Page 77 of Doc Rock
Lily called from the other side of the drapes.“You guys are going to have a baby within the next sixty seconds.”
Clara grunted as Lily pressed high on her abdomen to push the baby down and out through the incision.
“Seeyou soon,”Mai said and made her way back to her corner of the theatre as a dark head of hair emerged from Clara’s abdomen.
Shewatchedintently, and when the baby's head was out and shecouldseeits scrunched-up face, she began the chant she used every time she was in theatre.
Come on cry. Come on little one, just a small cry.
If they were crying, they were breathing.
The theatre was silent. None of the staff made a noise, and the baby didn’t either.
Shit, Mai swore to herself and mentally ran through her equipment again.
Come on baby, cry.
The silence became louder.
Lily rubbed the baby's chest as she waited to clamp the cord. Her gaze darted across to Mai, and the surgeon shook her head.
“Is he alright?”Clara’s frantic question came from the other side of the drapes.
“He’s really stunned. I’m about to clamp the cord andtakehim to Mai.”
Mai closed her eyes when she heard Clara’s sob.
Shit, this was bad.
When the tiny boy was deposited in front of her by the surgeon, her world narrowed down, and she wasn’t aware of anything going on around her.
She immediately put the CPAP mask over the baby's face.
“Putthe sats probe on, what’s the heart rate?”she spoke to the midwife who stood next to her.
The baby made no respiratory effort, so she began to positively pressure ventilate them, watching the chest rise and fall with each breath she gave him.
“Heart rate is eighty,”the midwife supplied.
She swore internally, but outside was calm and collected.“We’ll do one minute of ventilation then recheck heart rate.”
Mai continued to supply oxygen to the tiny baby, who was actually an okay size for his prematurity, which was a relief.
When the minute was up, she looked up andsawthe sats were sixty percent and the heart rate ninety. She was going to give him another minute, then decide if he needed intubation.
SheknewClara would be frantic, so she called out,“Clara, I’m giving him CPAP, his heart rate was eighty, and it’s picked up to ninety.”She didn’t tell her friend the saturations. Clara was an adult anaesthetist, and Maiknewthat mentioning oxygen levels of sixty would freak her friend out.
She looked at the tiny baby and quietly told him,“Come on, little man. Let’s do the right thing for your parents.”
At the end of the next minute, she rechecked, andsome relief flowed over her. His heart rate had increased again and was now one hundred and ten. He wasn’t making any respiratory effort yet, but at least he wasn’t deteriorating.
“His heart rate’s above one hundred,”Mai called out.
Shehearda sob from Clara and Sadie’s quiet voice reassuring her.“He’s going the right way, Clara.”
Mai stared down at the baby and couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at her lips when shesawsome chest movement.“Come on, little man. That’s the idea. Let’s keep going with that effort.”
He took another breath, then another. His heart rate was now one hundred and twenty, and his saturations were eighty percent.
