A few months ago I had a baby. I was one week overdue and my doctor had me go to the hospital at 10 p.m. for an induction. It took until 6p.m. the next day to have the baby. The nurse called my doctor and he came in to check on my after his office closed at 5p.m. Another patient of his was in the next room about to have her baby. Since he wasn't on call for that evening he told me that another doctor would come in and deliver my baby. Twenty minutes after he left another doctor delivered my baby and the lady in the next room had her baby six minutes later. The nurse had to deliver her baby. All I really want to know is if my doctor knew that me and the other patient were very close in having our babies why did he leave?

maybe he did not know. babies come when they are ready sometimes much faster than we think. I have had patients go 8 hours with little or no change then deliver in less than an hour later. but it is common practice for the doc on call to deliver your baby unless you have made prior arrangements.

We are a small hospital, and generally speaking, if our doctors induce a pt, they don't leave the delivery for the on call. Many times if our docs check out they check out for everything but active labor. Its something a patient should discuss during prenatal visits, because at some facilities women know that they will get the oncall, and others expect their doctor.

No, it's not standard practice, but doctors, like everyone else experience lapses in good judgement and common sense.

I went in for my 37 weeks checkup to find that I was dilated 6cm, and at a +2 station. The doc offered to admit me and rupture my membranes, but since I lived just around the corner from the hospital, we decided against that.

2 days later, my water broke at 6am. I called the answering service and asked them to notify the doc on call that I was on my way to the hospital, and please meet me there. She had a reputation for being slow to answer calls at inconvenient hours. She told the L&D staff that she would not come in because she went off call at 8am and she was sure I would not deliver before then. The nurse then called her partner who had seen me in the office that week. He came in and delivered me, although it was not his day to be on call. I'm sure the L&D nurses would have done a fine job of delivering my baby, had it been necessary, but I had a long history of complications, and it was nice to have an OB present. Needless to say, I never saw the partner again.

This is a very common practice!! Doctors are in a group practice (or have dr's cover for them from other groups) for a reason. They can't be on call all of the time. Maybe your doctor had a prior engagement and since he had already made arrangements with another doctor to take call at a certain time, there would be no reason for him to deliver you if you delivered after the time that he made arrangements to change call.

Although pt's don't really like it, that is the way that the OB business works.

This is a very common practice!! Doctors are in a group practice (or have dr's cover for them from other groups) for a reason. They can't be on call all of the time. Maybe your doctor had a prior engagement and since he had already made arrangements with another doctor to take call at a certain time, there would be no reason for him to deliver you if you delivered after the time that he made arrangements to change call.

Although pt's don't really like it, that is the way that the OB business works.

Originally posted by at your cervix

This is a very common practice!! Doctors are in a group practice (or have dr's cover for them from other groups) for a reason. They can't be on call all of the time. Maybe your doctor had a prior engagement and since he had already made arrangements with another doctor to take call at a certain time, there would be no reason for him to deliver you if you delivered after the time that he made arrangements to change call.

Although pt's don't really like it, that is the way that the OB business works.

I agree! It is very common practice, and quite necessary for them to preserve their own sanity, health, and family relationships.

Most of our docs will deliver their own inductions around here. However, if he brought you in at 10pm, he was probably expecting you to deliver during office hours the next day. Like was said, it is possible that he had prior engagements, and your labor didn't go as he thought it would go. It was a nice gesture that he came in to check on you 2 and say that another doc would be covering for him. IMHO.

I don't know about standard practise, but when I delivered my son, it was very nearly a nurse delivery. Why? I was a primagravida who had planned to have an epidural--but as it turned out, I have what my OB called a "body built for speed" and ended up delivering Sam (without the epidural or other meds) less than two hours from the time I walked into the hospital.

A key memory of my L&D was the nurse yelling into the phone "No, I haven't got the wrong patient! She's crowning!" at the doctor, who was being rather lackadaisical about showing up for the delivery. Having since heard various horror stories about women who pushed for three or four fruitless hours, I wouldn't trade my body for any other...but next time, I'm going to be delivered by a CNM who will stay with me from start to finish, and not make a panicked appearance in time for the grand finale.

Originally posted by tylersmom716

Since he wasn't on call for that evening he told me that another doctor would come in and deliver my baby. ... All I really want to know is if my doctor knew that me and the other patient were very close in having our babies why did he leave?

Since he was NOT on call,

his bad judgement was coming to see you in the first place!

By coming to see you, he implied he cared and might stay for your delivery!

He was probably trying to be nice, coming by to say hello before reporting off to

his partner. Sometimes doctors forget they are dealing with the mind of a PREGNANT woman....we always want OUR doctor there, not someone else!

He left, quite probably, because his wife was at home with dinner waiting, and he didn't want her complaining "Why are you late? You aren't on call!" LOL!

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