Turbulent Birth
This little boy was born twice
© Monkey Business / Adobe Stock
Some babies need a little help so that they are in the right position before birth. This is also the case with Ruth Wambui Piller and her little son Samuel. Shortly before the appointment for the external turning, the little man changed his mind – and in the end he was born twice.
The pregnancy of mother Ruth Wambui Piller was actually completely uncomplicated, reported Edeltraud Braunwarth, spokeswoman for the district hospital foundation of the “Illertisser Zeitung”. In the end, however, the little boy didn’t want to turn around. He remained in the breech position and did not rotate his head even shortly before the expected due date.
When the labor started, the baby was in the breech position
Therefore, it was decided to make an external turn. However, the contractions started the night before the appointment. The parents-to-be immediately made their way to the Donauklinik in Neu-Ulm. While they rushed to get medical assistance, their baby had other plans: already in the parking lot, the boy’s little feet were born.
The expectant mother was immediately taken to the delivery room. “Because in the meantime not only the feet, but the entire torso had already been born, all the preparations for an emergency caesarean section were made,” reports Edeltraud Braunwarth. Furthermore, everyone had the hope that with the next contraction, little Samuel’s head would also be born. The problem: the baby’s arms were still stuck together with the head in the birth canal.
The head didn’t want to come out – emergency c-section
Due to the high risk, the decision was ultimately made to have an emergency caesarean section. Just five minutes later, Samuel was born. So, one could say that the little man was born twice: once with his feet first on the way to the delivery room and once through the cut on his mother’s stomach. Fortunately, Samuel and his mother are doing well after the turbulent birth.
In a breech or breech presentation, the child lies with its head directly below the mother’s costal arch. The legs can be in different positions. Either hit into the abdominal cavity or one or both feet are in the direction of the cervix.
In the case of a vaginal birth, this position can lead to problems. Because the rump or, in Samuel’s case, the feet come out first, the cervix doesn’t open as well as it does when the head comes out. Furthermore, the umbilical cord can be clamped through the constriction. If the birth lasts too long, the baby will be undersupplied with oxygen. Luckily, in this case, however, mother and baby escaped unharmed.
Sources used: First the “Illertisser Zeitung” reported, augsburger-allgemeine.de