holding a baby in after being fully dilated??

BETSRN · Mar 21, 2005

My sister's friend just recently had a baby. Her friend was telling her about the delivery. My sister's friend said that she had fully dilated to 10 cm in 4 hours and her doctor was in a surgery at the time. A nurse went to tell the doctor and the doctor told the nurse to tell the patient to "hold the baby in" while he was finishing up the surgery. She had to hold the baby in for almost 2 hours to wait for the doctor!! When the baby was born, it had swallowed a lot of amniotic fluid and because of that, the baby was not able to hold any of it's formula down and the baby ended up losing 2 pounds within 3 days after being born. Then, the baby became jaundice and had to stay in the hospital for an extra 2 weeks. My sister's friend was furious because of this and her mom and mother in law were mad that the doctor had said to hold the baby in and the nurses thought that it was the wrong thing to do and they were also mad at the doctor for doing that. There was a resident doctor on the floor at the time but the other doctor would not let the resident deliver the baby.
My question is, do you think it is harmful for a woman to have to hold her baby in after she is dilated?? especially for two hours?? I thought that it sounded very dangerous.

There is something major missing in your scenario. Many women can be fully dilated for hours and until the baby labors down, they have no urge to push and in this case it is best NOT to be pushing when there is no urge to do so.

If the lady had truly had the URGE to push, there would have been no holding the baby in.

Babies swallow a lot of amniotic fluid anyway. Remember, they are drinking amniotic fluid and peeing it out all the time they are inside. Many babies are very full of fluid when they are born. This has nothing to do with the fact that the baby was inside all that time.

I have NEVER seen a baby lose 2 pounds within three days. You have been given misinformation. It sounds as if someone weighed the baby incorrectly initially if they were getting such divergent weights. This is especially uncommon with a formula fed baby. I have never seen a baby lose that much weight in such a short amount of time, ever.

Babies do become jaundiced but there is too much that is incorrect in your entire story to sound at all accurate. Please understand I don't mean to sound unkind, but this all just doesn't go together. Often people misinterpret what they hear. It seems to me that whoever told you this story has a lot of mistakes in the whole picture.

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2005

and I do not play one on TV, but I did have 2 babies. I know with my son, I don't care if someone held a gun to my head, I could not have "held him in". He was ready to come and I was more than willing to accomodate him. I have said in jest to a woman I am wheeling up to L&D from ER, just hold that baby in till we get there, but I know good and well, that is not possible when the baby is ready.

I'm sorry your sisters friend had problems but as already noted, maybe she misunderstood some things and didn't quite understand what was happening.

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 21, 2005

There is something major missing in your scenario. Many women can be fully dilated for hours and until the baby labors down, they have no urge to push and in this case it is best NOT to be pushing when there is no urge to do so.
If the lady had truly had the URGE to push, there would have been no holding the baby in.
Babies swallow a lot of amniotic fluid anyway. Remember, they are drinking amniotic fluid and peeing it out all the time they are inside. Many babies are very full of fluid when they are born. This has nothing to do with the fact that the baby was inside all that time.
I have NEVER seen a baby lose 2 pounds within three days. You have been given misinformation. It sounds as if someone weighed the baby incorrectly initially if they were getting such divergent weights. This is especially uncommon with a formula fed baby. I have never seen a baby lose that much weight in such a short amount of time, ever.
Babies do become jaundiced but there is too much that is incorrect in your entire story to sound at all accurate. Please understand I don't mean to sound unkind, but this all just doesn't go together. Often people misinterpret what they hear. It seems to me that whoever told you this story has a lot of mistakes in the whole picture.

took the words out of my mouth.

greenivy · Mar 21, 2005

When my labor progressed very rapidly at about 10:00pm (long after my midwife went home) the nurse on duty checked me and I was dilated to 10cm. I did feel the urge to "bear down" and push and while someone else was on the phone calling the midwife, two other nurses were at my bedside, heeing and whooing with me, helping me NOT to push. Toughest thing I've ever done. Thank goodness it was only for about 25 minutes (felt much longer) till the midwife arrived. After she arrived, baby came out in three pushes. In hindsight, I wonder why there wasn't another ob around and why they weren't called but I wasn't in the questioning mode.

jrring1019 · Mar 21, 2005

My sister's friend just recently had a baby. Her friend was telling her about the delivery. My sister's friend said that she had fully dilated to 10 cm in 4 hours and her doctor was in a surgery at the time. A nurse went to tell the doctor and the doctor told the nurse to tell the patient to "hold the baby in" while he was finishing up the surgery. She had to hold the baby in for almost 2 hours to wait for the doctor!! When the baby was born, it had swallowed a lot of amniotic fluid and because of that, the baby was not able to hold any of it's formula down and the baby ended up losing 2 pounds within 3 days after being born. Then, the baby became jaundice and had to stay in the hospital for an extra 2 weeks. My sister's friend was furious because of this and her mom and mother in law were mad that the doctor had said to hold the baby in and the nurses thought that it was the wrong thing to do and they were also mad at the doctor for doing that. There was a resident doctor on the floor at the time but the other doctor would not let the resident deliver the baby.
My question is, do you think it is harmful for a woman to have to hold her baby in after she is dilated?? especially for two hours?? I thought that it
sounded very dangerous.

Your sisters friend would be blaming the nurse or resident for the "complications" (which are not complications) if they had indeed delivered the baby. She would think that the baby wasn't suctioned properly etc...

People think anything other than perfection is a complication and someone holds the blame.

elizabells, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2005

Your sisters friend would be blaming the nurse or resident for the "complications" (which are not complications) if they had indeed delivered the baby. She would think that the baby wasn't suctioned properly etc...
People think anything other than perfection is a complication and someone holds the blame.

Lol, when I was born the nurses (supposedly) asked my mother to hold me in until they finished report, as she was still in the labor room and no one was available to go with her to the delivery room. Yeah, she had me in the hall while they were wheeling her over. I still hear about it when she's mad at me. In fact, when she was trying to convince me to go to med school instead of nursing school, this was one of the "reasons" she cited.

LPNer · Mar 21, 2005

What? You can't hold a baby in!

They come when they are ready. Pushing? Yes, we can not help but push when the baby says push but I have known women who tried not to, not an easy thing to do!

How did she holdit in? With a cork or by hand? LOL

IMPOSSIBLE! You need a lot more to convince me she "held it in" for two hours! lol

baby&mommynurse · Mar 21, 2005

There is something major missing in your scenario. Many women can be fully dilated for hours and until the baby labors down, they have no urge to push and in this case it is best NOT to be pushing when there is no urge to do so.
If the lady had truly had the URGE to push, there would have been no holding the baby in.
Babies swallow a lot of amniotic fluid anyway. Remember, they are drinking amniotic fluid and peeing it out all the time they are inside. Many babies are very full of fluid when they are born. This has nothing to do with the fact that the baby was inside all that time.
I have NEVER seen a baby lose 2 pounds within three days. You have been given misinformation. It sounds as if someone weighed the baby incorrectly initially if they were getting such divergent weights. This is especially uncommon with a formula fed baby. I have never seen a baby lose that much weight in such a short amount of time, ever.
Babies do become jaundiced but there is too much that is incorrect in your entire story to sound at all accurate. Please understand I don't mean to sound unkind, but this all just doesn't go together. Often people misinterpret what they hear. It seems to me that whoever told you this story has a lot of mistakes in the whole picture.

:yeahthat:

court519, maybe it would be better if your sister's friend posted her own side of the story... then we could get a better view. Everyone knows how stories can get misconstrued when passed along. However, I do understand how upsetting and scary it is for new parents when complications happen with their baby... even with common things such as weight loss and jaundice.

2ndCareerRN · Mar 21, 2005

My sister's friend just recently had a baby. Her friend was telling her about the delivery.

Way to many friends, she said, etc.

My reply: read the previous posts, that pretty much sums it up.

bob

LPNer · Mar 21, 2005

:yeahthat:
court519, maybe it would be better if your sister's friend posted her own side of the story... then we could get a better view.

Very true, but I still do not believe she "held that baby in" for almost 2 hours. There is a chance she could have (with a lot of support) not pushed for two hours, but thee's no way on Gods' green earth she "held it in!"

Baby will arrive when ready weather mom pushes or not. Being fully dilated for 2 hours before baby made it on out without mom pushing? Sure. Used to happen more frequently, when they drugged moms to the hilt, and pushing was not possible. My first one, and they quit drugging moms so heavily between #1 and #2 for me, took nearly 45 minutes to come on out. Why not 2 hours? I can see that, but I will never believe she "held it in." It just can't happen.

That is not to say the Doc could not have lent that baby some assistance had he been there, but that is not what the stated problem is.

USA987, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 22, 2005

There is something major missing in your scenario. QUOTE]
:yeahthat: