novellhall Chapter 614 - 585: The Big Picture
Chapter 614 - 585: The Big Picture
Joyce Sutton shook her head: "Your pelvis is relatively narrow and flat, plus the fetal biparietal diameter is not small, so if the current fetal position is engaged for natural birth, there will be certain risks."Sienna Thornton didn’t quite understand: "But haven’t I always been in the head-down position? I thought head-down meant I could have a natural birth."
Joyce Sutton smiled: "The fetus is indeed in the head-down position, but within that, there are further subdivisions. Natural birth is possible; theoretically, any fetal position can result in a natural birth, and there are even breech births."
Sienna Thornton was a bit dumbfounded.
If she didn’t know Joyce Sutton was a trustworthy person, she would have thought this doctor was trying to scare her into a cesarean for profit. But with Joyce saying this, she had no choice but to face the issue.
She kept taking deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down, and asked Joyce Sutton’s opinion again: "So do you recommend a natural birth for me?"
Listening, Joyce Sutton glanced at the door lock, then walked over to lock the door. She returned to her seat and motioned for Simon Forrester, who had been standing by Sienna Thornton’s side since coming in, to sit down and talk.
"Because natural birth is advocated now, with this fetal position, we generally advise the mother-to-be to try for a natural birth. Some mothers have suitable pelvic conditions, or the fetus adjusts its position during the natural birth trial, all can lead to a successful delivery," Joyce Sutton said.
Sienna Thornton was pleased to hear this: "Then I should still be able to have a natural delivery."
"But..." Joyce Sutton stopped smiling.
Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester both felt a chill in their hearts simultaneously.
Joyce Sutton said: "But if the fetus does not adjust to a normal position during the natural birth trial, then it usually requires the use of forceps or a ’vacuum extraction’."
Sienna Thornton was unfamiliar with these terms, having never heard of them: "What are forceps? And what is vacuum extraction?"
Joyce Sutton typed a few characters on the keyboard, then turned the computer screen over, pointing to a metal tool that looked like a large clip: "These are forceps. If the fetus can’t be delivered smoothly, doctors will use this tool to insert into the mother’s uterus, gently gripping the fetal skull, and then pull the fetus out to complete the delivery."
When she talked about "gripping the fetal skull," Sienna Thornton was startled and the hand held by Simon Forrester trembled.
"Using forceps has side effects. The mother may experience tears, hematomas, heavy bleeding, etc.; and the newborn may suffer from brachial plexus injury, clavicle fracture, forceps marks, facial injuries, and neonatal asphyxia, among other things."
Joyce Sutton said this and then showed them pictures of vacuum extraction while explaining in detail.
After listening, Sienna Thornton felt as if all her strength had been drained from her body. She asked Joyce Sutton: "In my case, if it is a natural birth, is there a fifty percent chance that the baby will adjust its fetal position during the process and be delivered smoothly?"
Joyce Sutton nodded.
At this moment, Sienna Thornton felt lost, unsure if she should gamble on that fifty percent chance.
She looked at Simon Forrester for help.
Simon Forrester held her hand tightly, calmly saying, "Let’s have a cesarean section, we can’t take risks."
She was about to cry, tearfully saying, "But with a cesarean section, the risk of amniotic fluid embolism is higher."
Joyce Sutton sighed: "All birth methods have risks, which is why the ancients would say, giving birth is like a trip through the gates of hell."
Ever since finding out in the ultrasound room earlier that her fetal position was incorrect, Sienna Thornton had been overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, while Simon Forrester, though also worried, remained calm and rational.
Not wanting to waste more time, he directly asked Joyce Sutton: "In Dr. Sutton’s view, which birth method is safer for us to choose?"
"A natural birth trial is also an option," Joyce Sutton said.
Simon Forrester looked at her quietly, eyes sharp.
Joyce Sutton paused for a moment, lowering her voice: "If forceps fail, the fetus could have a crushed skull. Although this probability is very low, it is not impossible. I hope you consider it carefully."
Simon Forrester understood immediately and made a decisive decision: "Cesarean section!"
Though overwhelmed by the after-effects of forceps surgery, Sienna Thornton clung to a sliver of hope and asked: "What about vacuum extraction?"
"The serious complications of vacuum extraction for the fetus include intracranial hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, and fetal death; the damages to the mother..."
"Stop!" Simon Forrester interjected, "We will have a cesarean section! The due date is already here, please arrange the surgery as soon as possible, Dr. Sutton."
Joyce Sutton nodded: "I will apply to the higher-ups and notify you once the time is arranged."
Simon Forrester listened and asked seriously, "Why do we have to apply to some higher-ups for a cesarean section? What kind of regulation is this?"
Joyce Sutton, clearly somewhat troubled, lowered her voice: "Because natural births are advocated now. Usually, someone in your wife’s situation would need to first attempt a natural birth, and assistance is only given if it doesn’t work..."
Simon Forrester remained wordless, understanding that Joyce Sutton was providing them with special consideration, he suppressed his anger, politely saying: "Thank you for your trouble, Dr. Sutton."
He led the tearful, weakened Sienna Thornton out of the consultation room.
As soon as they got in the car, Sienna Thornton covered her face and cried, speaking incoherently amidst sobs: "Baby, it’s all mommy’s fault, because I am incompetent and unable to let you be born through the warm birth canal... Mommy is sorry..."
She had been preparing for a natural birth diligently, even practicing prenatal yoga and controlling her diet keenly in the later stages of pregnancy, all to welcome her child into the world through a natural means. She hoped the child’s first touch would be with her, in a warm and soft birth canal, not pulled out by medical staff wearing rubber gloves, and directly exposed to the disinfectant-infused air of the operating room.
Simon Forrester understood her misery, yet his perspective was different.
Women may need the ceremonial sense of the process more and consider more detailed aspects, but men tend to focus on the balance and the outcome of the overall situation, far beyond that single point.
He is a husband, a father, and above all, a man. His considerations about the childbirth method were more about his wife’s physical endurance and the safety of their child, rather than the so-called warm birth canal or the air in the operating room.
Having seen the forceps and vacuum extraction tools on Joyce Sutton’s computer earlier, he couldn’t help but envision those cold, large stainless-steel tools entering his wife’s uterus, possibly causing tears and other sequelae. He felt as though his heart were being violently torn apart.
He couldn’t fathom the pain and torture of such a process, let alone envision Sienna Thornton going through such a delivery experience.
He tried to help Sienna Thornton calmly accept the necessity of a cesarean section, but her persistent worry was about the higher incidence of amniotic fluid embolism with cesarean sections. She sobbed, "If I die giving birth, you can still get a new wife, but my child will have no mother! If you get someone else, that woman surely won’t treat my child well! They say, with a stepmother comes a stepfather. I don’t want...!"
She cried as though the cesarean would lead to her demise, laying in Simon Forrester’s embrace sobbing with tears and mucus, which dried and hardened, only to be wetted again, on the front of Simon’s black POLO shirt.