Natural Birth Friendly Nursing?

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Birth has always been a passion for me. I had wanted to be a direct entry midwife before I realized how little money they make (and I could not survive on it).

I am now in nursing school and part of me wants to run as far as possible from OB-gyn because of how much of a passion I have for birth. But the other part wonders if just maybe I could somehow make a difference if I was there.

Is it hard to (or do you even) see interventions that are not "necessary" pushed onto patients because its standard proceedure?

Is it hard to (or do you even) see women have cesareans when they don't need or want them?

At the end of the day, does the joy of being a part of the birth experience override the bad?

And really... can you make a difference even if the system doesnt necessarily change?

I hope this makes sense and does not offend. I think that nurses are the best thing in the world and I know that interventions and cesareans are necessary at times. I just remember being in the hospital, and afraid, and wishing someone had taken a few minutes to make me feel like I had some control over the situation and helped me understand what was going on and why, and a big part of me wants to do that for others. I just dont know if I am strong enough to bite my tongue enough.

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Specializes in ER, Peds, Charge RN.

I think that as an L&D nurse, it would be important that you don't push your beliefs onto others. Not that I think you would, but I'm just speaking from personal experience. I got an epi and my nurse made me feel bad about it. That's not cool.

I do know that at my hospital, there are nurses who are particularly good at NCB, and patients who want to go natural often request these ladies. Sorry, not an OB nurse so I can't offer much guidance, I just thought I would throw my 2 cents in.

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I guess thats the wrong phrase for what I meant... just that I really feel that the woman should have the best birth SHE can/wants to have, instead of being "pushed through the system" and I would have a hard time standing by or being part of system that didnt take her into consideration.

I would never make someone feel bad for their choice, whatever it was. I just think that birth is such a wonderful and magical and memorable event that should be cherished and I'd want to support the parents in doing that (within the constraints of doing a billion other things of course) In my (admittedly few) experiences, I've just seen so much squishing of patient choice (my OB said once that pregnant women are like children, and just like children sometimes you have to scare them into doing what is "best for them").

I love birth in all its forms and would feel blessed just to bear witness, but its the other "stuff" like doctors bullying women into cesareans or just having to follow "protocol" for things that are not truly necessary that parents do not want (like ignoring birth plans etc) that I would wonder if I could handle.

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Specializes in OB, House Sup, ER, Med Surg.

I am an OB nurse. Each birth is magical and it truly is a blessing to be there. As a nurse, you are in a great position to advocate for the patient. I try to be supportive of whatever decisions the mother makes. Sometimes, that does mean setting my personal feelings aside (when mom wants anesthesia, or wants to bottlefeed, etc...). I am in a small hospital with AWESOME providers who are supportive and don't view birth as a medical event. That makes all the difference.

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Specializes in geriatrics, L&D, newborns.

Unfortunately, where I work, too many of the pts. are uninformed and will do whatever their doctor says. They don't question anything, have not thought about pain control, have not attended even a childbirth ed class and there are no LaMaze classes anywhere around. Most of the births are induced. It is the rare person who actually comes in in labor And if you ask them why they are being induced - "My doctor just told me to come here at 11 PM. " They have no clue. I think it would depend on the hospital and the doctors in practice in your area.

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Unfortunately, where I work, too many of the pts. are uninformed and will do whatever their doctor says. They don't question anything, have not thought about pain control, have not attended even a childbirth ed class and there are no LaMaze classes anywhere around. Most of the births are induced. It is the rare person who actually comes in in labor And if you ask them why they are being induced - "My doctor just told me to come here at 11 PM. " They have no clue. I think it would depend on the hospital and the doctors in practice in your area.

Unfortunately this is what I see too. I think NCB is wonderful and that we scare women into believing it can't be done. I think it could be something very empowering in a woman's life, not to mention cutting down on complications by avoiding our interventions. I also believe that a woman should educate herself and make whatever choice is best for her. Unfortunately, few women are educated, they follow what their doctor tells them, and the doctors rarely have the best interest of the woman/baby in mind. It is truly .a losing battle to try to inform a patient about her choices and rights when it goes against what the doctor has told her and what unit policy says.

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To answer some of your questions:

Do you see interventions placed on patients that may not be necessary? The answer is yes all time. If a doctor wants them delivered, they are delivered.

Do you see women having sections because they don't need or don't want them?

Yes. We live in a time where anything can be on demand, even csections. Sometimes its like going to McDonalds Just drive up and order up a section

Does joy overide the bad?

Most definately.

Can you make a difference?

Yes you can make a difference to one woman and one baby at a time...

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I think you should work in ob as a nurse. I also think you shoudl write down your feelings about how evil OBGYN is now so you can look at it after a few years actualy seeing how things are. I think you will be greatly surprized at how differnt things look to you.

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I got an epi and my nurse made me feel bad about it. That's not cool.

Neither is La Leche giving me a 15-minute lecture on why I should put my screaming colicky infant back on my cracked, bleeding nipples while I sit in the pit of PPD, planning my suicide.

Thank goodness for understanding lactation consultants and hospital-grade breast pumps. :lol2:

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Neither is La Leche giving me a 15-minute lecture on why I should put my screaming colicky infant back on my cracked, bleeding nipples while I sit in the pit of PPD, planning my suicide.

That was just so well written and so shockingly awful, yet totally believable. I'm also sorry if it's not funny to you (understandable), but made me laugh because of the absurdity. It sounds like things improved greatly for you?

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That was just so well written and so shockingly awful, yet totally believable. I'm also sorry if it's not funny to you (understandable), but made me laugh because of the absurdity. It sounds like things improved greatly for you?

Yes, I can laugh now, especially when I think of the covert way I had to get the breast pump. The lactation consultant set up a time on Sunday afternoon, when no one would be around, for my husband to get the pump. Then we paid for three months so that no one would see checks come in and question why I had the super-pump. It was all so ridiculous. I could have kissed her, though.

And, yes, things are sooooo much better. And, I'm sure LLL would be surprised to learn, my daughter is now ten years old with no sign of attachment disorder from taking a bottle. :D

Seriously, though, I learned that not all things come "naturally" when it comes to having babies, and some things just don't go well, and it's not the mom's fault. Everyone needs to do what's best for them and their family and the last things moms need is the guilt that some folks can dish out.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

I am not an OB nurse, but as a mother of 5, and foster mother (in the past) to 11, I often get called upon as a casual resource person for new mothers.

And when I worked at a hospital that was just starting to take OB patients, I felt so privileged to have the house sup call me to talk to a mother who had just had her fifth baby -- the lady and her DH wanted that many kids, but all the in-laws were giving them grief about how "awful their lives would be with all those kids!" I talked to her about my kids (who were 10, 10, 9,8, & 7 at the time), and how great it was and how happy I was to have all of them. That lady perked up and she was so happy to find someone who understood her feelings of WANTING a bunch of kids (and they appeared to be quite financially solvent, not sure why the in-laws were in such an uproar), and she went to bed that night relieved and emotionally more secure.:yeah::heartbeat

A nurse in the hospital can make all the difference to the mother in helping her get the birth/baby feeding/bonding experience she wants. And if she doesn't get it there, I have felt so great and so privileged to help new mothers at home, teaching them to nurse and explaining babies and their behaviors and care. :heartbeat:nurse:

So, to the OP, I say yes, work in OB, see what a difference you can make. You may at some point in the future want to become a CNM or a LaMaze class instructor, or work with LaLeche League, or a doula. Or just be a casual resource for those who need help and don't have the financial resources to get it otherwise. All of these things can be very rewarding.

And although it doesn't happen very often, in hospital OB work, you WILL see the occasional mother who codes (PE, unknown heart disorder), and be thankful for those resources. :bowingpurI have taken care of just those two patients in the past several years.

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