Express Yourself - Opinions Wanted

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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I've read about this in several places/sources but I was wanting to get some opinions and/or experience with it. For the most part, women don't have a problem with a man in nursing, more specifically in L&D or OB/GYN based on conversations, opinions, and reading. I have even talked to a male midwife and read about some men in sexual health, most importantly a man who was a SANE. However, what I've read over and over is that women don't want a man in PP or more specifically BFing and seemingly wouldn't give a male lactation consultant consideration. Why is this and is this really true?

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

It's gonna vary. Some women are a-ok w/men in OB, others not. I think the attitude of STAFF is at least as important as anything else. If we act as if it is natural and normal for a male to be in OB, and introduce them properly, most women are fine with this. I have very few patients who protest or have a problem having a male nurse. The few men we have had are AMAZING CAREGIVERS. It's all in the introduction and attitude of the female staff members, like I said. I have had some actually say, "your next nurse is *** and he is a man, is that ok?" Well, duh, that is a set-up for failure, if ever there was one. A better way is what I do, I bring the nurse following me into the room, introduce him by saying,. "This is **** and he is going to be caring for you and your family the next shift. You will be in good hands". I have yet to have a patient complain or ask for a change of assignments when it was handled this way.

Now obviously CULTURAL considerations will exist. If you have a lady of a culture where men are forbidden or strongly discouraged from their care, you have a different scenario. But truly in my experience, this is the minority of patients. Men are increasingly being well-received in OB as nurses (and have been for many years as doctors)!

Hope this helps.

It's gonna vary. Some women are a-ok w/men in OB, others not. I think the attitude of STAFF is at least as important as anything else. If we act as if it is natural and normal for a male to be in OB, and introduce them properly, most women are fine with this. I have very few patients who protest or have a problem having a male nurse. The few men we have had are AMAZING CAREGIVERS. It's all in the introduction and attitude of the female staff members, like I said. I have had some actually say, "your next nurse is *** and he is a man, is that ok?" Well, duh, that is a set-up for failure, if ever there was one. A better way is what I do, I bring the nurse following me into the room, introduce him by saying,. "This is **** and he is going to be caring for you and your family the next shift. You will be in good hands". I have yet to have a patient complain or ask for a change of assignments when it was handled this way.

Now obviously CULTURAL considerations will exist. If you have a lady of a culture where men are forbidden or strongly discouraged from their care, you have a different scenario. But truly in my experience, this is the minority of patients. Men are increasingly being well-received in OB as nurses (and have been for many years as doctors)!

Hope this helps.

I concur. :)

steph

I've read about this in several places/sources but I was wanting to get some opinions and/or experience with it. For the most part, women don't have a problem with a man in nursing, more specifically in L&D or OB/GYN based on conversations, opinions, and reading. I have even talked to a male midwife and read about some men in sexual health, most importantly a man who was a SANE. However, what I've read over and over is that women don't want a man in PP or more specifically BFing and seemingly wouldn't give a male lactation consultant consideration. Why is this and is this really true?

I chose a male family practice physician as my OB, and would have had no problem with a male nurse. Personally, I don't understand why there is more bias towards one gender in nursing than medicine. After all, both the MD & RN see everything during labor!

As for the lactation consultant however, I wanted the advice of a woman who has actually gone through the experience of breastfeeding. This is b/c the reality of breastfeeding is much different than what you learn in textbooks. As a nurse, I know as much technical info about breastfeeding as any MD -- but once I actually began experiencing problems with breastfeeding (for instance, most literature attributes breastfeeding problems to "poor latch-on" -- there was nothing wrong with my latch-on, but I still had problems with milk supply, bleeding/sore nipples, etc...). I was humbled & realized that textbooks/training don't contain all the info. I wanted to talk with someone that had been through the same issues. I did NOT want a doc without personal experience in this area, whether male or female. I actually found the most helpful people in this area to be other mom friends!!! NOT LC's, my MD or le leche advisors.

Thanks, lady_jezebel that was very helpful. I understand what you are saying and it sounds similar to arguments about birth. However, my question is more of the physical nature. It seems that women don't want men touching their breasts but it's ok for the man to see them naked, do a pelvic exam, and help in their birth. I just don't understand this mentality because it makes no sense to me and seems illogical. I've read this from many sources and I'm trying to figure out if this is the case or not.

Thanks also SmilingBluEyes as what you wrote really pointed out the sexism and set up of that kind of introduction. I'm sure that it is a factor of the problem too.

I've read about this in several places/sources but I was wanting to get some opinions and/or experience with it. For the most part, women don't have a problem with a man in nursing, more specifically in L&D or OB/GYN based on conversations, opinions, and reading. I have even talked to a male midwife and read about some men in sexual health, most importantly a man who was a SANE. However, what I've read over and over is that women don't want a man in PP or more specifically BFing and seemingly wouldn't give a male lactation consultant consideration. Why is this and is this really true?

I'm surprised that this would be an issue for most people when you consider that most OB/GYN docs are male. If you can tolerate that, then what's the big deal about breastfeeding??? Makes no sense to me. Personally, after I've had 3 children, who were all delivered by males (with the 1st child I really had no say so because I was an unwed mother), not to mention all the check-ups I've had where I had to spread eagle for all the world to see (with a majority of those occasions having NO choice of a male or female), I just dealt with any anxiety (especially in my younger years) that I may have had.

What we have to realize is that these male nurses have seen or will have seen many, many, many, many, many, many, many naked woman parts in ALL kinds of conditions...and your parts or my parts are not so out of the ordinary or beautiful that they will be overcome with gratification.:rolleyes: There is the chance of a pervert or two that may be able to make it into the nursing or MD profession, but you know what? They could be in the form of a male or FEMALE!!!! If this is an issue we can debate about woman nurses/MD having to perform catheters or examinations on men.....

I agree that the way you approach the patient has a lot to do with it as well.

I chose a male family practice physician as my OB, and would have had no problem with a male nurse. Personally, I don't understand why there is more bias towards one gender in nursing than medicine. After all, both the MD & RN see everything during labor!

As for the lactation consultant however, I wanted the advice of a woman who has actually gone through the experience of breastfeeding. This is b/c the reality of breastfeeding is much different than what you learn in textbooks. As a nurse, I know as much technical info about breastfeeding as any MD -- but once I actually began experiencing problems with breastfeeding (for instance, most literature attributes breastfeeding problems to "poor latch-on" -- there was nothing wrong with my latch-on, but I still had problems with milk supply, bleeding/sore nipples, etc...). I was humbled & realized that textbooks/training don't contain all the info. I wanted to talk with someone that had been through the same issues. I did NOT want a doc without personal experience in this area, whether male or female. I actually found the most helpful people in this area to be other mom friends!!! NOT LC's, my MD or le leche advisors.

If you had problems with milk supply, bleeding/sore nipples then you DID indeed, have problems with latch. Improper latch is what causes the conditions you ahve described above. I am speaking on this as a lactation consultant, not only as a nurse and a past nursig mother.

I've read about this in several places/sources but I was wanting to get some opinions and/or experience with it. For the most part, women don't have a problem with a man in nursing, more specifically in L&D or OB/GYN based on conversations, opinions, and reading. I have even talked to a male midwife and read about some men in sexual health, most importantly a man who was a SANE. However, what I've read over and over is that women don't want a man in PP or more specifically BFing and seemingly wouldn't give a male lactation consultant consideration. Why is this and is this really true?

When I was in PP with my first child I had a male nurse, granted he didn't have breasts so he couldn't really empathize per se, but he was a great nurse. Very attentive and extremely supportive and encouraging. Checked our positioning and told me I was doing great, which I was glad to hear from anyone at the time. He was a married guy with kids of his own who wasn't afraid to say that he was glad the ladies did the birthin! I loved him but then I'm a pretty progressive gal.

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