WORKING AS A COORDINATOR MIDWIFE IN A TERTIARY ...

minute, then got up and said to the husband “what I see here is a situation where
I can’t pick up one baby’s heartbeat and I can’t tell you if the baby is well or not.
Your baby could be sitting there as happy as can be or it could be screaming for
help. We do not know.” I explained to him that I did not believe this was a safe
situation and I suggested he re-discuss with his wife that we put a clip on baby’s
head to pick up the heartbeat. He asked me a few questions, we talked about it
and he responded that they were happy to go ahead and do it.
In this situation, prior knowledge of the situation revealed to Irene there is no indication
for the baby to be distressed however at that point in time, the heart rate could not be
found and it was imperative the baby’s wellbeing was ascertained. Irene was coordinating
the unit, she had entered the room with consent and she recognised her need to convey
her concerns to the couple and the LMC simply and clearly so they understood the
potential consequences of the decisions they were making. She wanted to be assured the
baby was safe and to be able to then withdraw, leaving care with the DHB midwife and
the LMC once more.
Irene had choices and approached this situation by talking with the husband. Her
description of the baby in utero ‘silently screaming for help’ is not only potentially
accurate and timely, it is also graphic and emotive. She achieved what she had set out to
do and was able to withdraw from the situation in the knowledge the baby was safe in a
timely manner.
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