Coaching women during childbirth has little impact

Ted · Jan 3, 2006

Interesting.

My most ever loving wife has recently switched departments during her young nursing career. She is now on our happy little hospital's maternity floor eagerly and anxiously learning how to deliver babies. Of course she talks about her experiences to me (respecting HIPPA, of course :chuckle). A couple of mothers, when asked, said that they had no formal birthing plan thought out. :eek: :eek: There were no formal "coaching plans" for those soon-to-be new moms. :eek: :eek: Apparently, one mother said that giving birth was "natural" and said that she would just "wing it". (It was her first birth).

O. K.

Now understand that "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies. . . . " !!! But if I was a soon-to-be new mom, I would want a definate plan. But I'm not. Heck, I'm not even a woman. But if I was, I would at least want my husband present, reminding me to breath a certain way while I gave birth to a "watermellon" so that I could scream and yell at him.

Gratefully male,

Ted

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jan 3, 2006

I'd want as much of a plan as possible, consindering WHAT is coming out and WHERE it's coming out.

leslie :-D · Jan 3, 2006

i took childbirth classes for my 1st child.

when i went into labor, everything i had learned went right out the door.

when dh tried to coach me, i bit his wrist as well as the id band off his wrist.

i was like linda blair from the exorcist. i remember the l&d nurse saying this was the worst labor she had seen in her 23 yrs of experience. and the stupid doctor was nowhere to be found. :madface: by the time the ob was found, it was too late for an epidural. and i refused pain meds fearing it would affect the baby.

child #2 was 12 wks early so due to his size, the l&d was bearable.

child #3 i got an epidural-such sweeeeeeet relief. the only way i knew i was ready to push was from the pressure i felt. i reported the pressure, got an exam and i was 10 cm dilated and ready. i basically coughed him out.

so yeah, i can see from when the time comes, everything you've learned can go out the window.

leslie

allnurses Guide · Jan 3, 2006

Amen Leslie :yeahthat:

I too took a 6 week childbirth class and a 6 week Lamaze class.

All straight out the window when the hard labor hit.

Liars . . all of them. :madface:

God bless the CRNA who did my epidural for my 4th child - all the rest were "natural" and hurt like he!!

And I'm a L&D nurse . .. .

I don't understand making a "plan" though - I think I knew enough from the classes that you cannot micromanage your labor and delivery.

And that is one of the things I hated so very much about labor . . . . .I hated the feeling of something else taking over my body over which I had very little control.

Just get the child out - I don't care for the "process" so much.

steph

pugmum · Jan 3, 2006

i took childbirth classes for my 1st child.
when i went into labor, everything i had learned went right out the door.
when dh tried to coach me, i bit his wrist as well as the id band off his wrist.
i was like linda blair from the exorcist. i remember the l&d nurse saying this was the worst labor she had seen in her 23 yrs of experience. and the stupid doctor was nowhere to be found. by the time the ob was found, it was too late for an epidural. and i refused pain meds fearing it would affect the baby....so yeah, i can see from when the time comes, everything you've learned can go out the window.
leslie

Deja vu!

I remember someone telling me to push, and me yelling back to go get a @#$%&*! ROPE and drag it out, because i wasn't going to $#@+&^ push... so much for being carefully prepared !!! :lol2:

leslie :-D · Jan 3, 2006

Deja vu!
I remember someone telling me to push, and me yelling back to go get a @#$%&*! ROPE and drag it out, because i wasn't going to $#@+&^ push... so much for being carefully prepared !!!

oh! when the ob did show up to deliver my baby, i do remember him saying that the pain a woman endures is comparable to a man passing kidney stones.

i took my foot out of the stirrup and kicked his shoulder so hard that he rolled backwards in his stool. still don't regret it. :devil:

URO-RN · Jan 3, 2006

14 hours on average? my foot! mine took 36+:stone

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 3, 2006

There are WAY too many variables to say for sure "coaching" does not improve things or not. I am sorry women in childbirth have to be on any sort of timeclock at all. I will also say, most women going naturally need LITTLE coaching, just lots of support and TLC. Their bodies know what to do and when.

The ones needing "coaching" are women w/epidurals. And I tend to let them labor down and NOT push til the baby is VERY low----

Also depends on WHO does the "coaching" and how well the woman responds---everyone is different. Some want silence, others need lots of reassuring words.

This study just means so little to me. It does not take into account the many variables regarding women in childbirth---cultural, medical, emotional, spiritual. I just hate "studies" like this.

allnurses Guide · Jan 4, 2006

There are WAY too many variables to say for sure "coaching" does not improve things or not. I am sorry women in childbirth have to be on any sort of timeclock at all. I will also say, most women going naturally need LITTLE coaching, just lots of support and TLC. Their bodies know what to do and when.
The ones needing "coaching" are women w/epidurals. And I tend to let them labor down and NOT push til the baby is VERY low----
Also depends on WHO does the "coaching" and how well the woman responds---everyone is different. Some want silence, others need lots of reassuring words.
This study just means so little to me. It does not take into account the many variables regarding women in childbirth---cultural, medical, emotional, spiritual. I just hate "studies" like this.

I have to agree with you - I've noticed that what works for one woman does not work for another.

One thing that really bugs me is that there are a few nurses who insist that you HAVE to count to ten and keep the woman pushing for 10 seconds. I've had many women who just knew how to push and how long and I let them set the pace. Their amazing bodies just took over and they did what they needed to do. Other women need more "coaching".

There is no one-size-fits-all in labor . . . .that is why these kinds of studies are useless.

steph

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 4, 2006

I call that old "counting to 10 and pushing thing" , purple pushing. It's not always so great, OR effective and the baby WILL peter out if this is done for too long. But just TRY and tell our docs that. Sigh......

RNnL&D · Jan 4, 2006

There are WAY too many variables to say for sure "coaching" does not improve things or not. I am sorry women in childbirth have to be on any sort of timeclock at all. I will also say, most women going naturally need LITTLE coaching, just lots of support and TLC. Their bodies know what to do and when.
The ones needing "coaching" are women w/epidurals. And I tend to let them labor down and NOT push til the baby is VERY low----
Also depends on WHO does the "coaching" and how well the woman responds---everyone is different. Some want silence, others need lots of reassuring words.
This study just means so little to me. It does not take into account the many variables regarding women in childbirth---cultural, medical, emotional, spiritual. I just hate "studies" like this.

:yeahthat:

Some women benefit from coaching, some women do just fine on their own. If they don't seem to be pushing well, I ask if they think counting would be helpful. Otherwise, I don't do it.