What is in a Paramedic Maternity Kit

For most paramedics… the paramedic maternity kit will only be seen when the sterile, sealed packet is exchanged for a new (in date) one. However, every now and again, some poor paramedic somewhere, has to open the maternity kit and help deliver a baby…

So, what’s in this magic paramedic maternity kit, that will actually let me deliver a baby?

First of all, remember, you’re not going to deliver the baby, the mother is, and all you have to do is rellax, look like you’ve done this before (although you probably haven’t), apply clamps to the umbilical cord and help clean/dry the baby afterwards. The baby will or wont deliver irrespective of all your best efforts. So rellax – you’re not the one delivering the baby.

This is what is in the average paramedic maternity kit:

1. X-ray gauze

2. Sterile scissors

3. Umbilical clamps (you really hope the maternity kit has these and that they haven’t fallen out)

4. Bulb aspirator (to mildly suction the baby’s nose and mouth if required – birthing can be such a dirty process)

5. 20 cm x-ray combines (to pad the new mother’s vagina if there is bleeding afterwards).

6. New born disposal nappy

7. Yellow gowns (this is for you to wear so you don’t get too dirty)

8. Some for of blanket for the baby (hope you can remember how to wrap a newborn baby)

9. Sanitary napkins

10. Plastic bag (for all that rubbish)

11. Newborn singlet (don’t worry about this too much, the baby will normally be wrapped up around mum anyway)

12. Self sealing plastic bag  (for that disgusting placenta)

13. An APGAR Score Card – (after all those exams in which you have had to memorize the APGAR score, they generally provide you with a nice, easy to read, APGAR Score Card in the Maternity Kit anyway!)