Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Nov
18
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“…Just Sign The Form.”
“Everyone says that they don’t want an epidural and they get one anyway. Just sign the form.” – L&D Nurse while asking mother to sign consent forms on admittance, including consent for an epidural, when mother was planning on birthing without one.
There are 28 comments to this post.
Brook Day Peters had this to say,
Nov 18, 2011 @ 7:02 pm (Quote)
This was my experience with my first child. I was being induced and was shocked at the nurse’s attitude when I told her I was not getting an epidural. My midwife had been so pro-natural childbirth I just expected the rest of the staff to be. It certainly did not help my confidence, and I even signed because I felt like if I didn’t I would tick off the woman who had mine and my baby’s life in her hands. I did not get the epidural though, and she had to eat her words. In fact I did not even make enough noise for them to believe I was in labor and move me to the L&D room when I asked, until my midwife finally finished with her appointments and came to check on me herself and discovered I was 8 cm. Luckily with the birth of my daughter the nurses were thrilled at my choice to have a natural birth and supportive every step of the way. They told me that they would not need to check me since I was unmedicated and I would be the one to tell them when it was time to push.
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Okay, let’s be realistic here. How long does it really and truly take to sign a consent form? Two, maybe three minutes? Why try and browbeat a mother into signing one when she clearly stated that she didn’t want the epidural. If the mother changes her mind… and she might, she has every right to do so… let her sign it then! It’s not like having it signed in advance will really shave time off of getting the epidural!
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xanthina Reply:
November 19th, 2011 at 5:37 am (Quote)
Midwife Of Awesome, from my daughter’s birth. When I was pushing(for all of 15 minutes total) the nurse ran in. Turns out I hadn’t signed the consent form to let them ‘deliver’ my child. Midwife Of Awesome told the nurse it could wait, and be signed after the fact, because the baby wasn’t waiting.
That sums up my views on most paperwork at this point ^_^. It can be signed when needed, as needed. Or after, if need be.
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v had this to say,
Nov 18, 2011 @ 8:02 pm (Quote)
With my first child, they insisted I would be bgging for one and I should go ahead…when I said my pain was MAYBE a 2. Induced with Pitocin and determined to be able to be free to move. They also kept saying since I was refusing and clearly needed it, they’d get my mom to sign and force me. (WHAT?!?!) Some staff are waaay too set in their own ways with their own bubble of what they think is going to happen. Ugh.
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The nurse present at my induction said the same thing to me, as they also talked me into an IV and fetal monitoring. The whole feeling was,”Why are you here if you aren’t going to let us induce you they way we want?” It was the first of many digs that day.
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v had this to say,
Nov 18, 2011 @ 10:04 pm (Quote)
18
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Tee Reply:
November 18th, 2011 at 10:07 pm (Quote)
That’s even crazier than I thought… I kind of thought if you had been a young teenage Mom, maybe the doctor was basing his threat on that. Please don’t misunderstand me, I have nothing against teenage Moms. One of my best friends had two babies in high school. (14 and 16) I was just trying to figure out what the doctor’s thought process was, that’s all!
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v had this to say,
Nov 18, 2011 @ 10:06 pm (Quote)
They were trying to say I wasn’t capable of declining. Sorry for the posts and not in order, I am on a phone.
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Jane Reply:
November 19th, 2011 at 3:57 am (Quote)
But even if you weren’t capable of deciding, unless your mother has power of attorney, I don’t think she can sign approval for an 18 year old mother to have an epidural against her will.
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jenni Reply:
November 19th, 2011 at 10:19 am (Quote)
but can’t they have the daddy/husband sign things if a mom is not capable… or unconscious… i think they were using the mom as the next of kin… responsible for someone who is unable to make the choice kind of thing..
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jaed Reply:
November 19th, 2011 at 4:35 pm (Quote)
Athough the whole idea is silly because how on earth do you put an epidural needle into the spine of a struggling and unwilling victim (I won’t say “patient” in this context) in the first place?
Which makes me believe that the nurses weren’t serious about carrying out the threat… just playing the “I am the alpha dog in this room” game.
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If she had said something like “This is just a standard form and it will still be your decision whether you actually get the epidural” I really wouldn’t have minded as much. It was the “Everyone says they aren’t going to get one but then they do so just sign” that threw me. Also, I had stated in my birth plan (at my midwife’s urging) that I did NOT consent to an epidural and would not pay for one if administered. I listed other pain relief techniques that could be used if necessary. I had a family full of people who had spinal headaches, permanent nerve damage, etc, and was much more afraid of an epidural than of labor ; )
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Dee Reply:
November 19th, 2011 at 10:22 am (Quote)
Same here…except it was the pre-admission lady who wanted me to sign the release form! I signed a general form and then wrote addendums/caveats on a separate, attached page stating I would not pay for any sort of anesthesia before it was actually used. She also tried to pressure me into paying for the anesthesiologist co-pay for epidural administration ahead of time. I refused. She was a total b**** who also gave me grief about getting teary when she had to ask about previous pregnancies (I had a 2nd trimester miscarriage). Horrible woman. I wrote a complaint letter later in which I pointed out I had NO epidural. Nyah! 
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Summer had this to say,
Nov 19, 2011 @ 12:30 pm (Quote)
The hospital where I had my second wanted a $100 deposit and signed consent forms for an epi the day I took the hospital tour. I told them I wasnt getting an epi so I wasnt giving them $100 or signing a stupid consent fodm, they said well we will give back the money “if” you dont actually get an epi so whats the harm? So I told them how about if I get one Ill send my husband over with a check and can sign forms then lol. The things they will do… I had my son a few weeks later after 7hrs and no epi.
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This nearly brought me to tears. I was ambushed by my OB wielding a general consent form. I freaked because she HAD been so supportive of me, only to want me to allow them to do everything I had already said no to.
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Perfectionist had this to say,
Nov 20, 2011 @ 1:31 pm (Quote)
Only if you sign this form that states if you get on my nerves I can mace you. No? Alrighty then, goodbye.
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Add Your Comment.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. Why not just leave it in mom’s chart? You can always grab it if she changes her mind.
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