OB Rotation is Hell

Just had my L&D rotations yesterday and last Wednesday. All in all, I was rejected by 6 patients. I got to see quite a few c-sections, but nearly all vag deliveries were G1's and didn't want a male student (quite a few had male OB docs, though). I literally spent all day yesterday at the nursing station doing nothing, as the one patient who consented to let me in for the delivery was stuck at 6 cm all day long despite being on a ton of pit. I think the only thing I did was change her bags of LR every couple of hours and listen to the nurses at the station complain about men and staffing (which I felt odd as they only had 1-2 patients each-- all not progressing).

I'm a woman, but I had to reply.

I have a male GYN who did not deliver my daughter and, man, I wish he had. I think the whole experience would have been much better. No students were in the room when I delivered my daugher. When I began to hemorrhage, some students came in, along with about 10 other folks, Lord only knows who they were. As far as I could tell, most were taking turns mashing my stomach like they were kneading dough, while a couple more kept sticking me with meds.

At one point during the chaos, a female nursing student came into my view and introduced herself in the quietest manner, asking, "Hello, my name is X, and I'm a nursing student. Would it be OK if I observe?" It's a good thing people were holding down my arms or I would have snatched her bald-headed. I noticed a guy hanging back, obviously a student cause he had the same uniform, and he never said a word. Of all the people in the room, I appreciated him the most. (I have to edit this to say "I appreciated his ability to see that I was in the middle of something pretty traumatic and that he was there to observe and talk to me when I obviously wasn't up for it." Sometimes it's best to be the silent type.)

After I was "fixed up," as everyone left the room, the female nursing student was back in my face thanking me for letting her observe, tearing up and telling me how my experience had somehow changed her view of L&D. The male student simply waved bye. I could have kissed him.

And the only person I threw out of the room through my entire labor was my brother, when the nurse had to check me. Other than that, I didn't care who saw what--I just wanted that baby out!

I just recently finished my OB rotations and I really enjoyed the postpartum period. I saw three c-sections, and one vaginal delivery. The problem I did have however, and this may have just been me, but I got the intense feeling that they did not enjoy having me there. The nurses never volunteered any information about what was going on, well minimal. Any questions I asked were asnwered quickly and that was the end of that. when we didn't have anything to do and were at the nurses station, I just felt like I was a decoration instead of a nursing student. On the other hand maybe they really enjoyed having me but were shy. I don't know. The point is I felt really out of place but I enjoyed dealing with the patients

First off, I am female.

Secondly, I don't understand why male nurses are usually not welcomed to OB with open arms. Does anyone complain about a male MD delivering the baby? I doubt it. Although you guys are probably not as welcome in the delivery room, you can have your time to shine after the baby is born. From my personal experience, when my daughter was born no one really focused on me anymore. That can crush a lady's ego in an instant. As a male nurse, you can offer the new mom a soda, a snack, or a nice (non flirtatious!)compliment. Most importantly, act like a caring professional. You can't go wrong if you do that.

Actually, many women do refuse male MD's. I did. I will have a male doctor in general, but when it comes to OBGYN care, I will ONLY see women. I only let women deliver my babies, and would not have let a male nurse, or doctor, be in the room.

However, I do agree with you on one point. If you don't have a problem with a male MD, you shouldn't have a problem with a male nurse. My two cents.

I feel for you guys!!! In my class we had a foreign man that it was not part of his culture to observe birth. Man, was he uncomfortable. He had c-sections down. I think his grand total of c-sections was 6 on 2 days in LDR and that was including a v-birth in there also. He got to watch more then any of us ladies. When he did assessments on post-partum he had to have a fellow NS, or nurse, CI with him as long as it was a female.
Now that you guys have said something the only time I seen a male nurse was in NICU and I don't even think he was a nurse. Some kind of student.
Personally, I wouldn't care if it was a male or female nurse when I give birth. Just as long as he did not have big fingers. HA!!!HA!!

I haven't started my clinicals yet but I have been worrying about this particular problem. I have had clinicals during phlebotomy training and the issue of gender did come up. Personally I don't mind if someone says they aren't comfortable having a man as their nurse or whatever I will just help a patient who doesn't mind having a male nurse, I think this also applies if a patient isn't comfortable with someone of a different race too (In my mind I think the patient has the right to refuse care from anyone for any reason) For example, if I have a female patient say she isn't comfortable with me as her nurse that's fine but that means I am not providing any care at all including going to get her water and fix her pillows or anything, period. If the patient wants another nurse then they will have to wait for another nurse to come. I think this applies to race as well, it is racism and sexism but in my mind patients do have the right to refuse, but if they refused a black nurse or a male nurse then they are refusing a black surgeon and a male OB too. That's just my opinion.

We have on guy in our group and he was actually planning to be a L&D nurse....until the OB rotation.

He was permitted by a patient to see a C-section, but the two births that happened at the hospital, he was not permitted in the room by the patients.

He just felt he couldn't go through that.

There are two males nurses who work OB at my hospital. Hopefully when male students come through that have an interest in this field it will give them some hope that it can be done successfully.

Mine rotation wasn't awful, but I am the only one that didn't get to see a birth of any kind. And the one patient that was going to let me see a birth I didn't get to see because the nurse didn't want me in there. Even though I didn't get to do a lot, I don't really care since I don't ever plan on going into this field.