Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“We Made It Up.”
“We made it up.” -OB response when asked where he got the information he provided to mother that the average cervix is to small to handle a 38 cm fetal head, and she should have a Cesarean at 38 weeks.
This one infuriates me!
I was a doula for a client when she had a c-section for breech. The baby’s head measured 38cm and the nurse promptly said “oh you’d neeeever be able to have him vaginally.”
I said “actually… my son’s head was 38cm, and that was AFTER molding. I’m sure plenty of moms CAN have a baby whose head measures that.”
The nurse replied. “well.. *I* haven’t seen it happen.”
I’m sure she hasn’t been able to see a LOT of natural things happen.
I hate it when caregivers tell mom what her body can and can’t do.
[Reply]
Jill,
I’m guessing this one was a doctor admitting to an L&D nurse, or perhaps after having been cornered by a doula on the matter, after the fact. I highly doubt that s/he would have admitted it to a patient.
I’ve seen some L&D nurses say that they’ve called “BS” on doctors (out in the hall, usually) about stuff they’ve said that they couldn’t back up. Sometimes the woman/baby benefited, if the doctor changed to evidence-based medicine; other times, it was too late; and unfortunately, many times, doctors just persevere, just because they can, want to, and really believe it will work.
[Reply]
@Jill
I post ‘em as I get ‘em…and based on some of the emails I am receiving, wow! you have to shake your head and grimace, some of them hardly seem possible. Maybe the submitter is reading and will provide some more background on her story!
[Reply]
Kathy, that’s kind of what it sounds like. It sounds very possible based on what I read on all of the nurse blogs.
Whew!
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Sara, that’s what I thought, that it was sarcasm. That would be pretty bad, too, though.
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This was mine.
It was 36 weeks into my second pregnancy. I was referred to a specialist for an U/S due to GD. He looked at the measurements and said that he would recommend a section at 38 weeks due to the baby’s head size and size of my cervix. I asked when he planned on measuring my cervix before making the decision and he said he didn’t plan on it. Then he said the “average woman’s cervix is too small to handle a 38cm head”
I simply said “Where did you get the measurements for the averages?”
He said, “We make it up.” Very deadpan..think Dr. House.
For the record, my son was born at 39 weeks with a successful vaginal delivery. 38 cm head, no tearing, stitches, or complications.
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I’m a little suspicious of this one. I can’t see anyone copping to a patient about a lie this absurd.
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