Trained nurse-midwives save lives
The expertise and confidence gained by nurse-midwives during a two-week intensive hands-on course at ARTH training centre, Udaipur, is paying off. Each day brings in new challenges at the Aapno Swasthya Kendra, Dhanuri village, which they deal with competently.
Rukhsana Devi came to the kendra with mild labour pains for her first delivery one day in the morning. She was admitted and kept under vigil with regular check-ups to ensure a safe delivery. However, problems started at the second stage of labour. The foetus passed meconium and the fetal heart rate slowed down to 113 per minute. The foetus was under severe stress.
Around 4 pm, she gave birth to a male baby. But the baby did not cry. His condition was very critical as he was not breathing properly as his throat was choked with meconium. The nurse-midwife cut the cord, cleaned and wrapped the baby in a dry cotton towel and gave it a dexona injection. She also quickly sucked out the meconium. The baby was given a cardiac massage and his feet and palms were rubbed. The ambu bag was used to resuscitate the child. All these efforts were made in three minutes and the baby cried a little.
The nurse-midwife had already sounded the family, who meanwhile had arranged for a vehicle to take the mother and baby to the district hospital about 20 Km away. While the child was being escorted to the hospital, his condition continued to be critical. The nurse who accompanied them, continued with the massages and the artificial respiration with the ambu-bag. On reaching the district hospital, the child was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. His life was saved and he is now leading a normal life.
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Saira Bahanof Dhandhuri village, Jhunjhunu was admitted to the Apano Swasthay Kendra for delivery following mild labour pains.
She was a high-risk case as it was her fourth delivery and she had become pregnant after a gap of 10 years. A thorough check-up found her and the foetus doing well. However, her labour pains progressed slowly and she was getting tired due to prolonged labour. She was made comfortable and the required medications were given. She delivered a blue baby. Immediately the mucus sucker was used to clear his throat. The baby soon turned pink, but still did not cry. Efforts to resuscitate the baby continued by providing artificial breathing through the ambu-bag. Meanwhile, another nurse filled up a referral card and arranged necessary medicines. The baby was wrapped in a clean cloth and rushed to the district hospital where he was admitted to the ICU and given oxygen.
The nurse-midwife accompanying the family provided the detailed history to the duty doctor. The child was in the hospital for nine days. The life of the child was saved and he is now in good health.
The two cases show that the deftness, confidence and expertise gained by the nurse-midwives during the two-week intensive hands-on training at ARTH training centre at Udaipur is paying off handsomely. The health centres are contributing to the millennium development goal of ‘reducing infant and child mortality’.
