not true. If it isn’t to learn it for the mother, it is so important to be able to speak to her support people.
This birth was interesting because the dad could not speak English very well and the mom had to translate, but as one might imagine, the mom was in labor and fairly preoccupied with laboring. Duh. It was during this birth that I saw an incredible amount of blood lost before second stage-actually before transition. Interesting enough, I didn’t see the blood loss for a while as the mom was in this dark tub and the room was dark convincing me that a light tub or frequently looking in the tub is essential for good care. The cervix was tearing and she was not having super hard contractions and it had been a slow labor up until that point. She did have a yeast infection, but otherwise was healthy. She got onto the bed and she was able to push her baby out with the help of moving a cervix out of the way, but it was torn in several places. It felt like a star. Thankfully, she did not bleed after birth.
Seeing this blood loss before second stage had me nervous, very nervous. I probably would have transported had I not seen this managed. While yes we were concerned with her blood loss, as long as her vitals were fine, we were not going to let it affect the labor. We just prepared for PPH and prayed. Lots and lots of prayers.
My Journey as a Licensed Midwife in Louisiana 