Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Feb
5
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“Oh, We Give Everyone An Epidural, Even If They Say They Don’t Want One.”
“Oh, we give everyone an epidural, even if they say they don’t want one.” -OB during prenatal when mother stated she wanted a 100% unmedicated birth (no epidural, no pain meds at all) because she was a student of Hypnobabies.
There are 43 comments to this post.
Probably not. I was recently told not to come back to a hospital because someone said a friend of theirs said that I said the hospital pushes epidurals on people. I didn’t say it but, um, the truth hurts huh? The nurses at that hospital are great. The doctors are the ones doing the pushing. The doctors are the ones telling patients you need an epidural because it is the safer way to give birth. I only hope the homebirth hating doctor that made the complaint against me doesn’t do a bait and switch on her patients.
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Lindsey Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 11:42 am (Quote)
My mom had her first three kids without epidurals, but moved to TX before my brother was born. She was harassed over and over, throughout labor, about getting an epidural. Finally got one and my brother was born less than 5 minutes later. He needed an oxygen mask and my mom went numb after he was born.
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This is mine. She was 100% serious. After she said this, I realized that if she did not support my wishes with pain management, there was no way she would support any other of my birth plans, and I would not be able to get the VBAC that I want.
I fired her, and hired a home birth midwife, who is more than happy for me to use Hypnobabies. I am due in March. 
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Lauren Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 5:19 am (Quote)
Good for you!!!! Blessings for your homebirth.
*I had my VBAC 3 months ago
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Mistie Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 6:05 am (Quote)
Good for you!! Congratulations and good luck, I hope you are able to complete “plan A”!
I’m due in March as well and I call my home birth “plan A” a transfer “plan B” and a c-section “plan F”, lol.
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susan Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:06 am (Quote)
lol I have a similar set of plans. Thank you! And good luck to you on your HBAC!
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Mistie Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 11:27 am (Quote)
oh I’ve never had a c-section, I just know how possible it is if I do have to transfer, that’s all. It is my first home birth though after 2 hospital births. I’m really excited.
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susan Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 2:25 am (Quote)
There is just something that makes planning a home birth so exciting isn’t there?
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Mistie Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 3:40 pm (Quote)
Yes there is. And I AM so excited Susan.. 
I have like 3 weeks until my “due date”.. we’ll see. I’ve done everything natural with my other 2 in hospitals (had only my CNM have experience with total natural childbirth, sad) but now I’m finally doing what I have always wanted.. a home water birth. *sigh*
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Hallie Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 6:41 am (Quote)
Congratulations, good luck!!! Had my VBAC about 7 months ago, also at home with a great midwife. Still ended up transferring to have baby checked out for low heart rate towards the end. But better safe than sorry, and in the end all that mattered to me was a good birth and a healthy baby. But I think even had I had another C-section, I would have been ok, because I know my midwife wouldn’t have just sent me off to the slaughter, it would’ve been b/c I truly needed one.
So that being said, I wish you the best of wishes. I’m glad you have someone you can trust, and who trusts your body enough to let it do what it’s meant to.
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susan Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:08 am (Quote)
Thank you so much. I am of a similar mind, I know that if I end up at the hospital it will be because I truly need to be there, and a c-section is a last resort even then, but I will have one if it is truly needed.
Congratulations on your HBAC! It’s lovely to see so many women taking charge and having the births they want.
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Sheva Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:34 am (Quote)
Great choice, and I love the word ‘fired’ – they need to remember that they work for US.
I wish you the best of luck on your VBAC!
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Heather P Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 4:29 pm (Quote)
Awesome Susan! Happy Birthing for your HBAC! I didn’t have a c-section the first time around but my home birth for my second child was still worlds away from my hospital experience.
Still it does make one wonder how they enforce this epidural policy. I read a book once that was written by an OB and it gave her POV about being pregnant. She said in all her years of practice only one woman had ever given birth without an epidural. I could see why from her draconian practice. I would have run screaming out of her office if I’d been one of her “patients”. (I dispise the word patient to describe pregnant women. They’re not sick. Pregnancy is a state of healthiness)
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Michelle Potter Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 4:43 pm (Quote)
“Pregnancy is a state of healthiness.”
I love the way you put that! The fact that a woman can conceive and carry a child is proof that her body (at least the reproductive parts) is working as it is supposed to!
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Jennifer Z. had this to say,
Feb 5, 2010 @ 6:43 am (Quote)
Oh, and that’s illegal. It’s called informed consent and refusal, and all adult patients have the legal right to refuse care.
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Yay Susan for a VBAC! My OB also said over and over that a VBAC wasn’t even possible. I kept pressing for answers to ‘why’ and they gave the excuse of ins won’t cover it (their behind). I got a midwife and had home VBAC! Feels great, huh?
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susan Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:05 am (Quote)
The OB shouldn’t have anything to say about insurance. :\
But YAY! for your HBAC! How exciting! Congratulations!
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Kat Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:17 am (Quote)
I think what Lyne was referring to is that the OB’s malpractice insurance would drop his coverage if he agreed to attend VBAC births?
That’s the only thing I can think of that sounds remotely reasonable. It’s in health insurance companies’ best interest to pay for VBACs as they cost less than surgery, and have lower risk of costly complications to the mother and newborn.
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Susan, good for you making the move! I wish more women would act as educated consumers and take our health care dollars to the care providers who support good birth practices. Did you let your OB know why you decided to take your business elsewhere?
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susan Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:04 am (Quote)
Thanks! I did indeed tell her that I would not be coming back to her, and the reasoning, and also told the office staff that I would be having a home birth. Most of them scoffed at me. Let them scoff.
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julie Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 11:03 am (Quote)
You go girl! I had both my babies at home, and educated myself on childbirth so that now when I went to my OB/GYN to get a routine PAP, he asked me if I had considered teaching Lamaze classes. He never scoffed, but I think he was surprised that he didn’t have to intervene in either birth. Women have been having babies at home for thousands of years without an epidural,and we will keep on doing it! Best wishes on your home birth!
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This is horrifying. How do they enforce the 100% epidural rate? What measures do they take to ensure compliance?
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Kathy Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 6:26 pm (Quote)
I’m thinking that maybe the intended meaning was not that they force everyone to have an epidural, but that every woman eventually caves into it, although they may intend to have a natural birth at the outset of labor. Which says a lot (negatively) about the hospital, and the (lack of) labor support there.
Perhaps they wear the women down with repeated offers; but it may just be a statement akin to, “Honey, you’ll be begging for the epidural!” — everybody eventually gets an epidural at that hospital. Which sucks.
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susan Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 2:28 am (Quote)
When I talked to other patients of that OB, most of them said that she was completely unsupportive of VBACs, and would push and push at them until they caved for an epidural. She would even encourage the nurses to push epidurals.
And the hospital is not natural birth friendly at all, they don’t even have private showers or birthing tubs. And if you want to have a birthing stool/bar/ball, you have to bring your own. 
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Susan Jenkins had this to say,
Feb 5, 2010 @ 8:13 pm (Quote)
A new study has just been published that finds the women with three or more c-sections can safely vbac. Here’s a link to the Medical News Today article that talks about it. The lead researcher, an OB named Cahill from Washington University in St. Louis, is calling for revision of ACOG’s anti-vbac guidelines. Here’s the link:
http://medicalnewstoday.com/articles/178088.php
Also, yesterday’s The Unnecessarean blog talks about the article. Good news for all of us.
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Kelaiah Lynn had this to say,
Feb 6, 2010 @ 4:47 pm (Quote)
When my first was born in 1995, I was only 19 and unaware of my patient rights or about “natural birth”. Right before he was born I was told, (as they were already doing it) “We’re just making a little cut to get him out easier” I wasn’t even asked, I was informed, with no chance to decide for myself! I was in much pain for weeks! I couldn’t have a proper B.M. (TMI, sorry) for 3 weeks because it hurt too much and they didn’t even sew me up properly so I still have a “zig-zag” scar. It was not a “little cut” whatsoever!
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good for you Susan! hopefully lots of women are getting educated here!
and yes, one hospital I worked at, when a woman was being admitted for induction and her doctor found out she was not planning on an epidural dismissed her and said he then could not take care of her! do not know what happened with her later. seen doctors do a victory dance after a woman caved in after his pressuring her for an epidural. needless to say, I no longer work there!
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I get so tired of everyone commenting on how “tough” I am b/c I don’t get an epidural. LOOK it hurts me just like it hurts everyone else, OK? BUT have they NEVER even considered the side affects and complications? Plus, the thought of needles turns my stomach.
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I SERIOUSLY hope he was being sarcastic!!
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