Maternity Magnet

When I thought about becoming a professional ambulance person rather than just playing at the job at weekends with St John I realised that there would be a lot of different jobs that in St John you just never see. I realised that we would see more of the more serious jobs - more trauma, more medical problems. But I was also not blind to the fact that we would see lots of dross, Nan Down and drunks. What I wasn't fully aware of was quite how much maternity work we would see. I think I'm going to get a reputation as a maternity magnet. Most shifts seem to involve a visit to maternity for me. Whether its a trip to NICU to take a sick infant to Southampton or a run of the mill maternataxi I just can't seem to keep away from the place. At least its better than dealing with drunks I guess.

DOA

Got a call at 2300 on Thursday night - unconscious male. When we got in the cab it was updated as a cardiac arrest. My first one. Drove like the wind, lights and siren blaring. Got there in four minutes. Picked up all the kit we need, response bag, oxygen, defib and LUCAS. Tramped in with my crew mate to find a very obvious DOA. Had trouble getting the defib pads on due to the levl of rigor, got the 20s asystole strip necessary which with the rigor and hypostasis allowed us to call the death. We then had to wait for the police who take over as it is a sudden death.  All very interesting from a learning point of view but very sad for the others involved.

Footling Breech

Went to a woman in labour on Tuesday night. When we arrived we found the hubby on the phone to the midwife. My crew mate spoke to the midwife to be told the two worst words you can hear - "cord prolapse". This is where the cord comes out before the baby and is very dangerous - often fatal to the baby. So we had to take a look and saw a foot coming out - so it was a footling breech which is better but not much. Now its a case of getting her on board and into Maternity as soon as possible. She comes down the stairs of her flat backwards on all fours with me steering her behind whilst crew mate and hubby get the trolley. On the trolley and off in to the ambulance. On with the Entonox and then off we go with blue lights on. Half way in and she has another contraction. Something has changed and she feels as if something has "fallen out". I have a look and now we have two feet out. Ooops! We get herin and in to the theatre at Maternity. She is put under and given a crash section. A few minutes later a baby boy appears. Everyone is happy and I'm very relieved.