Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Nov
27
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“What Are You Laughing At?…Oh, Nothing, Just Your Birth Plan?”
Nurse: “Ha ha ha.”
Mother: “What are you laughing at?”
Nurse: “Huh?, Oh, nothing just your birth plan.”
L&D nurse to a mother who was a 33 week home birth transfer in labor with surprise breech twins.
There are 21 comments to this post.
While I can’t imagine there is much that can be salvaged with 33 week breech twins from a home birth planned ‘birth plan’ there must be something. And you would think anyone with half a heart would be sad for the mother and the differences there within rather than mocking. What a jerk.
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What on earth was she doing having a home birth with 33 week twins anyway? If that doesn’t fall into the “high, high, super high risk” category I don’t know what does. I’m a natural birth advocate, but geez!
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VW Reply:
November 27th, 2010 at 8:24 am (Quote)
I would think she transferred because she went into labor at 33 weeks, not after attempting to give birth at home at 33 weeks and then transferring.
And if nothing else, the part of the birth plan that could be salvaged at that point would be to be treated with respect and to be asked for consent for whatever they have to do (even if that is perfunctory). Of course a bit of empathy couldn’t hurt either, whether or not that written down in the plan.
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Lisa Reply:
November 27th, 2010 at 8:26 am (Quote)
Um, obviously that is why she transferred. No one plans to have a home birth with premature babies.
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Sarah Dorrance-Minch Reply:
November 27th, 2010 at 9:51 am (Quote)
It would appear the twins surprised her by coming out earlier than anticipated. This is why her situation was called a surprise.
It is a fallacy, however, that multiples are inherently too dangerous to birth naturally (yes, even to the extent of choosing homebirth). I just read something in my Facebook feed to this effect, too. I’ll have to go Google now.
In general, though, if a mother is within half an hour’s drive or less from a hospital and has preregistered with that hospital to expedite things in the event of an emergency transfer, home birth is not somehow rendered terribly risky just by there being sudden complicating factors.
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Sarah Dorrance-Minch Reply:
November 27th, 2010 at 11:00 am (Quote)
Right. Here’s what I came up with (so far):
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/natural-homebirth-of-twins.html
http://www.homebirth.net.au/2010/11/natural-birthing-of-twins.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XmwED82poc
http://www.childbirth.org/articles/stories/categories/unmedicatedstories.html (lots of other birth stories here, too!)
http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/natural-childbirth-video.html
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Sarah Dorrance-Minch had this to say,
Nov 27, 2010 @ 9:46 am (Quote)
Oh, laughter is the most common response to birth plans (read Naomi Wolf and Jennifer Block if you don’t want to take my word for it).
Most nurses aren’t bold enough to do so right in front of a patient, however.
PWNED.
How rude.
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I transferred after 74 hours of labor to the hospital at 9cms and though no one was able to read my birth plan before my son was delivered, the nurse after was incredibly sensitive to the fact that I had transferred, knowing how moms who have to transfer after planning a HB feel, she went through my entire birth plan after the fact anyway. If only all nurses and doctors would behave this way.
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erica Reply:
November 27th, 2010 at 2:11 pm (Quote)
Exactly. My first birth ended up being nothing like what I’d hoped for, mostly for legitimate reasons, and the CNM who attended me told me she was sorry it couldn’t be how I’d wanted but they were going to do their best. It’s not hard. All you have to do is not be an asshole.
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Wow, I see that you are well educated and thought a lot about this birth. I know this is not how you planned it, but I will do my best to make sure the birth of your babies is as close to perfect as you and I can make it.
Is that so hard? Mom’s not clueless – she knows the birth won’t be like the home birth she planned, and she’ll do whatever it takes to make keep her babies safe. And you know that you can make or break her birth-day. So, which is it going to be?
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Okay, well I don’t think a 33 week surprise birth of breech twins should be called a “home-birth transfer”. That makes it sound like she WAS trying to birth at home under those dangerous circumstances. Just the babies being 33 weeks is reason enough to be in the hospital.
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VW Reply:
December 14th, 2010 at 7:21 pm (Quote)
As far as I understand it, anyone who plans a home birth but then ends up giving birth in a hospital is a “home birth transfer”. If it’s a home birth transport, you’re heading to the hospital during labor (in an ambulance?)
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Katie Reply:
December 14th, 2010 at 7:29 pm (Quote)
Okay that would make more sense! It still sounded that way to me when I first read it, but I guess I would fall under this category too then! I planned a HB but ended up going natural in the hospital instead because….well there were a lot of reasons I don’t need to discuss here lol. Suffice to say that you should be 100% comfortable with your HB midwife.
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Since I doubt Mom wrote a few jokes into her birth plan.. screw you, nurse! Even if you KNOW you can’t do everything she’s asking for, you can at least say “We’ll try our best to help you have the birth you want.” Leave it at that.
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