| Fill a clean bowl with warm water, and prepare scissors, several lengths of string, rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, and a bulb syringe, which should all be available to prehospital personnel. Put on personal protective equipment, including a face shield if available, but do remember to keep the mother calm.
Encourage the expectant woman to breathe deeply to avoid hyperventilation. You or someone else may need to breathe with her. You must reassure the mother that help is on the way and that birth is a natural process, which has taken place outside of the hospital through most of our evolution as a species. Reassure her that things are under control and the likelihood of complications is limited. |