Are We Still Holding Back Baby's Head?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

There was a story on the news lately about an OB who was in labor or nearly ready to begin labor as an inpatient.

She heard another patient scream and decided to investigate. She found a pt she knew from her practice and proceeded to deliver the woman's baby. She stated she was glad to do it so the staff didn't have to hold back the woman's delivery. I was shocked!

I know (have heard from L & D nurses) that the baby's head used to be held back, I guess with a towel, and the birth prevented from occurring until the pt's OB could get there and do the delivery.

Please tell me this doesn't still happen.

With my second child I went from 6 to 10 in

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Specializes in LDRP.

Lol absolutely not. I have caught a few babies, or walked in the room to find a baby in the bed, when the doctor was not available (in another delivery, in the OR, seeing a patient on another floor). I'd imagine it's hard to keep a baby inside that is trying to come out. It's almost impossible to convince a mom not to push when she is that far, and even if she can somehow breathe through it, her body is going to push for her anyway. It's much safer to just call for help and throw on some gloves and catch the baby. It's generally not a big deal. Precipitous babies usually come out pink and screaming anyway. The first baby I caught by myself was En Caul, which was really neat to see! Too bad there were no witnesses except me and the mom!

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
Well, I know nothing about this Rosemary Kennedy situation except what I just briefly read here on the interwebs, but does anyone else think it's possible that the lobotomy caused her ultimate problem?? The one they wanted her to have because she wasn't doing too good of a job conforming to the family standard for "appearances"?

That story doesn't add up. You don't supposedly get deprived of oxygen for two hours and be a mostly normal child....or live at all.

The lobotomy did cause her ultimate problem. As a child she was cognitively delayed and uncoordinated; as she grew she reportedly became quite uninhibited around men (and really pretty besides!), plus had a rage problem. Anyway, there is speculation that she may have had some ischemic brain damage from her traumatic birth, and possibly a coexisting mental illness that today would be treated, or possibly Asberger's.

Concerned about the family's reputation, Daddy Dearest decided on the lobotomy. The resulting TBI left her completely devastated.

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I'm not suprised that Rosemary Kennedy's lobotomy went bad. One of the drs involved was Walter Freeman. He eventually came up with the transorbital lobotomy, he also stopped partway through a procedure to pose for a picture. That ill-timed photo op killed the pt.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I'm not suprised that Rosemary Kennedy's lobotomy went bad. One of the drs involved was Walter Freeman. He eventually came up with the transorbital lobotomy, he also stopped partway through a procedure to pose for a picture. That ill-timed photo op killed the pt.

Right?? PBS' documentary series "American Experience" did an episode about him, called "The Lobotomist." It is chilling. No pre-procedure informed consent (fathers and husbands would agree to the procedure for adult women, Freeman not advising pts about the risks). He wasn't even a surgeon, performed his procedures in an outpatient clinic I believe. "Come line up your psychos!" At one point he averaged 8 PER DAY! As that weren't bad enough, if you look at his publicity photos/footage, you see he didn't wear gloves!!

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Wow. Just read the Wikipedia article on Freeman. That is some crazy stuff.

He would travel across the country like a snake-oil salesman, going to understaffed mental hospitals an performing his "ice-pick" lobotomy on patients. He drove a van around the country, and called it his "lobotomobile."

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Right?? PBS' documentary series "American Experience" did an episode about him, called "The Lobotomist." It is chilling. No pre-procedure informed consent (fathers and husbands would agree to the procedure for adult women, Freeman not advising pts about the risks). He wasn't even a surgeon, performed his procedures in an outpatient clinic I believe. "Come line up your psychos!" At one point he averaged 8 PER DAY! As that weren't bad enough, if you look at his publicity photos/footage, you see he didn't wear gloves!!

He didn't even wash his hands or instruments between pts. He had free run of the hospital now known as the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asuylum.

Side note: TALA's current name is actually a throwback to it's original pre-civil war name.

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As an L&D nurse who has delivered quite a few babies on the fly over the years, I can honestly and fervently say it is not only barbaric and against all practice guidelines to "hold in" a baby, but my God....if we're talking path of least resistance here, why on earth would I ever prevent a baby from coming? If you've ever pushed with a patient for over 3 hours, you know that having a baby just pop out with little to no work is absolutely fan-freaking-tastic. I'll take it any day of the week over a marathon pushing session.

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Well, I know nothing about this Rosemary Kennedy situation except what I just briefly read here on the interwebs, but does anyone else think it's possible that the lobotomy caused her ultimate problem?? The one they wanted her to have because she wasn't doing too good of a job conforming to the family standard for "appearances"?

That story doesn't add up. You don't supposedly get deprived of oxygen for two hours and be a mostly normal child....or live at all.

My mother grew up next to the kennedys and from stories and info I've read Rosemary was far from "normal", when she was young it wasn't as apparent but as she grew older, from what I've heard developed, I guess what would be called aggressive mood swings. My understanding is the lobotomy was not done to make her appear normal but to try to decrease/stop her outbursts. I gathered from the stories I'd been told that she could be difficult and aggressive.

On another note, from my emt training more than nursing, we were told NEVER to hold in a baby or have the mom cross her legs, the only exception to this was placenta abruptus (I think thats the right condition) when the umbilical cord would deliver before the baby, in that case we were supposed to insert a hand and hold the babys head off the cord, not hold the baby back.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

On another note, from my emt training more than nursing, we were told NEVER to hold in a baby or have the mom cross her legs, the only exception to this was placenta abruptus (I think thats the right condition) when the umbilical cord would deliver before the baby, in that case we were supposed to insert a hand and hold the babys head off the cord, not hold the baby back.

You're describing a prolapsed cord, and that is exactly what you're supposed to do about it, (as an EMT) until you get to a hospital and the patient gets to an OR for a stat c/section.

Placental abruption is separation of the placenta from the uterine wall prior to delivery, and it can range in severity.

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You're describing a prolapsed cord, and that is exactly what you're supposed to do about it, (as an EMT) until you get to a hospital and the patient gets to an OR for a stat c/section.

Placental abruption is separation of the placenta from the uterine wall prior to delivery, and it can range in severity.

Thanks, its been awhile, I couldnt remember prolapsed cord and placenta previa jumped in there, thanks for the correction.

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Good point

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