Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Aug
13
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“Sure You Can Leave. But, If You Leave, You Will Come Back For A Cesarean.”
“Sure you can leave. But, if you leave, you will come back for a cesarean.” – L&D Nurse to a mother who was dilated 1 cm and and slightly elevated blood pressure.
There are 39 comments to this post.
What??? You can be dialted to 1 cm for a month before going into labor and slightly elevated blood pressure can be white coat syndrome. What else was going on other than the L&D nurse being a b!tch? Why was mom even at L&D in the frist place?
[Reply]
Pft. Mine was slightly elevated when I went into labor. There’s a lot of excitement and anxiety going on when you go into labor. Then there’s the intimidation of the hospital when you go in. On top of it all this lady had this nurse up her butt being a bitch. No one worried about my elevated BP, but I had no history of BP problems. If she didn’t, probably nothing to worry about with her either!
Ccindy- I have to wonder if her water broke or contractions were uncomfortable. They kind of beat into you that you’re supposed to go in at a certain time and that time is really too early. I went in at 2cm when my water broke and it turned out to be too early, it just starts the clock ticking as we all know.
[Reply]
CCindy Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 6:16 am (Quote)
I went in when my water broke. Plus baby was high/floating. They beat the prolapsed cord thing into my head. Boy I would have loved to have gone home.
Just waiting to hear from the OP. I don’t like jumping to conclusions.
[Reply]
Selia Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 8:58 am (Quote)
funny, as cord prolapse is most likely to happen when your water breaks, not after that! and, it can happen even without your water breaking. scare tactics…
[Reply]
Robyn Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 10:51 am (Quote)
Actually, a cord prolapse can’t happen until the water breaks. It’s defined as the cord coming through the cervix before the baby. As long as the sac is intact, that can’t happen. Also, it’s much more common with artificial rupture of the membranes than with natural as many times the baby isn’t in a good position to prevent the cord from coming out with the water.
I had a friend who was having problems dealing with the contractions and she wanted to get up and walk and they told her she couldn’t because they “didn’t want to risk anything falling out”. I birthed at the same hospital a couple years later and I’m glad they didn’t believe me when I told them my water broke; they don’t even let you go to the bathroom if your water has broken.
[Reply]
Selia Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 11:37 am (Quote)
Actually it can, if the bag is bulging through in front of the head the cord can slip in front of the baby’s head, especially if the head isn’t engaged. Still a prolapse, just without broken water. It’s pretty rare, but it can happen. I know what a prolapse is, I’m a midwife. 
[Reply]
CCindy Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 11:45 am (Quote)
Correct me if I’m wrong but the head not being engaged seems to be the important part. I believe that once the head is engage then you don’t have to worry about anything falling out. Protocol should be once you get to whatever station is safe you can then get up and walk around.
[Reply]
Selia Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 12:55 pm (Quote)
Correct, if the head is engaged, there should be no prolapse. That is what makes it a rare occurrence. Usually you don’t dilate much without the head being snug enough on the cervix to prevent prolapse. However, sometimes the head isn’t low enough and contractions cause a bubble of water to form in front of the head, and strong membranes can withstand the pressure without breaking. This can dilate a cervix enough to allow a prolapse inside the bag of water. There will be a bubble of membranes with water and part of the cord bulging out of the cervix, all in front of the head. Does that makes sense? My only point was that it can technically happen at any time as long as there is some dilation.
[Reply]
Robyn Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 12:49 pm (Quote)
I stand corrected. The idea of a bulging bag of waters with the cord under the head never even occured to me. Thank you for sharing that.
[Reply]
Selia Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 1:13 pm (Quote)
I think most people haven’t heard of the possibility, even doctors. It would usually be diagnosed as unresolving fetal distress and a c-section would be done, or the bag breaks and the lack of cushioning now causes cord compression (if it wasn’t happening before) and then it will be assumed the prolapse happened when the water broke, instead of just worsening with it. The only times I’ve heard of it being diagnosed is when the pulse in the cord can be felt through the bulging bag, but the circumstances have to be just right for that to happen.
[Reply]
Man I was 1 cm dialated for almost a month with my 1st baby and, at my last prenatal the day before labor kicked in with my 2nd I was 4cm and I hadn’t had a single contraction before labor set in regular with both. There’s got to be more to this story. Hope the op fills us in, because this is deplorable.
[Reply]
Funny… I went into the hospital at a 2-3 (in full blown labor, after 9 hours, I was certain I was in transition–I cried when they said that) and they were planning to check me back out when my water broke all over the place. Why the heck would they want to check her in at a ONE? I was a 3 for a week before I went into labor with my first!
[Reply]
If I’m 1cm dilated, I’m having a baby soon. LOL I wasn’t dilated at all with my daughter until 2 hours before she was born, when I was in active labour. But I was very obviously in active labour. As others have said, it’s quite common to be dilated a bit for weeks before actually going into labour.
[Reply]
The Deranged Housewife had this to say,
Aug 13, 2010 @ 11:05 am (Quote)
LOL I found out in my second pregnancy who useful early cervical checks for dilation were – and what it was like to be running around at 3 cm for six weeks beforehand. It means you’re having a baby. Not much else, usually.
I was also shocked at how different the protocol is for high BPs among different doctors. In my first pregnancy, I didn’t even realize until later that my BP’s were a bit high. Never mentioned it once. In my second, again, they rose – little concern and I VBACed just fine. With my third, a different doctor, same symptoms (some swelling that would go away with elevation and moderate to high BPs) they freaking admitted me for observation and wanted to do the section right then because baby had turned. WTH? At least I had something to compare it to, though, and told the attending that she was being alarmist about the whole thing.
[Reply]
Am I the only one who thinks this is not only wrong (because you can be 3-4cm dilated for weeks), but also completely illogical? The nurses comment doesnt even make sense! How on earth does leaving the hospital when you aren’t in labor mean a csection when you come back…. anyone?
[Reply]
Brittney Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 11:29 am (Quote)
granted this was 24 years ago, but when my mom went to the hospital when she was in labor with me, she was 4 cms, and having fairly regular and strong contractions… her dr told her to walk around town and come back when she started feeling pressure (I was her 1st baby), because that would likely mean she was in transition. She walked all over town, ALL day long, and was 8cm when she got back to the hospital around 8 or 10pm. I was born at 1am the next morning. What happened to THESE drs…the ones who actually KNEW something about birth!
[Reply]
CCindy Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 11:49 am (Quote)
Go to the bottom of this page. Seew where it says previous post. click that (you get the nice nurse from Thoughtful Thursday night) Go to the bottom of that page. Click the previous post (you get the really great doctor who was waiting patiently at 40w 5d) They are still out there. The problem is they are out numbered.
[Reply]
Cmat Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 1:55 pm (Quote)
I’m hoping that my doctor turns out like that. So far he and the two nurses assigned to him are great. He already knows what I want (basically for him to sit on his hands unless an emergency pops up). He has kids and all of his nurses have kids and he so far seems supportive of things happening naturally.
They definitely are outnumbered, and I think when they work in a practice with multiple doctors the “my way or the highway” attitude rubs off.
[Reply]
Still waitng for the OP.
Should I start ragging on how this site does this sometimes. How much better it would be if they gave the OP two or three days notice. Gave them the opportunity to be the first one to post. Should I? Does anybody really want to listen to me go on and on again? Last time I got really pissed about the way this site encourages us to let our imaginations run away with us we got the “pink link.” What could we get this time?
Being put through this just makes me want to slap that nurse that much more!
[Reply]
partlysbabe@yahoo.com had this to say,
Aug 13, 2010 @ 11:46 am (Quote)
This makes me laugh, most women who have had a baby already, are dilated a little already, I was at 2cm for my entire last month and already at 5cm when labour actually kicked into gear!
[Reply]
I faced a similar situation in my traumatic birth experience (I had PTSD from it). I was kicked out of the hospital and then I was terrified of going back there. I didn’t feel like I had anywhere else to go. It was either a last minute decision to UC at home, go back to the hospital where I felt like they were trying to force me to do what they wanted or to go to another hospital that was out of my insurance network. Call a homebirth midwife? Sure I guess that was a possibility, but I didn’t know any!
[Reply]
CCindy Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 1:19 pm (Quote)
WOW go ahead and tell your story. You have my permission to hyjack this thread at least until the OP shows up. So you UC at home and it didn’t go well? I hope your baby is okay. Sounds like you were put through the ringer. Are you okay now? How long has it been? Did you have more children after that? Go ahead and vent. Everybody does!
[Reply]
Cmat Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 1:57 pm (Quote)
Why on earth did you get kicked out of a hospital?!?!
I’m sorry you had such a bad experience with something that should have been one of the happiest experiences of your life. I hope you have had wonderful experiences after that to help heal some of that hurt.
[Reply]
jenne Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 1:19 am (Quote)
I was at 4 cm and not progressing for a few hours (first baby). I was really confused why they had been so insistent to get me into the hospital before that and once I was there they started trying to push me for augmentation with pitocin and breaking my water (which I learned later was really an attempt at a backdoor induction). When I refused the induction, I was told they could drug me and move me to another room or I could leave the hospital. I was so confused why they were willing to let me stay in the hospital if I submitted to their demands but wouldn’t let me stay if they did nothing.
I guess I was frustrating them because eventually the chief resident OB came in and told me that I needed to leave the hospital that all other options were off the table and I just needed to get out. I felt it was so harsh and unreasonable that I was really hurt at the way they were speaking to me and what they were trying to get me to do with very little compassion or sensitivity. No one talked to me as I left and even though we tried asking about what they were looking for so we could go back, we didn’t get any information.
I felt so utterly abandoned and bullied that when I got home, I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t feel safe and I was scared that if I went back too soon that the same tactics would be used on me. I waited until transition to call them back and they still where very rude. That’s when I started thinking about if I didn’t go back there, where would I go, or what would I do?
Since I got to the point of considering a UC for the first time in labor, the more I learned about UC after my son’s birth the more I was led to it. My second baby, a daughter, was born at home in the water and unattended by paid professionals. Just me, my husband and my son.
Before getting pregnant with my little girl, I experienced a lot of anger and hurt over how I was treated in labor with my son. I had PTSD and struggled finding support. I became acquainted with Sharon Storton with Solace for Mothers and Jennifer Zimmerman and the three of us created the Solace for Mothers online community for mothers who had traumatic birth experiences. Through my associations with the ladies there, and an understanding therapist, husband, mother and friends, I felt ready to get pregnant the second time. I had a very happy pregnancy and an enjoyable, simple and easy birth.
My trauma still fuels my efforts with birth activism and I’m doing what I can while balancing the needs of two little ones at home with me.
[Reply]
Sheva Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 7:26 pm (Quote)
Wow that’s not only crazy, it’s illegal! Once you are on their property they are reauired by law to give you care.
And, clearly they weren’t honestly concerned that you needed their ‘help’, or they would have never let you go!
(Just curious, anyone out there, what is the justification for *this* one?)
So at what point did you go back?
[Reply]
Jenne Reply:
August 15th, 2010 at 5:49 pm (Quote)
Thank you! I’m glad someone understands.
I don’t think its illegal because according to pretty standard protocols that a woman isn’t admitted into the hospital until active labor (at 5 cm) starts, and I wasn’t in active labor. Why they admitted me but not officially still baffles me. I’m pretty sure they were “providing care” and even had me in my own LDR but without having me fill out the admission paperwork or sign any consent forms. It was a very strange situation.
I’m interested in getting an answer to your question too!
I went back when I was sure that I was in transition. I was throwing up, the contractions were close together and very intense. I had a lot of back labor. I couldn’t get comfortable at home and I needed the birth tub since my tub at home wasn’t cutting it.
I was really confused that when I got back the midwife declared that I had only progressed to 5 cm. I seriously think that dilation regressed due to the stress and fear of going back to a hostile environment. A new midwife and nurse were on shift at that point and everything progressed smoothly from there once I got in the tub.
Then there was a little bit of informed consent issues during pushing which on its own may have been fine but added to the stress from earlier was really upsetting to me. This was me: http://myobsaidwhat.com/2009/11/15/no-but-ill-do-it-anyway/
[Reply]
My guess would be that the nurse was worried about the elevated blood pressure.
The opposite can happen too. I went into labor with my fourth got to the hospital at a 4. They wanted to send me home because I didn’t go from a 4 to a 5 in the hour that I was their. Problem is is that I was group b positive and with 2 of my prior pregnancies I went from a 5 to a 10 in an hour. So because I was GBP I need 4 hour of antibiotics. I had to fight to stay. Finally the midwife was like we will give you one dose of Anti botics and than we will send you home. They checked me one more time before starting the antibiotics and said I could stay because I was had changed to a 4 1/2 as it was I only got one of the 2 doses of antibiotics.
I think it is a fine line that the nurses after work with I really do. Ever women is different and so they have to go by what is I would say is normal. What they see most of the time.
[Reply]
This one really baffles me. Don’t they usually want to kick you out if you’re not in labor so they can have room for all the other mothers? I sure was kicked out when I was pregnant with my first. Twice. One of those two times I was having real contractions at 30 weeks.
[Reply]
Add Your Comment.
Previous Post
« Thoughtful Thursday! “…You Just Did Something Amazing For You And Your Baby…” Next Post
“We Don’t Condone Home Births!” »
« Thoughtful Thursday! “…You Just Did Something Amazing For You And Your Baby…” Next Post
“We Don’t Condone Home Births!” »
Crystal ball?
[Reply]
Heather P Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 8:11 pm Heather P(Quote)
They say that midwives and doulas are quacks.
Oh wait, Midwives don’t do anything other than chant and place dirty sticks in the mothers’ mouths. Doulas light incense and do seances. While doctors have their high-tech twinkle lights.
[Reply]
Jen` Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 6:33 am Jen`(Quote)
In addition to the chanting and dirty sticks, my midwife also will be sprinkling magic fairy dust over me while I’m in labor. I know it’s magic, because… well… my midwife told me it is, you know?
[Reply]