Instruments In The Delivery Room 414y25

Instruments in the Delivery Room AMNIOTIC HOOK  This long crochet-like hook is used in the early stages of delivery to break your water, otherwise known as rupturing the membranes, if it hasn’t naturally happened on its own. This hook is used to rupture your membranes during the beginning of labor if it doesn’t happen naturally. This is more commonly referred to as “breaking your water.” To break your water, the doctor will insert the amniotic hook and use it to puncture the amniotic sac. You might feel some slight discomfort as the device enters your vagina, but as for the actual water breaking, most women only feel a big, warm gush of liquid.

SPECULUM Is typically used during the beginning of your labor to gauge your progress. It’s a hinged instrument that is closed upon insertion and then opened so your doctor can see further into your vagina. Your doctor will periodically check your cervix and dilation using the speculum. Many patients are familiar with the speculum, as many doctors use it during annual exams. Throughout pregnancy, speculums can be used to check the cervix for cervical cancers or any other issues you may be having.

FORCEPS Function but can be used to position or help to your labor has been your baby is distressed, forceps birth as an alternative method to using a vacuum (or a ventouse.)

much like tongs, shift the baby’s guide the head. If long and tiring or becoming can assist in the

Both methods are completely safe, but one may be preferred over the other given certain circumstances. The method your doctor chooses will depend on your progress, the position of your baby, and how difficult your doctor believes your labor will be considering these other factors. Forceps that are used during a birth are curved to cradle your baby’s head and have been used to help in guiding millions of babies through the vagina. They are generally recommended when you’ve been pushing for an extended length of time and your baby needs help to get through the last part of your birth canal. If your baby is in the right position (anterior – with the top of their head at the beginning of your birthing canal facing your back,) using forceps may not be necessary. If you do need an assisted delivery, don’t be discouraged. You don’t have much control of your baby whether they’re in your womb or outside of it, so you may as well take all the help you can get.

VACUUM you’re having a difficult time laboring or pushing your baby out, your doctor may use a vacuum (also referred to as a ventouse.) This apparatus is similar to forceps, as it helps extract the baby’s head through your vagina. The suction on the vacuum sticks to the baby’s crowning head, but you’ll still need to push gently. Devices like the vacuum and forceps simply assist in your delivery. They are there to assist you in pushing your baby out, but they aren’t able to actually remove the baby from the birthing canal by themselves. If you need extra guidance from a vacuum, it is possible that your baby’s head may come out cone-shaped. This may happen if you’re pushing for an extended amount of time. It is a regular procedure, and your baby’s head should go back to a normal shape after a few weeks.

Scissors are used to cut tissue or other materials during operative procedures, and come in a range of sizes and types. All scissors are classified as either sharp or blunt and straight or curved. Mayo scissors may be used to cut sutures and heavy body tissues, while smaller varieties, such as Metzenbaum scissors, are employed in cutting delicate materials. Blunt scissors are used to cut sutures and dressings.

Hemostat A hemostat closely resembles scissors, although they aren’t meant to be sharp. They don’t have blades as scissors do. The hemostat is used for a multitude of different things, but most importantly, it holds the umbilical cord before its cut. Your spouse or your doctor may do the cutting. This may not be the only time your doctor reaches for the hemostat. It may also be used to assist in holding sutures or for clamping to contain blood. The ends of the hemostat are slightly curved upwards to ensure the doctor gets a good grasp on the blood vessels, sutures, tissues, or the umbilical cord. While these are eight extremely important instruments, there are others that you may spot around your labor and delivery room. If you have time to look around, you’ll probably see a scalpel, some sponge holders, and many buckets of water. While a scalpel sounds terrifying, your doctor only keeps it handy in case of an emergency cesarean section (C-section). The other things you may see are pretty self-explanatory; a sponge holder is mainly used to— you guessed it—hold the sponges. Although they look similar to forceps, your doctor won’t use them on your body. They are only there to hold the gauze.

SPONGE HOLDERS to keep any bleeding during delivery under control, your doctor may apply pressure with highly absorbent laparoscopic sponges. She’ll use sponge holders—ringed tools that look sort of like forceps—to keep a grasp on the gauzy sponge.

SCALPEL a small knife with a thin blade that is most often used for making incisions during surgery or dissection. The two primary parts are the blade, which is needed for cutting, and the scalpel handle, which is needed to hold the blade.

KIDNEY BASIN used especially for the collection of bodily discharges.

SUTURES Despite their size, sutures are one of the most important delivery room tools. They are used to stitch up and repair the affected tissues either from laceration or episiotomy. They aren’t usually painful since doctors use a local anesthetic to keep the area numb. If you opted for an epidural, a local anesthetic might not be necessary.

URINARY CATHETER If you got an epidural, you may not be able to feel the urge to urinate, and this is where a urinary catheter can help you. It’s typically inserted after the epidural so you won’t feel any discomfort when the tube is slowly pushed into your bladder. It’s usually removed once the birth is imminent. The doctor can replace it after the birth and removed several hours postpartum or the very next day.

LAPAROSCOPIC SPONGES It may seem scary that your doctor keeps these on hand, considering they are used to control bleeding, but don’t be scared of sponges. Instead, rest assured that your doctor is prepared in the slim chance something does go awry. They look similar to gauze pads, but they are able to absorb more liquid, making them ideal for surgical procedures including delivery. Your doctor will use laparoscopic sponges in case you have excessive amounts of bleeding, which is actually common throughout the delivery. To keep bleeding under control, the doctor will apply pressure with this extremely absorbent sponge.