L&D nurses? Are you all for natural births?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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Ok after delivering 2 in a hospital and having an aweful experience with the L&D nurses my first... and a much better with my 2nd (LOL one nurse was a little resistant but did good :D)

Anyways how open are you to 100% natural births?

I mean my DS was a natural birth but met with a lot of resistance from my L&D nurse. With my first my nurse was down right mean about me wanting a natural birth.

With my son my nurse was the "natural birth specialist" but yet she wasn't. Every fwe min was trying to do EFM with every contraction, told me no about everything I requested. (I wanted to push squatting on floor, she said no, lol i ignored her and just did it) She wanted me in bed.. lol OB didn't care he said hang upside down if I wanted.. it was only the nurse.

She and my midwife who was with me as a doula really butted heads. Told me no wash cloth on perineum while pushing (LOL i thought that felt great! no need for that thing washcloth on the forehead!). Kept wanting me to put on gown vs letting me run butt naked or wear my own clothes (skirt and bra).

With my first the nurse was down right aweful. Told me to "get a grip" working thru a very fast labor/transition (3hours) as a first time mom. Came in every 5-10 min asking me if I was ready for epidural yet...refused to give me IV meds when requested or zofran (lots of puking)

Is this the norm? How do all of you feel you fit in with natural births or do you not like them? Love them? Think they are more or less work? What are your thoughts on mothers with birthplans for natural births or wanting one? Anyone here never even seen a natural or drug/intervention free birth?

both times my postpartum nurses both times were fabulous.

Specializes in geriatrics, L&D, newborns.

I would be all in favor of a natural birth. I had a home birth with my second child and it was fantastic. However, where I practice, the pts. are not well-informed and not prepared. None of the OB's would be supportive of a natural birth -too afraid of lawsuits or something. So I assume that the women who are educated and prepared and want a natural birth travel elsewhere for delivery. You can't even take LaMaze classes in this county. I would love to see a midwife around here. But you have to be really prepared in order to have a natural birth and you have to have a good coach.

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Specializes in OB.

A year later, another friend of mine asked if I would be her labor coach since the father had run out on her. She was interested in going the natural route philosophically, but didn't really prepare herself for it and ended up running to the hospital for pain meds pretty immediately. Though I supported her choices, I found this it to be one of the most horrifying experiences: I literally watched them pry her open when the babies head was barely crowning, and then rip that baby out before his shoulders turned...Even with the epidural she was screaming so loud, and bleeding so much from the 4th degree tear that they rushed some more and immediately pulled the placenta out by the umbilical cord! (think: rapid hand-over-hand motion). More massive bleeding...so they wheeled her away and she endured 4+ hours of surgery! Very traumatic. I think they were in a rush to get the baby out 'cause she was right near the 24hr mark...but it was AWEFUL. I know that everyone did what they could with the tools and training they had, but what they did to her didn't seem right. :angryfire

Oh my Gosh!!:eek:

I can't believe your friend endured that!! Who cares if she was at 24 hours or 34 hours! The whole, "Must deliver within 24 hrs of the water breaking." is a myth!

I have been a L&D nurse for 11 years and am now in school to become a Certifed Nurse Midwife precisely because I love natural birth and it is so rare in the hospital. Women have GOT to be educated about labor and their bodies' ability to give birth! More knowledge will decrease the fear and the panic that sets in when the first strong pain comes and the woman shouts, "I need my epidural!" I think most women get epidurals due to fear more than pain. It's a shame.:(

Our bodies were made to do this looooong before epidurals were thought of. (Oh, and I've had 2 babies naturally and 1 cesarean for breech)

To the original poster: Go for it if you want to be a L&D nurse...or check out midwifery!:D

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I don't care if a woman is in the throes of labor...no nurse deserves to be "swatted at" or kicked for doing his/her job.

Really? You might want to check out the thread of women - nurses - who bragged about how hard they kicked their doctors when he (or she!) came in to deliver the baby.

:sstrs:

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Specializes in L&D.

I love them, and yes, so much more work!

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Specializes in L&D.
I don't care if a woman is in the throes of labor...no nurse deserves to be "swatted at" or kicked for doing his/her job. That being said, I do prepare my pts for whatever task I am about to do and will (usually--unless baby is in trouble) wait for a contraction to be over or for them to be ready before I do anything.

I am continually amazed at the strength and control that a lot of women having a natural birth exhibit! :yeah:

I agree! I have never been swatted at while doing L&D. I've heard coworkers say they've been squeezed hard etc, but never hit, kicked or anything. No one has a right to be abused like that, no matter how much pain the patient is in. jmho.

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Specializes in LDRP.

You also must be very fast dodging feet while checking someone at a 10 wanting to push and a contraction starts.. lol ...

I did have a lady who was on her back, unmed, checked her and she did start a contraction and reached out to grab the closest thing she could....my breast. ouch, lol. and no, i didnt hold it against her.

on to the topic at hand:

I LOVE natural labors/births. I get so excited when someone plans a natural labor and gets it-seeing people get what htey want, to have that "high", to be so proud of themselves, is so exciting and fulfilling (even though its not like i had anything to do with it).

as far as heart tones go, unfortuanately, i/we have to. here, if you are low risk, you have the FHT taken q30min during and after 2 ctx. you do not have to be strapped to the efm's, but can have it held up to your stomach, or have the doppler used. (i've done this for women in the shower). during pushing, it is q5min fht check. I have had women refuse, and that is fine. you can refuse anything you want.

I do believe that I really advocate for natural mothers. I never say "do you want an epidural?" If i do not know their medication preference when i meet them (for ex, if i get a new admission) i say "what are your pain management plans in labor? " and then never push them opposite their choice. I will rub your back, hold your hand, encourage moms to GET OUT OF BED! (big one here). If someone looks liek they want to give up, I'll tell them they need to get out of bed and try something new, like the shower. I tell them they can refuse anything they want to if they start to seem like they don't want something done, or they say they don't. (for ex, amniotomy)

Had a lady in triage the other day, first baby. She was 4-5cm and being admitted. SO i asked what her pain mgmt plans were. She said she'd planned on going natural "but i might change my mind now!" b/c it hurt. she had a birth plan. so i told her that if that birth plan was really important to her, and that is what she wanted to do, then before she changes her mind, she needs to give it her best shot, get out of bed, walk, move, shower, birth ball, etc. b/c she needs to look back at this experience and not wish she had tried something different before changing her mind. (she did, go on to deliver without an epidural!)

Though, if they truly do change their minds, I don't refuse them pain meds. I think you can tell if someone is really refusing or just talking. sometimes, at least.

Yes, it is more work for me, in a way. I do have to be in there more. (unless, of course, you dont want me too. some natural women just want you to leave them alone, not rub their back or verbally encourage them) in another way, its less work. i dont have to do the epidural procedure. don't have to worry you're going to fall on the floor after the baby is born b/c the epidural legs wont stand up. dont have to catheterize your bladder b/c you can't pee wiht an epidural.

gosh, i'm rambing. i think i advocate for them and really want them to get what they want b/c of my own failed attempt to deliver unmedicated. i had a long hard labor, i screamed and screamed after i ran out of coping mechanisms. i got stuck at an anterior lip for a few hours, and couldn't push past it b/c i couldn't focus and calm down, finally got an epidural and to this day, nearly a year later, wish i had done things differently and still feel disappointed in myself from time to time. I really like to think that "healthy mom healthy baby" isn't the ONLY goal of labor/childbirth. having a satisfying experience is important too, and not to be blown off "oh its okay, you got a healthy baby ".

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I'm not a L&D nurse. I am starting an RN program in August but I have been working as a doula for a few years and have experienced two difficult deliveries myself.

As far as totally natural births go...they are tough. I think tougher than most people realize. You can't just walk in and expect to go natural. I have worked with moms that spend the entire pregnancy exercising, studying, using hypnobirthing, etc. The successful unmedicated births were those that really prepared for it. You can't totally be prepared or know what will happen once you're in labor.

I've had moms that intended to go natural and were very prepared, but ended up with a c-section- they really need extra support. To go from a birth center/home to the hospital with machines, IVs, drugs, surgery.....is shocking and disappointing for some.

I try to help moms be flexible in their birthplan because things don't always go as planned.

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I don't care if a woman is in the throes of labor...no nurse deserves to be "swatted at" or kicked for doing his/her job. That being said, I do prepare my pts for whatever task I am about to do and will (usually--unless baby is in trouble) wait for a contraction to be over or for them to be ready before I do anything.

I am continually amazed at the strength and control that a lot of women having a natural birth exhibit! :yeah:

since when is doing our jobs as nurses do we have the right to violate someone when they ask us not to touch them?

Oh I 100% agree swatiing etc isnt acceptable to swat/hit/kick etc a nurse... however in my defense had she listened to me I wouldn't have felt compelled to defend myself by swatting at her. I never once told her not to check FHT or to go away... I simply asked her to give me a minute to prepare myself for her being there touching me when I didn't want it. She didn't listen when I asked several times as nicely as I could.. so I swatted her hands away when she tried. every time after when she did fht she told me in advance ok next contraction welll do heart tones again and there was never an issue when i knew but for someone to run at me and touch me not sayong what she was doing is her crossing the line.

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I did have a lady who was on her back, unmed, checked her and she did start a contraction and reached out to grab the closest thing she could....my breast. ouch, lol. and no, i didnt hold it against her.

on to the topic at hand:

I LOVE natural labors/births. I get so excited when someone plans a natural labor and gets it-seeing people get what htey want, to have that "high", to be so proud of themselves, is so exciting and fulfilling (even though its not like i had anything to do with it).

as far as heart tones go, unfortuanately, i/we have to. here, if you are low risk, you have the FHT taken q30min during and after 2 ctx. you do not have to be strapped to the efm's, but can have it held up to your stomach, or have the doppler used. (i've done this for women in the shower). during pushing, it is q5min fht check. I have had women refuse, and that is fine. you can refuse anything you want.

I do believe that I really advocate for natural mothers. I never say "do you want an epidural?" If i do not know their medication preference when i meet them (for ex, if i get a new admission) i say "what are your pain management plans in labor? " and then never push them opposite their choice. I will rub your back, hold your hand, encourage moms to GET OUT OF BED! (big one here). If someone looks liek they want to give up, I'll tell them they need to get out of bed and try something new, like the shower. I tell them they can refuse anything they want to if they start to seem like they don't want something done, or they say they don't. (for ex, amniotomy)

Had a lady in triage the other day, first baby. She was 4-5cm and being admitted. SO i asked what her pain mgmt plans were. She said she'd planned on going natural "but i might change my mind now!" b/c it hurt. she had a birth plan. so i told her that if that birth plan was really important to her, and that is what she wanted to do, then before she changes her mind, she needs to give it her best shot, get out of bed, walk, move, shower, birth ball, etc. b/c she needs to look back at this experience and not wish she had tried something different before changing her mind. (she did, go on to deliver without an epidural!)

Though, if they truly do change their minds, I don't refuse them pain meds. I think you can tell if someone is really refusing or just talking. sometimes, at least.

Yes, it is more work for me, in a way. I do have to be in there more. (unless, of course, you dont want me too. some natural women just want you to leave them alone, not rub their back or verbally encourage them) in another way, its less work. i dont have to do the epidural procedure. don't have to worry you're going to fall on the floor after the baby is born b/c the epidural legs wont stand up. dont have to catheterize your bladder b/c you can't pee wiht an epidural.

gosh, i'm rambing. i think i advocate for them and really want them to get what they want b/c of my own failed attempt to deliver unmedicated. i had a long hard labor, i screamed and screamed after i ran out of coping mechanisms. i got stuck at an anterior lip for a few hours, and couldn't push past it b/c i couldn't focus and calm down, finally got an epidural and to this day, nearly a year later, wish i had done things differently and still feel disappointed in myself from time to time. I really like to think that "healthy mom healthy baby" isn't the ONLY goal of labor/childbirth. having a satisfying experience is important too, and not to be blown off "oh its okay, you got a healthy baby ".

HappyNurse2005, you sound like a great nurse :) Your hospital also sounds great and very welcoming to natural births. I am not a nurse quite yet, but i'm in my second semester of nursing school and I really think that I want to be a CNM.

I have considered working as an L&D nurse, but I've read so much about all the hospital procedures, protocals and the managed births, that i'm just not sure I could. I strongly believe that birth is a natural and normal process and that women's bodies are designed for it! Our bodies are so smart and I think some people forget that..

The scariest thing for me is the poor women who go into the hospital low-risk and wanting a natural birth, but before they know it, they are confined to bed and having EFM, IVs, Pitocin, amniotomy and maybe even a c-section... it seems that women end up getting wrapped up in what everyone is telling them they should do, and their wishes get sidelined.

Of course I understand that there are situations where things like C-sections are necessary (I was a C-section myself.. my mother's pelvis was much too small, as indicated by the depressed ring on my head when i was born and my decreasing HR) so I am certainly SO glad that they are available in emergencies. I also believe that women should be able to labor and give birth however they want, it just seems that in many hospitals, they arn't given those options. That being said, i think i would have a hard time working in a hospital that really pushes the interventions. If a woman wants them, that's one thing... but they shouldn't be pushed or treated any differently if they want a truley natural birth.

Wow I rambled a bit, haha... I 'm so sorry if that sounded preachy.. it's just something that I feel strongly about :)

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Specializes in nursery, L and D.
LOVED that documentary. Would have had homebirth, but other politics got in the way. Either way we had a wonderful experience the 2nd time around.

I really want to be an L&D nurse yet I'm afraid my views would get in the way. There is so much intervention that goes on that isn't necessary.. yet so much is truely needed. I wouldn't want to hate my job because of my views nor would I want to end up "one of those nurses" who I hated because of my views.

LOL granted with my 2nd the nurse I had wasn't that bad. She learned really quickly :chuckle when she was doing something that was bothering me. (granted at that point in labor no nurse would have been my friend...)

She got swatted at a few times but learned quickly to prepare me before coming at me with the fetal heart rate monitor. Something about transition trying my hardest not to push wasn't the exact moment to interrupt me to listen to baby... especially when I was telling her to just give me a minute.

Altho big :yeah:from L&D nurses I bet you guys catch a lot of flack from patients, families lol not to mention us oddballs wanting natural births who swat at you for getting to close.. and your just doing your job. You also must be very fast dodging feet while checking someone at a 10 wanting to push and a contraction starts.. lol ...

I did notice my views getting in the way when I was doing L and D. Not that I let it affect pt care, but it was sad and dis-hearting to see so many pt taken for a section b/c the dr. was impatient, etc.

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I agree! I have never been swatted at while doing L&D. I've heard coworkers say they've been squeezed hard etc, but never hit, kicked or anything. No one has a right to be abused like that, no matter how much pain the patient is in. jmho.

ITA.

They described situations like "I once had a kidney stone, so I understand", that sort of thing.

I didn't have kids, so I don't know how I would have reacted to something like that.

It didn't sound like any of the doctors were mocking the patients, which I have certainly heard of. :down:

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Specializes in LDRP.
since when is doing our jobs as nurses do we have the right to violate someone when they ask us not to touch them?

we don't. For ex, one lady, 2nd baby, going natural like she had done the time before several years before. SHe said "oh i feel like i need to push" so the docs checked her and seh was 9. So i stayed by her bedside encouraging, she kept saying she needed to push, so i'd say "well, how about i check to see if it is time?" she said no. then a few mins later, she'd say "you dont have to check me do you?" and i said "not if you dont want to be checked"

Then she said she knew it wasn't time for the baby yet, b/c she could still stop the pushing feeling.She also said "im 10, i know im at 10" A short while after that, maybe 10 mins, hte clear fluid that had been coming out was really bloody, i got some gloves on quickly she screamed and the head came out. No vag exam necessary!

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