How do L&D nurses REALLY feel about natural birth?

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I am a CRNA who is currently 33 weeks pregnant with my first child. As of right now I am planning on delivering at a birth center near my home. However, I know the possibility may arise where I need to be transferred to the hospital, or I may get into labor and decide on my own that I'd rather deliver at the hospital. I am very determined to have a natural birth (i.e., no epidural, no IV meds)....obviously the birth center I am going to is very pro-natural birth. My concern, if I do need/decide to go to the hospital to deliver, is that the nurses there will not be very "natural birth friendly." I have been around OB long enough to get a feel for a lot of nurses attitudes towards things like natural births, birth plans, doulas, etc....and let's just say they are less than positive. I've sat in the nurses lounge and heard comments about how annoying patients are who want to have natural births, and how they "already have their paperwork ready for a c-section." This really upsets me and is one of the reasons that I don't want to go to the hospital to deliver. I want to be in an environment that is supportive of mine and my husband's wishes and I'm afraid that the hospital will not be that place.

So tell me, how do most L&D nurses really feel about natural birth? Are patients who come in requesting to go natural really treated with disdain and annoyance from the nurses? How do you feel about patients who refuse certain procedures (i.e., IV sticks, continuous EFM, etc.)? Obviously I will be putting the health of my baby first and foremost and if there is a medical necessity for any intervention I will be more than willing to have it....I just don't want a lot of unnecessary interventions attempted for the convenience of the staff. Sorry if I rambled a bit, just trying to get a feel for what to expect. Thanks in advance for any responses!!! :nuke:

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Had two Hispanic Spanish-speaking-only ladies yesterday. I was very glad I spoke Spanish as I was able to know their wants/needs and see to them. Both had beautiful natural births. I LOVE THIS. They did so well and were amazing mothers. Natural birth is something I am proud to facilitate. It's becoming increasingly rare where I am. I think part of it is we as nurses, just don't always have the time we would like to be the support a naturally-laboring mom needs to stay committed and strong for this marathon. I somedays wish I were a doula, not a nurse. But I really do my best to make their wishes respected and protect them. Because I do want everyone to have the birth they hope for and can be happy with, in the end, whether they choose to go naturally or have all the "whistles and bells". It's their right !

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Had two Hispanic Spanish-speaking-only ladies yesterday. I was very glad I spoke Spanish as I was able to know their wants/needs and see to them. Both had beautiful natural births. I LOVE THIS. They did so well and were amazing mothers. Natural birth is something I am proud to facilitate. It's becoming increasingly rare where I am. I think part of it is we as nurses, just don't always have the time we would like to be the support a naturally-laboring mom needs to stay committed and strong for this marathon. I somedays wish I were a doula, not a nurse. But I really do my best to make their wishes respected and protect them. Because I do want everyone to have the birth they hope for and can be happy with, in the end, whether they choose to go naturally or have all the "whistles and bells". It's their right !

I did my anesthesia training in Washington, DC where we have a fairly large Hispanic population. It always amazed me that almost ALL of the hispanic moms who came in to deliver always went naturally. As a CRNA we were required to see everyone when they were admitted to L&D just on the off-chance that an emergency would arise, we would already be familiar with the patient. Usually the first thing the Hispanic moms would say were, "natural birth".....and almost all of them went completely natural. I wonder why the difference between them and Caucasian/African-American women?

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

My best guess is that in Latin America, pregnancy and birth are not viewed as illnesses and Hispanic women are not sitting around just waiting for something to go wrong. They tend to assume that it will work, and so very often it does. We could take a lesson.

(I've also found the same thing true for women from countries where breastfeeding is the norm. They assume that it will work, and it does.)

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My best guess is that in Latin America, pregnancy and birth are not viewed as illnesses and Hispanic women are not sitting around just waiting for something to go wrong. They tend to assume that it will work, and so very often it does. We could take a lesson.

(I've also found the same thing true for women from countries where breastfeeding is the norm. They assume that it will work, and it does.)

These are the same lovely women who do both breast and bottle feeding successfully right from the start because they never got the memo warning them to worry about nipple confusion. Neither did their babies.

I know we're not supposed to generalize even for positive things, but I just love working with Hispanic moms.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
These are the same lovely women who do both breast and bottle feeding successfully right from the start because they never got the memo warning them to worry about nipple confusion. Neither did their babies.

I know we're not supposed to generalize even for positive things, but I just love working with Hispanic moms.

Me too, and don't even get me going on nipple confusion. :chuckle

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