Why Boil Water During Labor? Understanding Sterilization for Birth

Question
A fellow co-worker is due in on June 26th.  There is a possibility the baby may come early since her other 2 children have.  We were trying to find out what the purpose of boiling the water is that the movies always tell us must be done.  "Go boil some water and get the towels."
Help!  Soon!  We need an answer.

Thanks!

Answer
Hello Lynn. The water was to sterilize whatever instruments the midwife or dr. wanted to use. Don't worry, it need not be done should she deliver at work. Your priorities  ARE: Make her as comfortable as possible. If birth is happening VERY fast, she is best on the floor so the baby will not be dropped or fall to the floor. Place something clean under her- fresh towels or even a freshly opened newspaper is fine. Help her to be calm and work WITH her body- DO NOT encourage her to PUSH- like you see on TV- this is NOT necessary in a fast delivery like this. As the baby emerges, support the head and shoulders as the body slides out. Open Mom's blouse or lift her dress so that her bare skin is exposed on her belly/chest and lay baby directly on her skin- cover BOTH of them with a clean dry cover(sweater, coat,towel etc). Baby will likely be crying very quickly- you can gently wipe away mucus from it's face if needed. DO NOT do anything with the cord- it does NOT need to be cut or tied off- leave it ALONE. By now someone has called an ambulance. If they are more than two minutes away after the birth, get someone behind Mom so she can semi'sit and take off her bra so she can put the baby to the breast. This will help her uterus to contract so that she will not bleed too much. You might get the delivery of the placenta before they arrive- any bowl or ice cream bucket will be fine to catch the placenta. Wrap it in a towel and tuck it up beside the baby- it will help to keep it warm- baby MUST be kept covered with DRY material so that it stays warm. That's all there is to it- all the best Cheri.PS- if the 911 operator is coaching you to cut the cord- ignore her/him- the intact cord and the breastfeeding will help to keep Mom from bleeding too much- the sucking encourages the uterus to clamp down tight on open blood vessels as the placenta peels off the uterine surface and the intact, uncut cord maintains the proper pressures to allow that too happen smoothly- the dramatic cord cutting you see on TV- is not needed. CP