环球英语 — 272：Difficult Birth
Voice 1
Hello. I’m Rachel Hobson.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
“Come on then - come on then push push”
Voice 2
Rosie has said these words to thousands of pregnant women! Rosie is a trained midwife - it is her job to bring new babies into the world. She has worked in North Africa for thirty [30] years. So what is it like to be a midwife - to spend your days bringing life into the world? She shared some of her experiences with Spotlight.
It is the middle of the night. Most people are sleeping in the small village of Sidi daoud, North Africa. But in one small house, no one is asleep. The cries of a young woman are loud. Saadia is ready to give birth to her third child. She needs help. And there is only one person she wants - Rosie. Rosie brought Saadia’s other children into the world. And Saadia needs her now. She sends her husband to Rosie’s house. But, he comes back alone. Rosie is not there. She is already at work in another house. It is a busy night! Saadia is troubled. She refuses to go to the hospital. She wants Rosie. Finally, her husband manages to find Rosie. She goes with him to help Saadia. Rosie says,
Voice 1
‘I went to their village home. It is a small mud built house. I walked in. I saw a freezing cold bottle of water! Usually women will not drink anything cold. They believe cold fluids make their labour pains cold. And you want hot labour pains to have a baby. (Although I do not think cold fluids have any real effect.) “What is that doing there?!” I asked. “I did not want to push until you came.” Saadia answered.
Voice 2
Rosie lifted Saadia’s clothes from her lower body. ‘Oh dear’ she said. To her surprise, there was a little foot! The baby was the wrong way around inside Saadia. Its feet were pointing downwards - instead of its head! Quickly, Rosie began her skilled work. She listened to the baby’s heart beat. She got ready to move Saadia. The baby’s position meant that Saadia could not give birth in the usual position.
Saadia could not lie on the floor. She had to lie on a bed. But she had to lie at the very end of the bed. Her bottom had to be off the bed. Rosie sat opposite. She placed Saadia’s feet on her knees. In hospitals for such births, they move the bottom half of the bed away. But, in a small mud hut, this is the next best thing. Rosie explains why,
Voice 1
‘This way, when the baby is born there is nothing under it. I needed Saadia on the end of the bed. Her bottom must be at the very end. Her feet are on my knees. So, when the baby’s body is born, it will hang down. The weight of the baby’s body will pull the head into the right position. No one must touch the baby.’
Voice 2
Rosie explains that touching the baby at this point is very dangerous. It may cause the baby to breathe. The baby’s head is still inside the mother, in water. It must not breathe until it comes out of the mother, or it will die.
But how can you get the baby out without touching it? Well, the mother pushes her baby out. Rosie makes sure that Saadia is in the right position. She knows when it is safe to touch the baby. It is when she can see the hair at the back of the baby’s neck. At this point, she can gently lift the baby’s body into position. Then, she guides the nose and the mouth out. She cleans them so the baby can breathe. Next, she carefully guides the rest of the head out. Rosie knows that she only has limited time. The umbilical cord is already out! The umbilical cord is a tube shape. It connects mother and baby from the baby’s stomach. Rosie says,
Voice 1
‘It is frightening. Once the umbilical cord is out, you have seven minutes. You have to get the head out in this time. This is because the cord is still attached to the baby. When the head starts to come out, the cord is pressed against it. This pressure on the cord stops the baby getting oxygen from it.’
Voice 2
Rosie succeeds. A healthy baby girl is born. The hardest part is over. But there is still work to do. She must cut the umbilical cord. There are many ways to do this. But there are also many dangers to avoid. In another Spotlight programme we will tell simple methods that protect a baby’s life! Listen out for ‘Cutting the Cord.’
Voice 1
For Rosie there is still work in other village houses. She left one mother and child to attend to Saadia. Now she returns, to see how this mother and baby are. It has been a long night. This is not unusual for Rosie! But even thirty [30] years experience does not stop tiredness! People often ask Rosie why she chose to be a midwife - in a small village in Northern Africa. After all, she is a European, educated woman. She could do a much easier job somewhere else. To this, she answers,
Voice 1
‘God led me here - where there is a need. I do not think I would be here if I was not a Christian. Living the Christian faith has to go alongside what is happening in your own life. And in the Bible Jesus always talks about helping the poor and needy.’
Voice 2
Rosie admits that she gets tired. She says it can be difficult to get out of bed in the middle of the night. But in her mind are these words, ‘Let your gentleness be seen by all. The Lord is near.’ She tells me, Jesus gives rest to the spirit.’ This is how she gets out of bed in the middle of the night. And although the work is hard, it is worth it. This is her way of bringing God given life into the world.
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