Sunday, September 04, 2005
Teaching Emergency Childbirth Procedures
A few weeks ago, I e-mailed two, local Red Cross chapters inquiring about emergency childbirth classes. I have yet to hear back from either of them. We live in Los Angeles, a major city. Just now, I called our local, Red Cross, Health Education classes phone number, only to find that they do not include emergency childbirth in their emergency preparedness courses. They do offer disaster classes without childbirth instruction. But those classes are only available to REd Cross employees or volunteers and not the public.
Basic childbirth procedures should be at least as common knowledge as CPR. In times of emergency, anyone might be called upon to assist a woman giving birth. An understanding of the birth process is helpful, not only for times of national disaster, (when hospitals are jammed or destroyed,) but also in the event of precipitous labor. One man, fleeing Hurricane Katrina, just days ago, who had a woman in the back of his car in labor said, "I just didn't know what to do."
In contrast, another Katrina survivor gave birth to her son while stranded in an attic, with the help of loved ones who did know what to do. The baby was delivered by his father with the help of other family members. They attributed their being prepared and knowing what to do to watching the Birth Channel.
Last, there are growing numbers of women dissastisfied with hospital birth settings who are choosing to birth at home. These women will be capable of giving birth or assisting at birth in times of local and national disaster. If you know a woman who has given birth at home, be sure and pick her brain to find out what the essentials of emergency childbirth are and stay in touch with her. She may prove to be a valuable resource to you or someone you know down the road.
In all fairness to the Red Cross, the young woman I spoke with was very kind and more than willing to send my request for emergency childbirth classes to her supervisor as well as my suggestion that childbirth procedures be added to Red Cross Emergency Preparedness courses.
If we can get the Red Cross to offer Emergency Preparedness, including standard, childbirth procedures for the public, maybe we'll be getting somewhere.
Written by Lori Ann with contributions from Susana
Basic childbirth procedures should be at least as common knowledge as CPR. In times of emergency, anyone might be called upon to assist a woman giving birth. An understanding of the birth process is helpful, not only for times of national disaster, (when hospitals are jammed or destroyed,) but also in the event of precipitous labor. One man, fleeing Hurricane Katrina, just days ago, who had a woman in the back of his car in labor said, "I just didn't know what to do."
In contrast, another Katrina survivor gave birth to her son while stranded in an attic, with the help of loved ones who did know what to do. The baby was delivered by his father with the help of other family members. They attributed their being prepared and knowing what to do to watching the Birth Channel.
Last, there are growing numbers of women dissastisfied with hospital birth settings who are choosing to birth at home. These women will be capable of giving birth or assisting at birth in times of local and national disaster. If you know a woman who has given birth at home, be sure and pick her brain to find out what the essentials of emergency childbirth are and stay in touch with her. She may prove to be a valuable resource to you or someone you know down the road.
In all fairness to the Red Cross, the young woman I spoke with was very kind and more than willing to send my request for emergency childbirth classes to her supervisor as well as my suggestion that childbirth procedures be added to Red Cross Emergency Preparedness courses.
If we can get the Red Cross to offer Emergency Preparedness, including standard, childbirth procedures for the public, maybe we'll be getting somewhere.
Written by Lori Ann with contributions from Susana
