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Hospital Staff Too Busy So Dad Delivers Baby
A father delivering his own baby is nothing new, but Madeline Howard wasn’t born in a car or at home. She was born in the maternity ward at a local hospital, but hospital staff never answered her dad’s calls for help.
The Sun reports Thomas Howard was banging on the emergency buzzer in his girlfriend’s room, but the midwife was too busy too answer. By the time she came to the room, Howard had already caught Madeline.
Granted, this is a story in the Sun. But the point of rushing to the hospital when you’re in labor is to take advantage of all that medical expertise. And before the home birthing crowd gets too indignant (there’s nothing wrong with birthing at home if that’s what you WANT to do), these parents were especially worried about the birth because their previous two children had complications at birth. One wasn’t breathing when he came out, the latter had a cleft lip and needed assistance at delivery. When you’ve had complicated deliveries, responsible healthcare professionals advise against home birth.
And while it’s possible that a midwife could be tied up with a particularly difficult delivery when another woman starts birthing, a nurse with at least some medical training can make all the difference when a baby is in trouble.
The good news in all this is Madeline was OK. And the couple has gotten extensive apologies from British officials.
But if you go to the hospital to give birth, don’t you expect to have your OB/midwife/whoever right there when the time comes?
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[...] the story last week about the dad who was forced to deliver his baby because hospital staff simply ignored his calls for help, this one made me smile. Tanya told the newspaper she wanted her doctor and no other at [...]
Dad Delivers Doc in Snowstorm for Pregnant Wife | Strollerderby commented on Feb 08 10 at 10:29 amBNE commented on Feb 02 10 at 12:05 pmThis almost happened to us. Staff just made it in the room barely, with literaly 1 minute to spare, no time to properly gown or glove, and our baby had known complications. They had left us alone with a brand new nursing student, didn’t believe me when I said I was really about to have the baby. They all apologized extensively afterwards and tried to laugh about it but we weren’t amused. Thanksfully it turned out ok but I wonder how many times it doesn’t. Can’t trust hospitals to be there for you sadly.
snarky mama commented on Feb 02 10 at 12:57 pmMy 3rd son was breech for most of the end of my pregnancy (say, weeks 32-41). At 39 weeks I had a version (sp?), but it didn’t stick, so when they noticed he was breech again at 41 weeks, my midwife basically sent me straight to the hospital. The midwife on duty turned the baby (again), and popped my water to keep him from moving so much. Of course, the labor was progressing slowly, and during this time two other mamas came in to deliver their babes. Finally, I knew it was time for the kid to be born (he is my 3rd), and I told the nurse, “Get Linda, NOW!” “But, but, hold on a second, she’s just finishing…” “I don’t care, NOW!” Lo and behold, the nurse actually leaves the room to get the midwife and I look at my hubs and tell him he better get ready to catch (the man who can’t stand gore or blood and remained at my head the ENTIRE TIME–didn’t even want to cut cords– during the births of our first two).
The look of panic on DHs face was priceless, but he knew it was time. Just as he’s making his way to the bed (all of this happened in about a minute), Linda (midwife) comes running in the room yelling, “Wait, I have to change my gloves!” I think I just growled at her and said (yelled?), “NO! NOW!” I don’t know if she got the gloves on or not, cause I gave that last big push and she just barely caught the little bugger.
If I ever have a fourth, I’m doing it by myself, in the woods. Screw the support system. :) (Just kidding. I’m not gonna have a fourth.)
All the time commented on Feb 02 10 at 1:29 pmI bet this actually happens pretty frequently- at our local hospital, a woman had her child with no medical staff in sight just a week or two ago. Shift change, nobody answered her bell, and voila- her husband/partner (not sure) caught the baby. Its kinda ridiculous.
PlumbLucky commented on Feb 02 10 at 1:47 pm@snarky mama – I have to wonder who in their right mind tries to tell a mother in the pushing stage to wait (as in, fight biology). Especially in the medical professions. Read last night in the lit I got from the office that its not atypical for mum to have to “labor down” once dialated before needing to push. I fully cracked up over this one, as the only reason I pushed for 45 minutes was because he was twisted in the canal, otherwise, he’d have been a one or two push wonder :-).
Elendy commented on Feb 02 10 at 3:49 pmLabor and Delivery nurse here – just gotta put in my 2 cents.
So, ‘all the time’ might be a bit of an exaggeration, but this kind of thing definitely does happen. Birth is an amazing and often unpredictable process; and in 90% of cases, uncomplicated. Now, of course, throw epidurals and pitocin and all that crap in there and it’s a different story. I may work within the system, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know we are causing as many complications as we prevent. Unfortunately, for now, this is the only system we’ve got. Until less women are afraid of birth and of their bodies, most women will be giving birth in hospitals – making maternity wards pretty darn busy places (My hospital alone does about 7,000 births a year)
I’m just sorry that it sounds like this was a mom who’s delivery had true potential for complications. The hospital staff should have been a lot more attentive to her in particular.PS – @PlumbLucky: ‘laboring down’ is usually reserved for women who have had epidurals and therefore don’t feel any sensation to push even when they are fully dilated. It is actually quite helpful and helps to shorten the second stage of labor a great deal.
patricia commented on Feb 02 10 at 4:04 pmPlumbLucky, my doctor had stepped out for a bite to eat while I was pushing- I guess he thought I would take longer than I did to push- and then didn’t receive the pages from my nurses that I was about to deliver RIGHT THEN. They asked me to stop pushing to wait for the doctor, and at that point my baby’s head was already an inch or two out! I held it there for two contractions, and even with an epidural it was excruciating. On the third contraction, with no doctor in sight, I kind of whimpered, “It hurts,” and the nurse said, “Do what you need to do, honey.” The whole baby was delivered with that one push. Holding out against that for two contractions was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I mean, at that point in labor, how exactly am I going to stop it??
a's mom commented on Feb 02 10 at 5:44 pmso, my question is, did they still get a medical bill? cause i’m thinking if you don’t even have a nurse in the room when you deliver, then all of the rest of your care should be paid for. that only seems fair. especially if you aren’t threatening to sue for negligence or anything like that.
LogicalMama commented on Feb 02 10 at 10:03 pmI was asked to wait also! My doula kept telling me, “don’t you worry, we can deliver that baby!” My doctor was on the way to the hospital, then in the parking lot. I wasn’t gonna wait so we started. The dr arrived and literally three pushes later my son arrived! She swooped in at the last minute and got all the credit for a wonderful delivery!
PlumbLucky commented on Feb 03 10 at 7:39 am@Elendy – maybe you can tell me then: I did have an epidural. I felt no pain, but every other sensation, just with no pain. Need to push? Yep. Feel the baby crown? Yep. Feel the head come out (I told my doc “My baby’s head is out. Do you need me to push again yet?” because he’d told me that once the head was out he’d have me hold on a second so he could wrangle the shoulders)? Yep. Felt the placenta deliver? Yep. Felt the stitches I got? Yep. Just nothing had any pain involved with it.
My question is: did I have a “perfect” epidural, or did it just not work well? (I’m curious)@ a’s mom – I know if I received a bill for doctor’s services not rendered, I’d probably be contesting them with my insurance company.
Eric commented on Feb 03 10 at 9:07 am@PlumbLuck- if you had a epidural, how do you know you felt every other sensation? Isn’t it a lot like dental work where you feel ‘something’ but its harder to pick out what exactly is happening? If you’ve had a kid without an epidural and you could compare that would be interesting. If not I can’t blame you, I wouldn’t have the dentist do any work without anesthetic either!
jeannesager commented on Feb 03 10 at 9:09 am@Eric – the epidural wears off, and they won’t give you another shot when you get to a certain point because they DO want you to feel the sensations in order to push.
Elendy commented on Feb 03 10 at 12:20 pmPlumbLucky – sounds like the perfect epidural to me!! I’ve seen that with a few deliveries, but certainly not all. Some anesthesiologists are just better at the procedure than others (and where I work, it is a teaching hospital, so about half the epidurals are done by anesth. residents) It’s really something women who plan to give birth in a hospital and/or have an epidural should be aware of. I mean, we put all this time and effort into researching the ideal midwife or doctor, and then get to the hospital and the majority of our care during labor is by people we have no say over – anesthesiologist, nurses, techs, etc. I think doula’s offer some compromise on this, but even they can hurt more than help in some instances…..
just some food for thought.
Voice of Reason commented on Feb 04 10 at 1:20 am@ a’s mom: The answer to your question is no. This event described in this story took place in the UK, where medicine is socialized. There are no medical bills (nor paperwork, blessedly) in the British National Health System. It’s all paid for by the taxpayer.
JCF commented on Feb 04 10 at 12:23 pmMy first baby was born in the hospital, and despite the fact that I pushed for about 30 minutes, a doctor BARELY made it in to catch the baby (I’m talking ran in 30 seconds before the baby was born). And he wasn’t even my doctor–just the person who finally responded to the emergency bell.
My second was born at home, and the whole doctor debacle was not the main reason, though it didn’t hurt in the decision making process. My husband almost missed that delivery when he stepped out to use the bathroom right when the baby decided to move down and out within 60 seconds!
PlumbLucky commented on Feb 05 10 at 8:22 am@Eric – I had a stillbirth at 27 weeks gestation that I was unfortunate enough NOT to have any pain meds whatsoever for. I realize that it probably wasn’t exactly the same as a fullterm birth, but I imagine the sensations I felt in the first were probably similar with those from my son
@Elendy – thanks for that information, I did really wonder. I did not give birth at a teaching hospital per se, they had student nurses from the local CC, but that was it. No resident docs, no anesth residents, etc. Just nurses…who were overseen every second by my nurse, who really didn’t leave our room very much (the hospital at which I delivered prides itself on a “one laboring woman one nurse” ratio, you’re not being checked by five different nurses throughout the day, just one. Yeah, I’ll drive the extra hour to deliver this one there too!) And actually, I must have been one of the weirdos…had I disliked the only hospital at which my doc delivered for any reason, I would have switched, though my doc is pretty dang awesome. My one sister will not switch docs, even though he only has privileges at a hospital that we all agree rots. I wouldn’t be one of his OB patients.
Eric commented on Feb 05 10 at 1:14 pmSorry to hear that PlumbLucky. This whole conversation has been really interesting. I’m exposed to an inordinate amount of material on fertility, pregnancy management, assisted delivery, and newborn care for cattle (and you’d be shocked how similar a lot of it is). But when it comes to anesthesia, hospitals, NICUs, midwives, and doulas I’ve got just about no clue.
PlumbLucky commented on Feb 05 10 at 3:17 pm@Eric – You might be shocked how unshocked I’d be about the whole cattle thing ;-). My grandparents had a semi-working farm with a few head, and I’ve helped deliver a foal.
Eric commented on Feb 05 10 at 4:28 pmGlad to hear it! That’s such a good experience for people to have. I guess, I’m always suprsied how similar estrus detection, cycle timing, nutritional planes duruing gestation, and even weird things like post-partum depression are. Nobody thinks about the sad cows that won’t let their calves suck!
AshleyRN commented on Apr 18 11 at 1:10 pmIf you’re in the hospital, and push the call light, and no one answers step into the hall and scream HELP! That will get 10 people running to your room as fast as they can. But, please only do this if it’s an EMERGENCY!
RN, who knows call lights are ignored sometimes from pestering patients, OR if the nurse is tied up…
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