questions for L&D nurses from a pregnant nurse :)

[Lola77]

Hello! I am a med/surg nurse who is 34 weeks pregnant with my first child and will be delivering at a hospital close to my home (not the hospital that I work at - my hospital doesn't have an L&D). I have taken a Hypnobirthing class and am hoping for a natural childbirth. A CNM will be delivering my baby and I also have a Doula to help me. The hospital I am delivering at has a level III NICU and has a good reputation for difficult deliveries. It has a c-section rate of 41%. It also has a reputation for being less than cooperative with natural birthing mamas and for having older, "stuck in their ways" nurses who can be downright rude (for example, after a coworker of mine gave birth and was birthing the placenta, a nurse went to hook up Pit and my coworker asked to not have it. The nurse replied that "well, then I guess you will bleed to death" and stomped off)

This is why I am posting. I am looking for advice to help me have the birth that I want while not alienating/******* off the nursing staff. I know things happen and am well aware that my birth plan may not go as planned. I also have elevated BP (not pre-eclampsia, it is a pre-existing condition) so I know that inducing me/other interventions may be a reality. I have talked at length with my midwife about that. But I really really really want to make an effort to have a natural childbirth and would love the support of the nursing staff in my quest.

Any advice for how to make this happen besides just being nice and polite about it? Should I bring a basket of goodies for the nurses, or is that blatant bribing lol. I have a birth plan that I will bring - do nurses even read them? Do they help? I guess I just really want to know from L&D nurses what you need from me and what I can do as a patient to facilitate the process.

I really appreciate the advice. I have been stressing about this a lot. Thank you.

[clo883RNC]

Make sure your birth plan is reasonable and does not include absolute phrases like "under no circumstances". Remember to be flexible. Some things absolutely have to be done because you are in a hospital such as a medical history questinaire (and the same questions may be asked each time you visit), puting you on the monitor for an initial NST (non stress test), obtaining vital signs and making sure all is normal before you come off the monitor to walk. If you have to be induced you will absolutely have to stay on the monitor because we have to make sure everything we are doing the baby is tolerating. Always be respectful. I love women who can have babies with no epidural but at the same time do not snap at me because you are in pain. Remember this is your choice not mine. But under no circumstances should your nurse ever be rude and tell you you will bleed to death or your baby die. That is just wrong and should have been reported to management. As far as c-sections my philosophy is I would not want one but there are worse things in the world such as a fetal death or brain damage. Remember too you are not on a clock. Just because it is 5pm and you are not ready to push does not mean you need a c-section. That is my biggest pet peeve. I tell all my patients as long as the baby is doing ok and mom is good as well you can have more time. Now on the other end of that is if you are 4 cm for 8 hours well thats probably an indicatio that the baby is not going to fit. So between you and your midwife use your best judgement. At the end of the day we (patient and the nurses) all want happy and healthy moms and babies. Treats for the nurses are a nice gesture but are not required. I would treat all my patients with the same patience and respect if they brought goodies or not. Congrats!! and enjoy your delivery!!