Read Online The Midwife's Christmas Miracle by Jennifer Taylor - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jennifer Taylor
Ads: Link
up after they’d had a cup of tea. Lucy left them to chat while she went to the office for the leaflets. Max was there, talking to Amanda, but he merely nodded when she went in and she didn’t know whether to feel pleased or sorry.
She sighed as she headed back to the meeting room, wishing that she didn’t feel so ambivalent. One minute she had decided to avoid him and the next she was disappointed because he hadn’t spoken to her, and it was all very confusing. She knew that she needed to sort out her feelings, although what that would achieve was anyone’s guess. It certainly wouldn’t change the fact that Max’s attitude to life was very different from her own.
Once the tour was over, it was time for Lucy to go forher break. There were just her and Cathy on duty that evening and she was hoping it wouldn’t be too busy. She had just got back when Anita Walsh, one of the community midwives, phoned to say that she was sending a patient in to them. Anita was on her way back from visiting another of her mums and was stuck in traffic. She promised to get there as soon as she could, but in the meantime she would be grateful if someone would look after her patient for her.
Lucy assured her that she would sort everything out. She made her way to Reception and a few minutes later Emma Baker and her husband arrived. She booked Emma in then showed the couple to the delivery suite they’d be using. It was Emma’s third child and she was very matter-of-fact about the birth. She was only due to stay in the unit for six hours following the birth and would be sent home after that so long as everything went smoothly.
Lucy did Emma’s obs then set up the foetal monitor to check the baby’s progress. She was a little concerned when she discovered that its heartbeat was much slower than it should have been. It was a sign that the baby could be in distress due to a lack of oxygen and needed monitoring.
She decided to wait a couple of minutes and do another foetal heart tracing as it could turn out to be a temporary blip. Emma’s contractions were strong and the tightening of her uterus could have reduced the supply of oxygen reaching the baby via the placenta. She got everything ready then did another tracing of the baby’s heartbeat, along with a recording of the uterine contractions. Checking it back, she was in no doubt that the baby was becoming increasingly distressed.
‘Is something wrong?’ Emma asked after she’d finished.
‘I’m not happy about the baby’s heart rate,’ Lucy explained gently. ‘It’s slower than it should be, which means your baby is starting to show signs of distress.’
‘But this didn’t happen with the other two,’ Emma protested. She turned to her husband. ‘Did it, Peter?’
‘No, it didn’t,’ he stated emphatically. ‘Are you sure that machine is working properly?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with the equipment,’ Lucy assured him. She could tell they weren’t happy with her findings but there was little she could do about it. The baby was her first concern and she knew that she needed a doctor to take a look at it.
Lucy explained all this to Emma, then went to the phone and asked the switchboard to page Diane. The registrar phoned her back almost immediately to say that she was with a patient who was threatening to miscarry and didn’t know how long she would be. She suggested that Lucy page Max if it was urgent.
Lucy sighed as she contacted the switchboard again. Although she would have liked a little more breathing space before she saw Max again, obviously it wasn’t to be. She would just have to play it cool and not allow herself to get carried away. Max may be an extremely attractive man but she wasn’t about to embark on another disastrous relationship. She had learned her lesson the hard way and she wasn’t going to repeat her mistakes.
Max was on his way out of the hospital when his pager beeped. He groaned as he turned round and headed back inside. So
She sighed as she headed back to the meeting room, wishing that she didn’t feel so ambivalent. One minute she had decided to avoid him and the next she was disappointed because he hadn’t spoken to her, and it was all very confusing. She knew that she needed to sort out her feelings, although what that would achieve was anyone’s guess. It certainly wouldn’t change the fact that Max’s attitude to life was very different from her own.
Once the tour was over, it was time for Lucy to go forher break. There were just her and Cathy on duty that evening and she was hoping it wouldn’t be too busy. She had just got back when Anita Walsh, one of the community midwives, phoned to say that she was sending a patient in to them. Anita was on her way back from visiting another of her mums and was stuck in traffic. She promised to get there as soon as she could, but in the meantime she would be grateful if someone would look after her patient for her.
Lucy assured her that she would sort everything out. She made her way to Reception and a few minutes later Emma Baker and her husband arrived. She booked Emma in then showed the couple to the delivery suite they’d be using. It was Emma’s third child and she was very matter-of-fact about the birth. She was only due to stay in the unit for six hours following the birth and would be sent home after that so long as everything went smoothly.
Lucy did Emma’s obs then set up the foetal monitor to check the baby’s progress. She was a little concerned when she discovered that its heartbeat was much slower than it should have been. It was a sign that the baby could be in distress due to a lack of oxygen and needed monitoring.
She decided to wait a couple of minutes and do another foetal heart tracing as it could turn out to be a temporary blip. Emma’s contractions were strong and the tightening of her uterus could have reduced the supply of oxygen reaching the baby via the placenta. She got everything ready then did another tracing of the baby’s heartbeat, along with a recording of the uterine contractions. Checking it back, she was in no doubt that the baby was becoming increasingly distressed.
‘Is something wrong?’ Emma asked after she’d finished.
‘I’m not happy about the baby’s heart rate,’ Lucy explained gently. ‘It’s slower than it should be, which means your baby is starting to show signs of distress.’
‘But this didn’t happen with the other two,’ Emma protested. She turned to her husband. ‘Did it, Peter?’
‘No, it didn’t,’ he stated emphatically. ‘Are you sure that machine is working properly?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with the equipment,’ Lucy assured him. She could tell they weren’t happy with her findings but there was little she could do about it. The baby was her first concern and she knew that she needed a doctor to take a look at it.
Lucy explained all this to Emma, then went to the phone and asked the switchboard to page Diane. The registrar phoned her back almost immediately to say that she was with a patient who was threatening to miscarry and didn’t know how long she would be. She suggested that Lucy page Max if it was urgent.
Lucy sighed as she contacted the switchboard again. Although she would have liked a little more breathing space before she saw Max again, obviously it wasn’t to be. She would just have to play it cool and not allow herself to get carried away. Max may be an extremely attractive man but she wasn’t about to embark on another disastrous relationship. She had learned her lesson the hard way and she wasn’t going to repeat her mistakes.
Max was on his way out of the hospital when his pager beeped. He groaned as he turned round and headed back inside. So
Similar Books
