What do you think when you see a cyclist, football player or other athlete with an oxygen mask (not illegal since oxygen is natural, though some may object that 21% atmospheric oxygen is natural but 100% tank oxygen is not natural)? The more the better, right?Well, that's what neonatologists thought a few decades ago who gave premature babies continuous 100% oxygen. It turns out though, that high oxygen levels stimulate blood vessel formation--normally a good thing, but not in the retina, which such proliferation can cause blindness.
Enter Helena, who was born premature 34 years ago, given 100% oxygen and blood transfusions as well (premature babies are often severely anemic). Fast forward: Helena is blind, HIV positive, and pregnant. Oh, and as another consequence of prematurity, her cerebrospinal fluid doesn't circulate so she has a plastic shunt draining excess fluid away from her brain into the regular vascular system. A couple of hours hard pushing could disrupt the shunt. And did I mention she's breech?
Well, the baby was turned by one of my colleagues, and we are now waiting for spontaneous labor.
Yikes. Would the danger of pushing in this case ever warrant a c-section? (My guess is no, since the baby was turned.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm glad you're coming out of your blogging slump. It's highly possible that I'm extra interested in pregnancy/birth stories right now... with a preference towards happy ones, like fourth pregnancies/c-sections going really well :).
We talked with her neurosurgeon about the risks of pressure, and he said that since the shunt was working well, it could withstand the pressure of pushing.
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