Wednesday, February 17, 2010

If you know your anatomy, clap your hands

40 something woman calls 911 and advises the dispatcher she is in active labor and delivery is imminent. A total of 9 responders in 4 vehicles respond code 3. Upon arrival I make entry into the small house. I find our patient writhing around the room in "discomfort". Attempting to guage the urgency of this call I ask the usual questions about previous children, contractions, mucous plugs and amniotic sac. She responds she has 3 children, she has no idea about the timing or length of her contractions. I have to repeat the amniotic sac questions several times. Still not getting an answer, I begin using the term "bag of water". She asks "whats that?" I (as a male) start to explain to this mother of 3 what a amniotic sac is and what happens during labor. I ask again to get a "yes, well, I think so. I mean, something has come out but I am not sure" I realize she is not having any contractions during this time; and she is no longer writhing around on the floor yelling about her discomfort. So all the extra people and vehicles are canceled as our patient walks out to the waiting ambulance. She finally has a witnessed contraction lasting 30 sec. Am I the only one that thinks this was a wierd conversation to have with a mother of 3???????

4 comments:

  1. Did you actually SEE the other 3 children? Or were they in her imagination too? :)

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  2. Wow, yeah, that's really strange! I don't even have kids and I could have answered those questions..

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  3. Before I got hired as a medic, I was a dispatcher. We dispatched an active childbirth with crowning one day. After all the excitement was over, and the crew transported, turns out it was a prolapsed rectum. Job security, I guess.
    Great blog!

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