First Aid Training for Childbirth

Most pregnant women plan to have their bags packed and go to the hospital when they are in labor but sometimes baby and mother's plan collide. Often baby is coming now and there is not much you can do about it. Consider how many babies that you have heard about on TV being born in cars - in parking lots - or at home because there was not enough time to make it to the hospital.

What if the hospital is a considerable amount of time away from you? When it is the first baby - most do not come that quickly but most does not mean all and for this reason and also for those who still rely on midwives - first aid training for childbirth does exist.

Probably one of the most important things that you could be taught is to remain calm which sounds easy enough but when the time comes it could be a whole other story indeed. Try to remember that childbirth is natural and for centuries what you are doing is exactly the way that babies were born before. Think about Joseph delivering Jesus in a dark manger. Keep in mind though that any first aid that you have been taught to prepare for this is by no means a substitution for making it to the hospital. You can never plan for the unexpected and there can often be quite a few of those when it comes to having a baby.

Once you realize that the baby is coming and you can not make it to the hospital you should immediately call 911 so at least you are assured that medical help is on the way. In the meantime you want to lay mom on the floor or in her bed - making her as comfortable as you possibly can with pillows and blankets. Try to keep your hands and the area surrounding the mother as clean as possible. It is possible that the baby is already crowning which is why you could not make it to the hospital.

You will have already learned in your first aid class what this means and how to know if that is what is happening. The first aid class will teach you what to do if the amniotic sac ruptures or if you have to rupture it yourself - the precautions of when the baby enters this world because he will be extremely slippery and if you are unaware of that he could possibly slide right out of your hands.

First aid training classes for childbirth will teach you how to clean the baby's mouth and nose with a syringe - what to do if the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck - how not to pull the baby out but rather let the mother pass it out while pushing - how to guide the shoulders - how to deliver the placenta - and how important it is to make sure that the baby is warm.

While it is possible that much of this can be recognized with common sense - emergency situations crop up often during a pregnancy and sometimes the baby's schedule and yours are entirely different.