Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Mar
6
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“Do You Plan To Keep The Baby?”
“Do you plan to keep the baby?” -L&D nurse to mother admitted during active labor, as she proceeded to ask 45 minutes of admittance questions, despite all the preadmission paperwork already being submitted.
“We’ll have to see how cute he is.” -Mother’s reply
There are 62 comments to this post.
Dear Nurse:
Read.The.Chart.
Love,
Everyone
It really drives me nuts that the hospitals put the burden of the paperwork on the patient and THEN they double or triple that burden by making every single human being you see reference all the paperwork all over again. Verify your name & condition? Sure. Re-mention drug interactions? Okay. But why should I have to re-verify my address, my insurance, my mother’s maiden name, the ages of my other children, whether I’m married and whether someone has durable power of attorney?
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Becca Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 5:01 am (Quote)
and why should I have to do all of the above when I am contracting, my water is leaking, and I’m about to poop myself/throw up/both?
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Jane Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 5:41 am (Quote)
And why should we have to do all that when we’ve already DONE it?
The STUPID OB nurse with my 3rd birth forced me to sign a consent form when I was 9.5cm dilated,shoving it beneath my face between contractions when I was trying to recouperate, telling me I *had* to sign this damned form otherwise she was legally unable to assist me in delivering her hospital. She said it was a statement that I intended to deliver there.
1) It was my third delivery at that hospital.
2) It was my second delivery with a practice that ONLY did deliveries atthat hospital
3) I had phoned ahead and said, “I’m in labor and coming in to deliver.”
4) I had presented myself at the front desk and said, “I’m in labor and I’m here to deliver.”
If after all that, they thought there was ANY doubt what I intended to do, then they are too stupid to deliver babies, and any jury that would be in any doubt should something go wrong would also be too stupid to read their jury summons and therefore wouldn’t be empaneled anyhow. But yeah, somehow it was legally more defensible to let me deliver unassisted in the hospital’s maternity unit because I hadn’t signedthe paper.
I signed first name only,then pushed and my water broke all over the bed and I hope it doused the nurse and that magic piece of paper. Afterward, I complained to the hospital and spoke to the head of maternity but she really couldn’t do anything. WIth my next birth, I asked for that Very Special Piece Of Paper ahead of time so I wouldn’t have to sign it during labor and they said it WAS NOT LEGAL for them to give me that piece of paper ahead of time.
IDIOTS. My 5th birth was at home. Somehow, the midwives managed to let me sign 500 pieces of paperwork in my third month and none during labor itself.
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bamff Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 8:20 am (Quote)
And I bet your midwives apologized all over the place for having to ask most of those questions or for the length of time it was taking!
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Ann S Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 4:38 pm (Quote)
My attitude is that signing forms at 9.5 cm. is NOT informed consent and carries NO weight.
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Mitch Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 7:09 am (Quote)
Sorry, but it’s not the healthcare providers you have a problem with, no matter how “stupid” you think they are.
Get to the root of the problem.
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Bamff Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 5:24 pm (Quote)
@Mitch – What does that mean? What do you think is the root of the problem?
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Mitch Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 7:29 pm (Quote)
I would start by taking a look at:
Insurance companies
Hospital Administrators
Government “officials” that think they know how to improve things.
Believe it or not, most healthcare professionals are there because they wanted to help people and be patient advocates. Not be called idiots or “stupid” because they are merely doing what they’ve been forced to do by MBA’s and lawyers that think they know how to better practice medicine.
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Heather P Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 5:24 am (Quote)
Exactly. I was moaning loudly during transition contractions when they decided to send in a clueless red cross volunteer to try to get me to donate my cord blood. Instead of waiting inbetween my contractions to talk to me like everyone else was, she asked me during my contractions if I’d gone to Europe lately, if I had any tattoos, etc. I was buck naked. When the contraction was over and I could respond I asked her if she saw any tattoos. She went on and on and didn’t get that when I started moaning louder I was trying to drown out the sound of her voice. She talked louder so I could hear her.
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The Deranged Housewife Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 6:14 am (Quote)
Heather, LOL it sounds like for some people, only a loud “STFU!” will do. 
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The Deranged Housewife Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 6:12 am (Quote)
Seriously! I had to sign all that damned paperwork AGAIN after I had just walked in to L&D in active labor. Then my water breaks the minute I sign my name. Couldn’t this have freaking waited already?!
Too bad I didn’t have to throw up…I’m sure I could have aimed for the admissions nurse.
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mystic_eye Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 8:04 pm (Quote)
When my grandfather was in hospital dying of cancer there was a note in his chart (big one on the front) and a note above his bed (HUGE one, neon) stating that his hip was extremely painful so do not touch (also clearly he can’t get out of bed, use a wheel chair etc)
And fully HALF the nurses couldn’t manage to grasp it. The poor man has a tumor where his hip should be (and everywhere else for that matter) and nurses would pat his hip, or they’d need to take him for treatment and bring a wheelchair and still not notice the sign(s) until my grandmother started screaming!!!!
To paraphrase my aunt who is an administrator in a nursing school “If this is who gets in, who are we turning away?!”
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Henry Dorn MD had this to say,
Mar 6, 2010 @ 5:40 am (Quote)
This is precisely the reason why we need Electronic Medical Records with a standard interface so that your records from your doctor/caregiver will be able to be transmitted to the hospital system directly, without going thru this ridiculous ordeal. The hospital has been told by supervising authorities that they must verify all information, and that they cannot rely on faxed versions of office charts. This is combined with a fear of litigation if a mistake were made, such a misreading a drug allergy on a poor fax of a handwritten chart.
Finally, since a surprising number of people change their contact information regularly (new Cricket phone, new apartment), the hospital needs to verify this information for billing purposes.
Imagine a system with a Universal Health Database and Universal Health Insurance provider, where all you need is your SSN and a passcode and all of your info would be immediately available, current and accurate. The highly regarded VA system does this successfully already, as do most other developed countries.
Maybe write your representative with some of these concerns?
Just some food for thought.
Be well and thanks for your comments.
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Jane Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 11:34 am (Quote)
Would this system also cover those magical consent forms that MUST be signed when you present at the hospital during labor?
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Heather Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 1:52 pm (Quote)
I don’t see why it wouldn’t, since I didn’t have to sign anything in labor. They sent ALL of the admission paperwork home with me during the tour (they gave private tours to get the idea which kind of birth the mom wants–medical or midwife, they showed me the birth center rooms and called me a midwife patient, even though I was with the OB for my VBAC) so I just handed it over when I got there. Standard practice at my hospital. I had edited it all to heck, too, so that they had to obtain secondary permission to perform a cesarean or use anything like forceps or a vacuum extraction. They didn’t blink and I didn’t need any of those interventions 
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K Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 1:46 pm (Quote)
Imagine a system where anyone and everyone with any medical reason to give them access could access all of your private medical records.
New boyfriend – check to see any STD diagnoses.
Kids start dating someone – learn about their history, where they’ve lived, who they’ve seen for what…
Don’t believe it can happen? My (FORMER) sister-in-law checked all of my credit history and information because she worked in the financial industry.
Don’t think you have any secrets? Do you really want your future employer to be able to read about your hemmorhoids? Your mother-in-law about your PMS? Your best-friend could learn that you are on anti-depressants.
Do you really trust the government to manage this right? On the basis of everything else they do so well?
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Henry Dorn MD Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 6:58 am (Quote)
This doesn’t seem to happen in countries who provide universal healthcare, nor in the VA system in the US which is an internal model of a well integrated electronic medical record system where the providers can see what they need.
Think how many medical accidents could be avoided if a comprehensive history was available for your provider.
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Stephanie Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 2:43 pm (Quote)
I’m so happy and proud to be a Canadian because of situations like this. We still have our fair share of silly questions and things like that, but we have for the most part the type of computerised system you’re talking about. If I get bloodwork done at any one of the local hospitals, my family doctor can access those results from her office computer while I’m sitting there. Very convenient! Not to mention that insurance doesn’t even become an issue except when you want a nicer room for your hospital stay. My medical district has also recently started funding midwives through our local maternity hospital (the best in Canada east of Ontario!) so that women can have different options of how to manage their labour.
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Andrea Reply:
March 14th, 2010 at 10:20 pm (Quote)
Yeah…just one more medical chart for them to NOT read. Sorry, I don’t buy it.
And no, Universal Healthcare sucks…imagine the Cesarean rate going up after Big Brother starts telling us how to birth more efficiently!
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Henry Dorn MD Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:09 am (Quote)
When you say Universal Healthcare sucks, what is this based on? Have you lived in a country which provides this and had issues, or are you repeating the propaganda by the Insurance Industry which is trying to block this for financial reasons?
In countries with universal healthcare, the CS rate usually goes down, since there is little financial incentive to cut, and there are decreased hospital costs after vaginal deliver.
I practiced in New Zealand which offers comprehensive care for all its people and the healthcare was superior to that in the US, based on outcomes, longevity, infant mortality, etc.
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Stephanie Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:21 am (Quote)
I’m Canadian where we have universal healthcare. I must say, while our system certainly isn’t perfect, the only women I know who’ve had CS are ones for whom it was absolutely a medical emergency. As Dr. Dorn says, since our doctors don’t get premiums for unnecessary procedures, they don’t push them on us. Same goes for any pain medication. In a labour situation, I can say in all honesty that everything I needed was offered to me, and that nothing I didn’t want was pushed on me. You would be surprised at how well things work. Also, in my opinion, Universal Healthcare is less for those of us who can afford whatever we’d like (for exactly you can hire a doula, midwife, pay for a private room after delivery, etc) and more for those in low income situations who absolutely deserve the best care possible without worrying about bills later. I never have to worry about whether or not to book that extra ultra-sound or perinatal visit because I’m worried about my pocketbook, and I get the same basic quality of care as my rich friends do.
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Andrea Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:52 am (Quote)
See, maybe I’m a different breed of patient here, but… I say no to the extras. Show me the medical reason, the true medical proof, that I need that extra ultrasound – if you try the line of “Well, we think the baby is measuring big”, I will laugh in your face – I’m 5′ and my two children have been 6# and 6#8oz respectively.
Personally, the healthcare thing is more politically charged than anything – it isn’t the American government’s job to fund everything for everyone. Our country wasn’t founded on that premise, and I’ll live and die by that premise. Things like paying for a private room, that’s just abhorrent – my hospital only has private rooms, so to have to share a room with another woman is just a weird thing for me to wrap my head around. But I live in a more rural area of my state, and that state has some of the best healthcare in our lower 48.
Also, didn’t the Canadian Prime Minster come to America for his recent heart surgery?
I’m just not all for rationing of procedures, and having state-run anything.
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Stephanie Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 8:04 am (Quote)
I feel I should clarify my comment about extras. I’m all for not getting those extras either, but when I agree that they are medically necessary I am able to get them at not additional cost. Private rooms are the norm in most situations, or at least semi-private. If a private room is free, they automatically put you there anwyay.
At the end of the day I recognise that the American healthcare debate is very complicated. You have a very large population with diverse needs and desires. I didn’t really intend to wade into a debate that I have no business to be in. I just mean to say that I’m very proud to be Canadian and very much appreciate our system. Were it not for our public healthcare I would not be able to afford the medical services I and my family require. We also have private insurance to help cover things the gov’t doesn’t cover, and I’m happy to pay the very reasonable premiums for those things.
And a small note, it was not our Prime Minister, but in fact a Premier (like a Govenor) from Newfoundland and Labrador who elected to pay to fly to a hospital in the States. The doctor who he saw was doing a new less invasive form of a precedure for his particular heart issue. Apparently this doctor is one of the few in North America who is pioneering this procedure, and as such the Premier chose to take himself there so he could get back on his feet faster and get back to work. Additionally, our healthcare system will reimburse him for the portion of the fees they would have payed had he received the surgery here. So, he received (financially speaking) the same treatment as any other Canadian, but elected to pay his own additional cost as is his choice. I respect that. If I had the money and needed this treatment, I would do the same.
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Henry Dorn MD Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:44 am (Quote)
As to the question of rationing, we already have rationing, ESPECIALLY if you have private insurance. I just spent 30 min with a patient discussing alternative treatments since her insurance would not pay for the less invasive one for her uterine fibroids. She is therefore forced to have surgery, suffer or pay out of pocket for the medicine ($600/mo).
And as far as “state run anything”, would you like a private Fire Department, with preference given to those in more expensive neighborhoods who pay more, or a private Police force who decides which areas to patrol based on payment levels?
This is the model that we have been sold for healthcare. mind you, I am on the beneficiary side of the Pay for Procedures system, so I have nothing personal to gain from promoting Universal Healthcare, except to secure better care for my family, neighbors and friends.
The current US system undoubtedly can provide the most expensive health care in the world, just not the best when averaged across the population.
Remember the phrases “all people are created equally” and the freedoms of “LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” – universal healthcare should be a moral imperative in the 21st century in a country as wealthy as the US.
Just one doctors opinion who has seen both sides of the coin.
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I can’t stand the amount of the ridiculous questions, either. They make a huge deal out of why you need to do the paperwork ahead of time, and then they ask you the same questions and extra ones all over again. When I had a baby a few months ago, they asked me if I had a dog at home while I was in labor. I can sort of understand asking the question and then talking about appropriate precautions when it’s time to take the baby home (although I think they shouldn’t act like you’re a clueless moron unless proven otherwise), but it’s a pointless question in labor.
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My nurse was at least nice enough to stop with the questions during contractions (and she directed a lot of them to my husband). It was, however, the first time I had delivered in that hospital and I had not pre-registered-mostly because I didn’t want them to make me sign the VBAC consent form that said I *must* have CFM and *must* have an IV.
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Jane Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 7:26 am (Quote)
Since the point of pre-registering is not to have to answer ridiculous questions like how many times you ate asparagus during your pregnancy, you clearly didn’t have to pre-register because they would have asked them all again anyhow.
But that stupid consent form was what the nurse insisted I sign at 9.5cm (literally three minutes before the baby was born) or else she’d have left me to deliver unassisted in the labor unit triage room.
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Micah Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 8:06 am (Quote)
I honestly think I would’ve called her on it. Someone would’ve caught the baby. 
Not that I think you should’ve, just what I would’ve done.
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Jane Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 8:14 am (Quote)
At first I did decide to do exactly that. I was on all-fours rocking and she laid the paper on the bed beneath my face and shoved the pen at me and told me to sign. THAT is informed consent foryou. Like I could read anything then.
At the moment,I did honestly consider signing with “F$$$ you” but I did give in and sign with only my first name.
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Sherrie williams had this to say,
Mar 6, 2010 @ 7:10 am (Quote)
nurses drive me nuts that they don’t read the chart. the worst nurse i have ever seen was trying to ask my client how far apart her contractions where and how long they were during a pretty intense and very obvious one and when the client didn’t answer she asked again and again each time getting more irritated. when i answered for her the nurse would get irritate look at mom and ask her again. i wanted to be scream at her like can you not see she is in full active labor!
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I’m a student at a teaching hospital. I am forced to do this kind of thing- retaking histories women have already given 20 times. I feel terrible about it and just fantasize about being on my own and not having to harass laboring women with inane questions… I think I personally would kick anyone out of my birth who was bothering me that much. No, actually, I’ll do my best to be at home and not in that position at all!
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Andrea Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:54 am (Quote)
Heh. I did just that this time around – I preregistered, as a private patient no less. I had family calling, and a hospital admin came in to ask the questions…I took one look at her, said, “Who are you?” “Oh, I’m here to ask some questions, is that okay?” “Nope, it’s not. I’m already preregistered. Get out.”
Hostile, yeah. But I was annoyed that the front desk OBVIOUSLY did not do their job.
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atyourcervix had this to say,
Mar 6, 2010 @ 8:01 am (Quote)
As an L&D RN, let me tell you: we HAVE to ask those stupid questions. You’re pre-registration is for insurance purposes, and we HAVE to verify that we have the correct name, DOB, SS#, address, phone number on every single patient — every single visit. Yes, we have tons of questions to ask you on admission, but I gather as much as I can from the prenatal form, instead of asking the questions. Then I skim through what is already known, and ask the rest of the stupid questions. I hate the admission questions as much as any other person out there.
I also – do not ask during contractions. If you’re actively birthing your baby, I “oh my God!” wait until after the birth. Same with consents. Deal with the priorities: giving birth safely, THEN do the paperwork.
Mostly, I only need to know: method of feeding, pediatrician, your allergies to medications/latex, plans for the birth. That about sums up what I “really” need to know before the birth. Or shortly after the birth, if you’re pushing upon arrival.
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atyourcervix Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 8:05 am (Quote)
Oh, and consents for delivery? They are valid for the entire pregnancy. So, if you sign it when you are 8 weeks, it’s still valid when you come in to L&D in labor at term gestation. As long as I have the consent in my hands, it’s valid. If I don’t have it, I need a new one. And, I can get it at any time – before birth, or after birth. Unless you are having a non-emergency c-section – then it is required by The Joint Commission/Dept of Health that it is signed, witnessed and dated/timed before you are wheeled into the operating room.
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Jane Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 11:26 am (Quote)
According to the hospital I delivered at, they are NOT valid for the entire pregnancy because although they would provide the document to me ahead of time, bringing it pre-signed to the hospital was not an option. I was told it needed to be signed during labor with the nurses physically present.
While what you’re saying is probably true LEGALLY, when a mom tries to exercise those rights, she gets stymied by lying (or ignorant) hospital staff who want it done the way it’s always been done because it’s always been done that way and that’s what they know how to do.
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Andrea Reply:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:57 am (Quote)
Even though I preregistered, I still had to do it ALL over again. Some noise about how I hadn’t signed a certain page that indicates my informed consent. After I attempted to kick the hospital admin out (it was unsuccessful), she MADE me sign the informed consent page. To which my husband responded by calling a nurse and the patient advocate, and handed them both a revocation of informed consent – the nurse just was livid that the worker wouldn’t come back later, and told the PA as much.
What’s nice is if you get a nurse like you who has a brain in her head, you understand how damn annoying those questions are.
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Reality Rounds had this to say,
Mar 6, 2010 @ 8:39 am (Quote)
Pre-admission basically means you are in the hospital system, so when you show up orders and labs can be done without delay. It does not mean that the hospital staff magically knows everything about you. So why does the admission nurse ask you all those annoying questions when she could just “Read. The. Chart?” Hmmmmmm.
Maybe it is because we are often the last safety net a woman has. Reading a chart would not catch the woman with down cast eyes whose partner will not leave the room and answers all the questions for her. Or the teenager with bite marks and cigarette burns on her arm who had great prenatal care and gets straight A’s in school. Or the immigrant mom with 5 kids whose husband is in Mexico who when you ask “Do you plan to keep the baby?” means a hell of a lot.
Before you continue to rage against these “idiot” and “stupid” nurses who you want to just “STFU” and barf on, please look at the big picture, not just your picture.
So let’s all sit back, take a deep breath, and be thankful of how privileged and lucky we are that we can regard these annoying questions as just annoying, and not as a way to save or change a woman’s life.
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Micah Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 9:18 am (Quote)
Let’s just say hypothetically it *was* necessary to either ask a question or get someone to sign something.
While a woman is in transition? Not a good time. During a contraction? Not a good time.
While puking? Not a good time.
3 minutes before birth? Still not a good time.
Period.
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Heather P Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 9:35 am (Quote)
All right, I’ve got to disagree with you on this one.
WTF is the point of us doing pages of paperwork that took me 30 minutes to fill out when not in labor if they’re going to ask their damn questions during the effing contractions. Important questions like allergies, GBS status, blood type, or other important things I can totaly see and don’t have any problem with them asking.
But when The baby’s falling out and they refuse to help the mother until she signs the form that is rediculous. She can’t even read the form.
That annoying red cross lady who interogated me. She was not just annoying to me. She caused me real pain. I was in my own little laboring world and to be snapped out of during the contractions really messed with me. I was in way more pain with her talking to me that when she was not there. I couldn’t understand her anyway during the contraction and she insisted on making herself heard. I just kind of said whatever and wished I’d told her to go away. It was not neccessary to my health anyway. She could have asked her questions after she’d gotten the cord blood.
After my baby was born my nice nurse (The one who didn’t annoy me during labor) came back and asked all these routine questions like the abuse ones and stuff that we didn’t have time to get to in labor. It can wait until after the baby is born for these kinds of questions.
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Jane Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 11:32 am (Quote)
If all those questions MUST be repeated when the mom enters the hospital,then don’t send me home from the 7 month appointment with a sheaf of paperwork that I must return in two weeks.
If the questions are only to ‘get me into the system’ then you don’t need to have questions on there like whether there are firearms present in my home or whether I have any restrictions on who is allowed to visit the baby in the hospital.
If it’s just to get me into the system or just to keep t he insurance company happy, then you need ONE form with about five lines worth of information on it. The insurance company doesn’t care if I’m allergic to red dye number five, and the nurse is going to ask it again anyhow.
Moreover, if it’s just to get me into the system, then I shouldn’t have to put the same information on fifteen near-identical forms, each of which is for a slightly different purpose but all of which start with the same ten questions.
As for nurses being the last safety net a woman has, don’t even go there. Many nurses care a lot–absolutely. But during my last hospital delivery, there was one nurse who (and I kid you not) came into my room, wrote her name in block letters on the white board (JANET) and then said, “I’ll be back later.”
Eight hours later, with me never having seen her again,another nurse came into the room, erased JANET and replaced it with TRACY and said, “Hi!” and took my blood pressure.
If that was supposed to be my safety net, I’d be splatted on the ground right now. The midwives had an actual relationship with me and they could assess my safety and overall emotional health. The nurses who were too busy to come help me during shift change when I kept ringing for help were NOT in any way my safety net.
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The Deranged Housewife Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 7:51 pm (Quote)
My comment to “STFU” was not directed at the nurse, but rather the idiot Red Cross worker who persisted in her spiel when the patient was obviously dealing with contractions. My point was that some people just don’t get it, and you have to be rather blunt with them, apparently.
For all the wonderful nurses out there, there are many who are not: the nurses who handled my “pain management” during my first labor wouldn’t adjust my IV after my c-section (even when I asked them repeatedly to do so), until my hand swelled up like a friggin balloon, which meant I was getting no IV pain meds whatsoever the first day after surgery. Or when they told me I’d have to get my own food from the cafeteria instead of bringing it to me (like they did after my subsequent vaginal birth).
If you want to hear the experiences of a L&D nurse who IS a real safety net to women, I suggest you read At Your Cervix’s blog.
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Realtiy Rounds Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 8:02 pm (Quote)
I love AYC blog and read it often. I also of course, know that not all nurses are stellar, as I recently posted: http://realityrounds.com/2010/03/06/new-moms-at-risk-and-a-wake-up-call-to-nurses/
My point was, not all the inane questions asked at admission are inane.
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The Deranged Housewife Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 4:44 am (Quote)
I just read your link. Very sad! The PCA is what got me into trouble – the line infiltrated, and the pump beeped all night long, and I knew there was something wrong (I used to calibrate IV pumps as a pharm tech so I at least knew that much.) She was too busy with her conversation at the nurses’ desk to really examine the problem and adjust the IV. The next time around, the nurse gave me a shot of Demerol immediately post op and it was so much better!
Tina Cassidy talks about this in her book, though – how with more technology, nurses are able to monitor more than a few patients at once. Which totally negates that quality care that you expect from medical staff (well, in a lot of cases, not all). 
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Herb of Grace had this to say,
Mar 6, 2010 @ 11:26 am (Quote)
Now THAT is a snappy comeback. Way to go, Mama!
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decemberbaby had this to say,
Mar 6, 2010 @ 12:59 pm (Quote)
… and that is a parenting WIN!
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That is an odd question and one that I have never asked any of my labouring mothers. If someone comes in and is in rip roarin’ labour we ask the basics, cause they’re usually going so fast we have no time to look at the chart….basics include – any drug allergies, problems in pregnancy, major health concerns, if they want the baby up on belly after delivery and if dad wants to cut the cord….those are my basics and everything else can wait until later!
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The Deranged Housewife Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 7:56 pm (Quote)
Wow. The two hospitals I gave birth in never asked me any of those questions (about baby after delivery or if dad could cut the cord.)
How nice of you to ask, because they might not think of it until it’s too late. 
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JulietsButterfly Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 11:35 am (Quote)
Mine asked if we wanted baby on us right after the birth and who was going to cut the cord. They asked twice actually, which was a good thing, because when they asked again who was going to cut the cord (in case DH had changed his mind), they said I could do it…it was fun! Then I went ahead and let him come straight on me instead of letting them rub off the main layer of stuff and then handing him to me.
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The hospital I birthed at asked me both if I wanted the baby on my belly and if Dad was going to cut the cord. I answered yes to both, it was also in my birth plan.
When the moment of truth came they did neither. They said he needed monitoring and whisked him away to clean him. I sent his daddy chasing after the nurse with my camera so I could see my baby. My first time seeing my son was on the screen of my digital camera. I didn’t get him back for nearly 3 hours.
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Tiffany Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 7:52 pm (Quote)
Did any of the nurses ever tell you why your son needed monitoring or did they just wave off the question?
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Katie Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 8:28 pm (Quote)
They said he was having difficulty with regulating his breathing, but his apgar scores registered perfect (I found out later), so Im not sure.
This was after 25 hours of contractions, me telling the docs and nurses (up to the point I was pushing) that i didn’t want to be cut unless absolutely medically necessary…either c-section or episiotomy) and three days after I was sent home from the hospital for a failed induction (I was told by my OB that my son was either 41 1/2 weeks or 38 1/2 weeks, based on my LMP and my ultrasounds then when I consented for induction I would dilate to a 2 then when they removed the pit I would close up within an hour. They did an ultrasound after two days of no progress and discovered that I was, in fact, just 38 1/2 weeks, and there was ZERO medical reason for me to be induced…the doctor was going to be out of town the weekend before my due date)
I don’t know and I don’t think that my son was in any kind of serious condition. He never had to use oxygen or have any extra monitors, no IVs, no extra tubes. So I have no clue. It was the hardest three hours after I gave birth justt waiting for them to bring my boy back to me. It was really a horrible experience overall.
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Tiffany Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 1:38 am (Quote)
That’s just horrible. If you decide to have another child I hope it goes much better for you. Even after reading all the things on here I’m still shocked sometimes at the way some doctors and nurse act.
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atyourcervix Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 6:29 am (Quote)
Sounds like it was “standard operating procedure” at your hospital to separate mother and baby for the first few hours after birth. It’s “standard” where I work too. I hate it, and stretch out the post-delivery time of mom and baby together in L&D as long as I possibly can. (Where I work, “recovery” after birth in L&D is 1-2 hrs, then mom is transferred to postpartum, and baby goes to the nursery for 2-3 hrs of “observation”.)
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Reality Rounds Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:35 pm (Quote)
Where I work we Do NOT separate the moms and babies. We do not even have a general care nursery, all the babies room in with the parents, unless they need intensive care. The babies stay with the moms, period. Occasionally we have had mom’s complain that they do not want the baby in the room because they want to rest. Then, the babies will “border” in our NICU so mom can sleep.
Who knew my hospital was cutting edge.
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At least that’s 45 minutes nobody was trying to force interventions on her.
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Knitted in the Womb Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 5:56 am Knitted in the Womb(Quote)
Actually, just asking the questions IS an intervention. It interferes with a woman’s “flow,” making labor more difficult; and certainly sends the very strong message that she has been gobbled up by “the system.”
I’ve had clients get asked the same questions over and over by different hospital staff. Inane stuff like “do you wear dentures?” “did you bring a hair dryer or curling iron with you?”
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Kelsy Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:23 pm Kelsy(Quote)
I completely agree, during birthing a woman uses the primitive part of her brain to labor most effectively and asking questions of them just distracts them and brings them out of the state of mind they need to be in, and can stall or prolong labor.
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