Feb 28

“…That Would Be Really Hard On My Back.”

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s possible. That would be really hard on my back.” -OB’s response when pregnant mother told him that she would like to give birth in the squatting position.

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There are 23 comments to this post.

Jane had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 5:09 pm (Quote)

“And delivering in the lithotomy position will be really hard on MY back, and it’s my labor, so guess what?”

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Chelsea had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 5:25 pm (Quote)

My thoughts exactly Jane.

And one could squat on the bed if the doctor truly had a back problem.

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Thomasin had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 5:29 pm (Quote)

Yup. I heard this exact one from an OB I interviewed. She will NOT be attending any births of mine!

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Bamff had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 5:29 pm (Quote)

You know, I find squatting while pregnant to be the nicest position to be in. I find it while not pregnant very very uncomfortable.

I wonder how many of the OBs that give stellar advice have had a child of their own, perhaps we should have all OBs go through labor before they are allowed to practice. (Now, what to do about the men OBs, who are actually pretty darn good.)

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Melgirl had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 5:31 pm (Quote)

Um, and lithotomy would be so hard on my vagina/perineum, and gosh Doc, I thought I’d be up for it but it turns out that I’m just not in the mood for a third-degree tear. Who knew?

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The Deranged Housewife had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 5:40 pm (Quote)

“Yeah, and being pregnant AND delivering a baby is hard on my back, my butt, my thighs, my boobs, my brain, my uterus, my sex drive… did I leave anything out? Oh yeah, GET OVER IT!”

*deep breaths*

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Elizabeth Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 5:40 pm Elizabeth(Quote)

LMAO! My sentiments exactly!!!

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Lauren had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 5:57 pm (Quote)

“Awww doc, that’s a shame. Suck it up, because it’s YOUR job to do what I want during MY birth! What are they teaching you in medical school these days??” :p

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Sarah had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 5:59 pm (Quote)

Well, then, file a workers’ comp claim, Doc!

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Laura had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 6:04 pm (Quote)

“Gee, that’s too bad. Why don’t you make a note in my chart to order yourself some Tylenol and a Waaaambulance?”

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Mistie Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 7:13 pm Mistie(Quote)

WIN!!

I still love The Deranged Housewife’s comment as well.

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jesikae had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 6:05 pm (Quote)

Too darn bad, doc! Its not like YOU have to stay squatting for two hours… or 24. Get a grip doc!

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Kristen had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 6:06 pm (Quote)

“And your point is???” That’s what I would say before firing his/her butt. Not that I’d hire an OB anyway…

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Heather P had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 6:35 pm (Quote)

Don’t they teach doctors to bend with their knees? At my workplace we have to watch a video thats called “The Working Back”.

Plus all the things you all already said.

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Nicholas Fogelson, MD had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 7:20 pm (Quote)

Yeah that’s pretty lame on the part of the OB. If a woman doesn’t have an epidural OBs should be happy to have her deliver in whatever position she likes.

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Sheva Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 8:03 pm Sheva(Quote)

Thank you! We have one doc in our community who is known to catch the baby however the mom wants, even in the shower! He’s the only one I know of, though. I’m glad to hear that you teach other OBs about good care, and not just the medical part.
It sounds like the trend in general is changing back towards understanding and respecting the mother, but for some of us it didn’t happen fast enough.
My prayer is just that by the time my daughters are having babies it will have changed enough so that they don’t have the painful experiences I had.

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becky Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at 8:15 pm becky(Quote)

Ditto That. I wouldn’t wish my surgical births on my daughters for ANYTHING. Luckily, now that I’ve been schooled by the hard knocks university, I can help them birth naturally. Oh, and the ND degree I’m getting won’t hurt…

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Reality Rounds had this to say, Feb 28, 2010 @ 8:44 pm (Quote)

I had an epidural and was still allowed to squat and move around in labor. Ironically, it could be less hard on an OB (or midwives)back to let the laboring mom move around in labor. There is less bending over when the mom is squatting, then when a mom is laying in the lithotomy position to give birth.

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Jess Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 12:11 pm Jess(Quote)

Please forgive my ignorance (I have only labored w/out an epidural), but how were you able to move freely with an epidural? From how it has been described to me, that would be extremely difficult to do with limited feeling, having something sticking out of your spine, and constant fetal monitoring? I am genuinely wondering.

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Reality Rounds Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 2:46 pm Reality Rounds(Quote)

You are not ignorant at all! So as not to confuse anyone, I was in bed the whole time, but I used the squat bar to push. The epidural catheter (it looks like a thin wire) is taped to the woman’s back so it is not really sticking out of the spine. We often labor moms with epidurals in different positions such as squatting or on all fours (in the bed). We of course have to help the moms move into these positions. I still had some sensation with my epidural, I did not feel completely paralyzed ( a spinal is a different story!). Hope this helps.

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