What was this instrument they used on me during birth?

[IntheSpaghetti]

I had a slightly traumatic birth abroad last year so no chance of finding notes or a debrief, as I've seen suggested on other threads.

It was a fast labour and they were worried about the baby's heart rate so they used a big, clear, plastic tube to stick inside me and look at the baby? This is all according to my husband, as I had my eyes shut literally the whole time because I was so frightened. I've tried looking up images of medical equipment used in birth but nothing looks right.

I just would really like to know what happened to me and if it could have contributed to some issues I'm having now.

Thank you to anyone who replies!

Could possibly be fetal blood sampling? They make a tiny scratch on baby's head and collect some blood to test the pH level. It shows if the baby is distressed or not coping with labour and helps them decide if intervention is needed.

i agree with PP re blood sampling, it might have been that. Just a thought, could it have been a clear speculum? Your husband might not have seen one before and your husbands description of a clear plastic tube sounds like how someone could describe it.

My thought was of a straight catheter, skinny and about 14 inches long, you may not be that aware of them emptying your bladder for you.

Thank you all! I definitely remember them doing the fetal blood sampling. Is that usually done with a speculum? I showed a picture to my husband and he said it wasn't that. It was a solid, plastic tube all the way round.

Definitely no catheter involved. Thank you for the suggestion though!

Could it have been an internal scan?

Agree with scalp sample idea, the speculum used is solid round plastic, kind of a wee bit cone shaped - some pics here (the white tube thing) https://www.emt.com.au/fetal-scalp-blood-sampling-kit-with-amnioscope
the other possibility maybe a silicone cup ventouse

Scalp blood collection from baby op

If they were concerned about baby heart rate and not being able to find it they may have attached a fetal scalp electrode to babies head. This happened to me in labour as baby moved down into an awkward position for detecting her heart rate through my tummy. This isn’t a clear plastic tube itself but what they use to insert and attach it is and that’s what it looked like to me when she was preparing it.

Definitely sounds like fetal blood sampling, they usually use a tube that goes in and one end sits against the baby’s head, then they can pass a little lancet through the tube to make a tiny cut on the baby’s head and then use a capillary tube to suction up the blood and test it. I’ve attached a screenshot but it won’t be visible straight away, if you google fetal blood sampling see what I mean.

Thank you everyone. Looks like it was just the fetal blood sampling so not the cause of my issues.

Sonic screwdriver. Enjoy your adventures in the tardis.

Unfortunately these adventures are involving pain and self-esteem issues so I am not much enjoying them.