Change in the way we practice

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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Specializes in OBSTERTICS-POSTPARTUM,L/D AND HIGH-RISK.

I have been an OB nurse for almost 26 yrs. The one thing I can say is that change is going to happen. Babies only come out normally two ways( lady partsl and c/section). But we have found ways to change everything else surrounding the delivery. Most of these changes have been for the good. Others are a matter of opinion.

A couple of examples:

1) All babies used to stay in the nurseries at night. Most babies were bottle fed. Now most babies room-in. Most babies start out breast feeding.

2) IUPC's used to be water filled. You would have to elevate the bed to the level of the IUPC to have it work properly. Now patients can move around freely with IUPC as long as it is secured .

What changes have you seen in OB nursing? It can be from any OB department. :idea:

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I have not been an OB nurse nearly as long as you have, Deb. So these are secondhand....

Mom tells me they wouldn't let her go home until she had a bowel movement after a vag delivery.

She also tells me they didn't feed babies at all until they were 8 hours old. Maybe that was a regional thing (I was born in S. Dakota.) No freaking wonder I got a little jaundiced....

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Specializes in OBSTERTICS-POSTPARTUM,L/D AND HIGH-RISK.

That reminded me ,Arwen, we didn't feed babies until they were 4 hrs old and every baby got sips of sterile water first to check to see if they could swallow. And breast feed babies got "sugar" water after nursing until the milk came in. Their milk came in while they were in the hospital because they stayed 5 to 7 days.:smilecoffeeIlovecof

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

5-7 days, I cannot imagine it!

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Specializes in everything but OR.

1. Dad's were not in the delivery room during delivery

2. Most Mothers delivered under some form of anesthesia and babies via forceps

3. Everyone got their perineum shaved

4. Some Mothers were given a triple H to induce labor (a high, hot and until they holler enema)

I'm sure there's more.......

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Specializes in nursery, L and D.

Well, we still don't feed babies for 2 hours! Don't know why, but there ya go. Also, it was within the last 11 years that we stopped doing the sugar water thing for breast babies. My son was born 11 years ago (yesterday:o ) and he got sugar water after feedings. The old timers tell me that they used to not feed for 24 hours!! This was about 30 years ago.

No one has mentioned that we used to tie moms down!! my mom tells me about this and she freaked out when they did, I think thats why my #3 sis was a surprise..........she didn't want anymore b/c of the strapping down thing. Some of the older nurses at work remember this.

I collect antique medical books and some of the stuff in them is a trip. In one of the books it describes how to do a delivery. It says something like......after the birth wrap the child in a warm blanket and set the child to the side.........and make sure he isn't in a chair where someone could sit on him.........I was ROFL at that point. Also, it talks of rubbing the child with sweet lard (fresh, of course, lol) and not allowing breastfeeding for up to 3 days. In several books it says something to the effect of.......mom doesn't have milk anyway, if the baby were meant to eat then God would have foreseen this and made a way for the baby to eat........guess they didn't know about colostrum!

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Specializes in nursery, L and D.

Oh, and my grandma says when she had my Mom (at 35 weeks), the bill was $40. $20 of that was b/c they had to turn the incubator on!

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I had my first 24 years ago - in Reno at St. Mary's.

I had an enema, they shaved me :madface: and I got an episiotomy. It was standard to stay 3 days for a normal vag delivery.

#2 born 22 months later in CA. No enema. No shaving (thank you God), no episiotomy and I was home in less than a day.

29 years ago a friend had a baby - I went to visit but NO visitor allowed in post-partum. She had a cesarean and had to push the baby to a glass door and visit through the door . . . .

My mom had "twilight sleep" . . .I imagine they tied moms down then.

steph

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Specializes in OB.

These are just a few things that I have heard of from other women, I have not been an OB nurse long enough to see many changes...

We no longer take mom to the "delivery room" to deliver

Dads are not just allowed in the delivery they are encouraged to take part in the experience

babys room in with moms they no longer stay in the nursery between feedings

24 hour stay after vag delivery, not 3-5 days

elective primary c-sections, not sure I totally agree with this one

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Oh boy, do I feel old !!! My own experience includes :

Babe # 1 (1960's) SEVEN day stay for vag delivery due to hematoma for a

VERY long mediolateral epis ( also triple H enema that never

completely expelled til after del, causing UTI ) Also, had to clean

nipples with cotton ball soaked in ALCOHOL prior to nursing.

Even as a teenager, I had more sense than that and only did it

once. And oh those heat lamps for those terrible episiotomies.

Babe # 2 Five day stay for vag delivery of 36 + 3 babe, no time for enema

but shaved again !! Babes were shown through nursery windows

twice a day only to visitors.

Babe # 3 ( 1980 ) Four day stay for vag delivery with forceps and

ANOTHER mediolateral-can't sit down epis No visitors at this

hospital except 1 grandparent scheduled visit.

Babe # 4 and # 5 Nurse midwife deliveries with second-third

degree tears ( scar tissue doesn't stretch well ) and

eight HOUR stays !! FINALLY got it right !!!!!!!!!!!!

Funny, we fought in the 80's when I started OB nursing to stop shaving patients as the studies showed increased infection rates, not less. Now 9 of 10 patients come in shaved smooth as a billiard ball because they want to be.

The visiting now is out of control ........24 hour stay for vag del makes sense, but no time to teach with so many people.

LDRs are nice too, we used to take them from labor room to delivery room to recovery room to their own room AND had to clean all the rooms ourselves.

RARE was the induction..........THAT was nicer IMO

I am sure we could go on and on in that vein, but has been covered in many other threads.

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Oh my gosh, forgot that RECTAL exams were used years ago to check for cervical dilation !!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

More baby boys got circed.

Not trying to restart the debate, just stating how things have changed.

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