I read an interesting post at At Your Cervix Blog. It is so interesting to read the inside scoop on what is happening on L&D floors from the nurse’s perspective.
I had a woman that had the slowest, most drawn our labor and poor contraction pattern. Of course, she had a cut happy MD who was managing her. Her day nurse wasn’t very aggressive with the pitocin, but when I took over, I was able to be more aggressive and get her in a better contraction pattern. (Contractions piddled out after her epidural, so she needed some pitocin to get them going again.) It was my goal to: have a healthy mom and baby (always my goal), and avoid a c/section for this multip mom with a cut happy doc. Well……..good news! She had her baby vaginally about 3 hrs after I came on duty. YEAH!!!! C/section averted. Cut happy doc went home lickity split (which is why his group is notorious for their “5pm c/sections” – they always want to be home by dinner time. Grrrrrr.)
Cut happy OB’s who want to be home by dinner.
Think of how important it is to choose your care provider wisely! I am pretty sure the moms who have these OBs don’t know that they are cut happy. Most likely they never asked what is your cesarean rate? What is your induction rate? When do you induce moms?
There are a LOT of choices for care providers out there. Ask questions and change if you don’t like the answers. It is never to late to change. I have had moms change at 39 weeks.
I had a doula client who wanted a VBAC. She asked her OB lots of questions. He didn’t have answers she liked, but he never said, “No I won’t do a VBAC.” She kept asking questions. Finally he said, “You would be better off choosing a new care provider.” I was impressed that he was finally honest with her. If your careproviders are saying I can’t give you what you are asking for, see that as a GIFT. They are saying go to someone else if you want a birth like that. They are giving you an OUT!
Ask your local doulas who are the “best” care providers in your area. They will have some good referrals for you. But you still need to do your part and ask questions and decide what is best for you!
I really wish obs and midwives were required by law to disclose these kinds of stats to their patients. I would love to see a chart that showed the percentage of births that were c-sections, cuts, augmented, etc.
I also think hospitals need stricter standards in this area!
It is mind-boggling that the “5pm c-section” doesn’t provoke public outrage. It’s abusive on so many levels and screams, “I AM MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU.” Complain and you’re relegated to the category of putting your experience ahead of a healthy baby. It just disgusts me.
I was the poster of the “5pm c/s doc group”. It’s well known amongst the nursing staff that this group of docs will either – vag deliver all inductions by 5pm, or cut them. Doesn’t give the inductions very long to progress fast enough for them, when the induction process starts at 0730.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough nurses on staff who will stand up to the physicians and demand that more time be given to the laboring women in their group. I tend to take their patients when I come on duty at 3pm, because I have the balls to stand up to them, and to be an actual patient advocate.
Yeah, nurses know the ins and outs and the issues with the docs. The women in these practices need to be asking:
-what are your rates of inductions?
-what are your rates of “failed” inductions?
-what are your rates of primary c/s?
-what are your rates of repeat c/s?
If they won’t answer – find another provider.
Better yet, find a midwife.
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