WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pregnant women coached through their first delivery do not fare much better than those who just do what feels natural, according to a study released on Friday.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern found that women who were told to push 10 minutes for every contraction gave birth 13 minutes faster than those who were not given specific instructions.
But they said the difference has little impact on the overall birth, which experts say can take up to 14 hours on average.
Specializes in ER/Nuero/PHN/LTC/Skilled/Alzheimer's.
See, I've been told by magazines to have a plan for delivery ready and spelled out but I have friends who I work with from l&d say that sometimes a birth plan constrains them too much. When I asked my OB he gave a patient little smile and said why don't we just see where the delivery goes and make some basic plans right now?
I'm also from ED and we have a very strong fear of deliveries in the ED, so I'm a little afraid of the whole delivery process in general. My classes were nice, but some of the stuff that was shown seemed silly (from a medical professional point of view) and other parts were helpful or at least gives me an idea of what I would like to happen during delivery. I'm confused. I guess I will just have to wing it and hope my buddies at L&D are working the night I go into labor.
See, I've been told by magazines to have a plan for delivery ready and spelled out but I have friends who I work with from l&d say that sometimes a birth plan constrains them too much.
I think birth plans are rather silly except for your own use to guide your own decision making. Nurses know that people download birth plans from the Internet; they're pretty meaningless. If you want or don't want something, just say so.
I think the best thing you can do is thoroughly educate yourself about what you want. You need to know about interventions, their consequences and when they might be truly needed. You should then choose a provider who genuinely supports you (a patient smile would make me go somewhere else). Nurses on L&D have varying degrees of autonomy and will generally do what the provider orders. Remember, you can refuse any intervention, but you must be able to make decisions intelligently.
Lucky for my lamazze teacher I didn't see her when I went into labor. I might have choked her for trying to tell us anything she taught would help. :lol:
A well thought out, reasonable birth plan is a great thing to have. Talk to your Dr about his c/s rates and his feelings on "routine" interventions. If he seems hesitant to discuss these things with you, that is a BIG red flag (one which would have me RUNNING to find someone else)
I can understand "playing it by ear" but only up to a certain point, your care provider should be more than willing to talk about your concerns with you, after all this is YOUR birth. As stated earlier, if he isn't taking yoour concerns seriously, do you really want someone like that delivering your child?
The biggest thing is to educate yourself with solid, unbiased information. Be prepared, realistic and confident in your decisions.
Specializes in ER/Nuero/PHN/LTC/Skilled/Alzheimer's.
OK, so I delivered last Saturday and the nurses who helped me were wonderful!!! My husband did a lot of encouragement like we planned before and the nurses kept me up to date on my progress. I ended up having a c-section but what coaching I had was helpful, to me anyway. Most of the nurses were nurses I knew and had a repoir with before hand. I think it may depend on the patient. If someone is well prepared and has at least an idea of how to proceed, maybe not as much coaching is needed. But for someone inexperienced it can certainly make a difference. Just my from a newly delivered mom and nurse.
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----
Well said! i am a doula and an RN....I find that the girls who come in with no plan do just as good (if not better) thanthe ones with a plan, because the plan always chages in reality.
What I do with my girls is let them coach me. I tell them, "breathe with me, show me how to breathe. GOOD JOB!!!!" and i just keep reminding them, especially when they start to lse it, that they are in control and they can do it. I follow them not them following me unless it is horribly apparent that they are completely out of control.
Usually right after the baby is born I get a big hug and a THANK YOU becaseu "I couldnt have done it withotu you." And they come back later and say how helpful I was when really I did nothing but remind them they were in control.....funny how the mind and body works.
It amazes me how many women say that what they learned in Lamaze class goes out the window when the pain hits. My first question to someone like this is: " When the person teaching the class told you to go home and practice what you learned in class, did you go home and practice?" The answer is always "No." THAT'S WHY IT DIDN'T WORK!!! I gave birth to three full term babies with no pain medication using just the breathing and relaxation techniques my husband and I learned in Lamaze class because we practiced every night for 20 minutes. When I went into labor we were confident, in control, knew what was happening and how to cope. Like they say -It works if you work it! Don't blame Lamaze for your failure to prepare. :angryfire
from a newly delivered mom and nurse.
lupin
153 Posts
See, I've been told by magazines to have a plan for delivery ready and spelled out but I have friends who I work with from l&d say that sometimes a birth plan constrains them too much. When I asked my OB he gave a patient little smile and said why don't we just see where the delivery goes and make some basic plans right now?
I'm also from ED and we have a very strong fear of deliveries in the ED, so I'm a little afraid of the whole delivery process in general. My classes were nice, but some of the stuff that was shown seemed silly (from a medical professional point of view) and other parts were helpful or at least gives me an idea of what I would like to happen during delivery. I'm confused. I guess I will just have to wing it and hope my buddies at L&D are working the night I go into labor.