Comments on: “The OB…Is Going To Be So Pissed!”

By: Molly

Molly — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:05:10 +0000

My midwife could tell my baby was head down by feeling my lower tummy. Where did these people go to school if they think a vaginal exam is the only way to tell the position of the baby?

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:53:57 +0000

My thoughts exactly!! I never had a vaginal exam in the final weeks, and my midwives could tell just fine that his head was right where it should have been.

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:06:43 +0000

That would have been a good response, you know? “Wait, are you saying my doctor is emotionally unstable and may deliberately harm my baby?”

Put it right out on the table.

By: Kat

Kat — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:28:13 +0000

Even IF she did a vaginal exam, how will that ensure the baby is vertex during labor? Babies turn during the last week of pregnancy and during labor all the time.

I also agree that the doctor’s emotional stability is NOT the responsibility of his patients. However, respecting their choices on accepting a procedure with little to no medical evidence supporting its routine use IS his job, and the job of each member of his staff.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:25:01 +0000

Certainly!

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:17:10 +0000

I agree with what you’re saying. But surely you can hear the difference between, “My backup OB requires that I perform a vaginal exam on my patients beyond 38 weeks in order to confirm a vertex presentation” and “The OB will be PISSED!”

The second puts the mother in the position of being responsible for the doctor’s feelings. What’s that all about? If it’s the doctor’s policy, fine, tell me it’s his policy and then I’ll take it up with the doctor. But don’t tell me to be responsible for the doctor’s precious feelings, because as it just so happens, I too have feelings, and I fail to see why the doctor’s feelings need to override my feelings.

Like a lot of comments on this site, this one might have been okay if couched professionally. “Dr. Smith finds it very important to perform a vaginal exam on every patient at term” wouldn’t have made it onto this website.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:19:55 +0000

**NOT that I’m siding with the doctor or the midwife on this one**

But depending on the laws or politics of the state of residence, it’s possible that the midwife is only able to practice if she has OB backup or collaboration, and if the OB gets mad at her, he might pull his agreement, and then she’ll be unable to legally practice in the state. And, yes, while it’s up to the patient to consent, the OB might think that the midwife should have “sold” the intervention a little harder in order to get the patient to consent.

I agree that there are other ways of determining fetal positioning. However, if the midwife is unable to determine for sure that the baby is vertex (I’m no expert at palpation, but my mw was sometimes unsure due to the belly fat she had to feel through), a cervical exam *might* yield that information. But that mw didn’t do a cervical exam at all prior to labor.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:59:51 +0000

Ha ha exactly! It’s almost a game sometimes, refusing something you knew you didn’t need or want, and enjoying it a bit since the dr then trips out.
Of course, when you’re in pain it can be stressful to piss off a dr, as I found out while in the hospital for a kidney stone at 32 weeks. The OB on call berated me for not having any ultrasounds and for refusing the Gestational Diabetes test. From the way he railed at me, you’d think I was a criminal!! It was horrible.

By: Claire

Claire — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:48:48 +0000

My favorite: “And your point is . . . ?” (with one raised eyebrow–still practising that one!)

By: Heather (qtberryhead)

Heather (qtberryhead) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:53:32 +0000

My doulas favorite line, which she spouted off in regards to everything from eating during labor to actually showing up at the hospital was “What are they going to do? Take away your birthday?”
I would take this midwifes comment as a challenge…”Ooohhh, let’s see what happens? I can’t wait!”
*wrings hands and cackles*