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The actress, 40, and her husband Scott Campbell had to call paramedics and rush their newborn to the hospital, where doctors were able to get him breathing. And the midwife had to induce Bell,who opened up about the experiencein a new episode of Dax Shepard’s podcastArmchair Expert,to get the placenta out.
Ozzy spent 11 days in the neonatal intensive care unit to recover after being without oxygen for over four minutes, and during that time Bell and her husband were told that he could have cerebral palsy or never walk or talk. Thankfully, both she and Ozzy, now 2, are doing well, and she credits Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for saving his life.
While many parents-to-be may prefer a home birth, where they can be more comfortable, there are risks involved with every delivery, say experts — some of which are better handled at a hospital. Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, an ob-gyn from Yale University andmember of PEOPLE’s Health Squad, explains that in general, a hospital is thebest environment for childbirthin case of an emergency.
She explains further: “Sometimes we can give the woman medicine to strengthen her contractions. Other times, administration of pain relief such as an epidural anesthetic can help. Or maybe we do need to do a Caesarean. Obviously all of these necessitate a medical facility.”
“When that happens in the hospital, we shout out to get ‘all hands on deck’ and have our colleagues come to lend a hand; we also have our anesthesiologists rush up to help get the woman more relaxed to see if that could help. But at home we don’t have the extra pairs of hands available,” she says.
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There are a myriad of other issues — from excessive bleeding requiring abdominal surgery to placental tissue stuck in the uterus — that can pop up.
“Fortunately these scenarios are uncommon, but they can happen,” Dr. Minkin says, “and at home there isn’t much you can do.”
“I started delivering babies in 1973 — at that point we were just starting to have dads come in to the delivery room,” Dr. Minkin says. “We have been trying since to make the experience of a delivery more comfortable for our patients, without sacrificing any safety for the family.”
source: people.com
