Any Oregon woman who has carried a baby to full term understands the allure of taking steps to speed up the labor and delivery process. By the end of the pregnancy, most women are ready to be done with being pregnant and are ready to welcome their newborn to the world. One way in which doctors attempt to speed up the process is breaking a woman’s water. In medical terms, the obstetrician performs an amniotomy and uses either a crochet hook looking device or a glove with a hook-like device to make a tear in the amniotic sac.
Ordinarily, this procedure will speed up labor. However, it also comes with significant risk once done, such as infection. Mother and doctor are committed to delivering the baby at this point in order to avoid this eventuality. If the procedure fails to get a woman’s labor started, it could cause additional complications as time passes.
If the baby is not in the right position prior to performing an amniotomy, doing so will most likely only make the situation worse. Moreover, the umbilical cord could fall through the cervix and out of the vagina. If the umbilical cord is on front of the baby, it could get tangled in it on the way out. Breaking a woman’s water could also lead to fetal distress.
Performing this procedure requires serious consideration. If an Oregon obstetrician fails to make sure that all of the conditions are right to do so, it could cause complications that will harm the unborn child. Breaking a woman’s water also requires medical personnel to increase the amount of monitoring mother and child need. When a woman does not receive the appropriate monitoring, the life of her unborn child could end up in jeopardy.