2004 – The joy of parenthood
Many people hesitate when it comes to deciding whether to become parents. I knew immediately that I wanted to have kids with Maren. We just go well together. Jan was born in 2004 and Till in 2007. Both are good boys: quick, good-humored and sometimes wild. Life with the kids is even better than I thought it would be.
My cell phone rang while I was still asleep. It was Maren: “Ole, you have to come, I’m already having contractions!” I was far from home, in a cabine in the mountains. A friend of mine was having his bachelor’s party there. I went along because the due date was still a ways away. It was late and I was incredibly tired when I drove back home and hugged Maren quickly before we drove together to the birthing center. I thought the delivery would happen right away. In fact, we were at the beginning of a journeythat would last 36 hours and which I can remember only in bits and pieces.
I fell asleep repeatedly. On a chair, on the fl oor. When Maren was taken out for an examination, I nodded off to sleep on her bed. Maren laughed at me, and the midwives kept bringing me coffee the whole time.
At the end of the next day, the midwives decided to transfer Maren to the hospital. The baby had become wedged in Maren’s abdomen, and wasn’t moving forward or backwards. But I wasn’t worried. I have complete trust in Maren. As long as she’s relaxed, so am I.
The doctor at the hospital immediately said, “C-section!” Maren didn’t want spinal anesthesia, she was afraid of the injection in her back. But there wasn’t any time left to worry. My wife was taken to the OR, I was standing by her head and couldn’t see what the doctors were doing. I didn’t even realize my child had been born: I just heard a timid cry. The doctors then immediately performed a few tests. I was completely dazed, and I left the OR and headed towards our room. In the hallway a few children were standing around, siblings of other newborns. They were looking at a baby that was lying in the arms of a nurse. I stood there and thought, “unbelievable, how tiny!” The nurse looked at me and said, “oh, hi! And here’s yours!” I took off my shirt and placed the child on my chest. I had learned in the birth preparation class that physical closeness is important. And that was my fi rst contact with Jan.
Pictures of the story
Pain therapy - experiencing the miracle of childbirth
The risk of childbirth
For millennia, childbirth was a life-threatening event. As recently as the mid-19th Century, up to fourth quarter of all women died while giving birth. One in every fourth child was stillborn or failed to survive his or her first year. In industrialized countries, these figures are now at a fraction of one percent. The most important reasons for this change are the availability of medical care before, during and after birth, improved hygiene and better methods for performing Caesarian sections.
The decisive cut
It is said that Julius Caesar was born via Caesarian section, and the procedure owes its name to that myth. However, it is considered impossible that physicians at that time would have mastered such a demanding procedure. Until well into the 19th Century, in fact, Caesarian sections were used only in extreme emergencies, such as in cases when the mother died in childbirth. At that time, the incision was made from the belly button down. The decisive improvement was not made until the year 1881, when German gynecologist Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer had the idea to make the incision across above the pelvic bone, which allowed the wound to heal better. Kehrer’s countryman Hermann Johannes Pfannenstiel improved upon this method a few years later with a transverse incision of the connective tissue between the stomach muscles. Further progress came with the Misgav Ladach method, which was developed in the Jerusalem hospital of the same name. In this method, the connective tissue between the muscles is merely stretched out, not cut.
As popular as never before
In Brazil and China, one in every second child is born by Caesarian section, and in countries like the US and Germany, it is one in every third child. However, the World Health Organization estimates that a Caesarian section is actually necessary for medical reasons in just 15 percent of all births.
Precise pain therapy
Performing this surgical procedure requires anesthesia to eliminate the sensation of pain. Spinal anesthesia is the favored method of application for Caesarian sections. The incision is typically made in the area between the third and fourth lumbar vertebrae. The anesthesia pierces the dura matter and injects the anesthetic into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord, where the spinal cord is segmented into individual fibers. The main advantage of spinal anesthesia is that the mother remains conscious throughout the procedure, so that she can share in the wonder of the birth and hold her child right away.
In order to work effectively, the anesthesiologist requires needles that are appropriate for each individual situation. B. Braun offers a broad range of spinal anesthesia options with Spinocan®, Pencan® and Atraucan® needles, with a variety of bevels and needle sizes. Another procedure for administering regional anesthesia is peridural anesthesia (PDA), also known as epidural anesthesia. This is used to alleviate contractions and pain before, during and after birth. In this procedure, the anesthesiologist introduces the needle into the epidural space, where the spinal nerve roots are located, in order to place a catheter and inject into the area between the vertebra and the dura matter. Perican® epidural needles with Tuohy bevel facilitate safe placement of the catheter. Various Perifi x® catheters ensure that the anesthetic is dispersed into the epidural space. The anesthetic must be precisely matched to the patient and the patient’s needs. This is facilitated by Perfusor® Space, an infusion pump that is easy and safe to use and can be manipulated with precision. With its various hygiene products, medical devices and generic drugs, in addition to the courses it offers physicians and nursing staff at its Aesculap Academy, B. Braun is engaged throughout the pregnancy process, all the way to birth and beyond.
