Baby in a bag!

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Specializes in NICU.

Hey guys. I caught an interesting situation the other day and wanted to see how common it really is. We had a 31wk multip being induced for HELLP. Apparently it was going really sl-o-o-o-w, and I, as the NICU delivery person that day, was told in the am that it didn't look like the babe would be coming on my shift. All of a sudden the NICU fellow comes TEARING through my transitional nursery (the room on L&D where we stabilize kids who are going to need NICU care before going to the main unit) shrieking at me to turn on a warmer. A second later she comes back with a limp, apneic 1300g peanut. It turned out MOB had just been checked, had been at 5cm, and a second later started complaining of rectal pressure. Nurse pulls back the blankets and there was baby in the bed, still inside the intact membranes. I've heard of this before, but only with the really wee 400g 23-week kids that just kind of fall out when mom sneezes.

So how often does this happen? Does it happen with term kids too? The baby ended up fine, just needed to be beaten up and suctioned well and then a couple of days of CPAP, but I thought it was interesting.

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Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

It's called "en caul" I believe...and it can happen at term also. It might happen more often if we didn't do AROM's as much as we do.

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Specializes in Adult and Pediatric Vascular Access, Paramedic.

hi,

A shift I was working as a medic we had a women delivering twins at home (not on purpose of course), but the first baby had already delivered prior to our arrival, but soon after we got there baby number two started to deliver with membraines intact! The amnoitic sac was actually delivering in tact just prior to the head being visible. Needless to say I ruptured them and soon after the rest of the kiddo followed.

They were twins so they were small, about 5 lbs each. I think it does happen more often with smaller babies.

Sweetooth

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Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.

never 'trust' a multip, anything can happen, heck some primip's can misbehave as well..

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Specializes in PICU/NICU.

I saw this once myself.... termish kid 36wks I think? Mom came in "ruptured" and progressed from there- musta been a forebag?? Looked like something out of a scifi movie!

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Specializes in learning disabilities/midwifery.

Ive supported a couple of women birthing babies still in intact membranes, I just leave them intact until the baby is born and then rupture them then if they havent gone spontaneously during the birth. I guess (certainly where I work) we dont artificially rupture membranes much in normal labours so we might see it a bit more commonly here.

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my sister in law delivered my nephew in the bag at 40 weeks! They told her she was at 2 and couldn't get an epidural yet. So the doc goes to a meeting. Not long after she screams to the nurse to come and check... 20 min later, we have a baby. No doctor! He had a little trouble breathing, but ended up fine. Crazy day.

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I think being born in the caul is supposed to be considered good luck according to old wive's tales. (Or old midwives' tales!) :)

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My grandma loved to tell the story of one of her children being born "with a veil over his face" . . . . and that meant he had "second sight". Or ESP.

steph

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Specializes in PICU/NICU.
My grandma loved to tell the story of one of her children being born "with a veil over his face" . . . . and that meant he had "second sight". Or ESP.

steph

That is exactly what this patients mother said! They were of hispanic culture and also believed it was good luck.

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Specializes in OB/PP/Nsy.

My first "delivery" without a doctor present was a hispanic 38 weeker, delivered in bed with bag intact. I ruptured the bag to remove the baby. It freaked me out at first, as I had never seen it before - I agree with the above poster about something from a sci-fi movie! lol

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I was in a delivery with a newer nurse waiting for a physician to show and the pt had no epidural and could not "not push" any more and delivered her baby.....full term in an intact amniotic sac (now thats one tough sac!) The newer nurse just looked at me bewildered as the baby looked up at us blinking laying on the bed.....it was a crazy sight! I had to tell her to just break the bag so the kid could could get out and cry! It was actually very cool!

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