Do you ever deal with pregnant patients who "flip out"?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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I know they say hormones can make pregnant women moody. Do you ever have women who flip out and they have attributed it to being pregnant?

I mean raging lunatic flipping out. I heard from someone there had been a pregnant woman who actually became so infuriated over being sold a shoddy product she felt she had been ripped off and she held the place up because they were giving her a hassle over a refund. I don't know if this is true or not, but I think after tonight I understand how this woman felt. I wonder if hormones really do contribute to very strange behavior in pregnant women (other than strange food cravings).

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

Anyone under great stress can "flip out". I don't find pregnant women any more "guilty" of this than anyone else in the general population. Got to ask: What makes you ask this?

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I think it is true. A friend of mine freaked out at a baby store when they didnt have her crib in yet.... it was being flown over from england. She even admitted that she couldnt control herself. Her husband just sat there and kindley asked that they try to get it in as soon as possible.

I think that post partum women are VERY much under the influence of hormones. We had a woman who had to be restrained by security for attacking one of the nurses all the while holding her baby in her arm. We have had several who have "flipped out."

Some women just become irrational, especially when their hormones are out of wack. It makes total sense though. Women who ae going thru the change can have serious mood swings.

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Specializes in insanity control.

OH YES. Had one flip out cause we had to do the shots at birth. Was trying to get off the bed with a 3rd degree. Did it again when was weighing and measuring. Said cause baby was crying. Could not get her to understand it needed to.

kelly

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OH YES. Had one flip out cause we had to do the shots at birth. Was trying to get off the bed with a 3rd degree. Did it again when was weighing and measuring. Said cause baby was crying. Could not get her to understand it needed to.

kelly

I'm digressing a little bit, but if mom said no shots, then no shots, right?

When our pregnancies my friend and I got what we called pregnancy rages. Just huge bursts of temper over things that usually wouldn't make us mad, road rage, etc. Not sure if it was just because we are grouchy people though. I also get "mom rage" now- like when some #$#$@$ in the grocery store was talking on a cell phone and hit my son who was IN MY husband's arms with her cart and barely noticed/acknowledged it as he screamed. I almost started a fight.

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

I guess I see so many people flipping out these days. Kids flipping out at school and starting fights over stupid stuff.

Grown adults starting fights at high school soccer games.

I have seen plenty of pregnant and postpartum "lose it" for one reason or another...but I really believe it had a lot more to do with underlying and already existant emo or psychosocial problems than being pregnant. Stressors and hormonal fluctuations bring out the worst in folks who already have underlying emotional or mental problems, that's all. I see this in pubescent kids too, who clearly already have problems---and then pubery hits and they really "lose it".

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I have seen it in a former coworker...the bigger her belly got, the bigger her attitude. And she would admit it and make a conscious effort to control herself; she never went completely berserk.

The most outstanding example is a story that a former nursing instructor of mine told me about herself. She is a normally very even-keeled person, doesn't get flipped out about much at all, very able to handle crises. However, when she was about 36 weeks pregnant, her husband told her that he'd be late for dinner the next night and for whatever reason that struck a nerve with her. She picked up the laundry hamper (full of clothes) and hurled it at his head. Missed him but knocked a big hole in the wall. She isn't the type to make stuff up, so I believe the story.

Personally, I am with CEG on the "mom rage" thing. Mess with me, that's one thing...mess with my son...ooooohhhh. Bad idea.:angryfire :angryfire

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Anyone under great stress can "flip out". I don't find pregnant women any more "guilty" of this than anyone else in the general population. Got to ask: What makes you ask this?

Well, I'm just not my easy going usual self. I feel like I'm standing up for myself more. For example, I have been doing private duty. I had been there 36 hrs. because of call-in's and the family was expecting me to stay yet another shift and became furious when I left...even though I came back 6 hrs. later. I believe I would have found it very easy to tell that family about themselves (lazy daughter next door who will not come to sit with her mother, would not have been shy about explaining the "rules" of private duty and explain why it is not reasonable to expect someone to stay 48 hrs... etc) I had been promised I wouldn't be walked on at this job and already have worked way more than we had agreed upon. I'm reaching a saturation point very quickly and won't take much more.

But last night I ordered a "service" online. One of those people search services where you can find anyone and get in touch with people. I paid $50 for it and the information is not only inaccurate but terribly outdated. It made me FURIOUS. I have been sending this company rageful emails demanding a refund. I think I would have normally cut my losses and gone on. But not now. I'm fighting mad and I wonder if it is because my hormones are making me fruitier than usual. That is when I remember being told about this pregnant woman holding up a store and it just made me wonder.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

My youngest DD, when she was pregnant...oh. my. God. I told her she was never to have another pregnancy while living at home, my nerves couldn't stand it again. She was hell on wheels. Raging, angry at people for apparently nothing, then crying, bawling for hours on end. Irrational as hell and couldn't make her see it for nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:chair:

That said, she is quite emotional when NOT pregnant, but pregnancy multiplied it x1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:sofahider

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

Standing up for yourself is not flipping out in my book. That said, if you feel you are somehow at risk, you would do yourself a favor to see your dr/OB about your concerns as soon as you can.

Best wishes.

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My youngest DD, when she was pregnant...oh. my. God. I told her she was never to have another pregnancy while living at home, my nerves couldn't stand it again. She was hell on wheels. Raging, angry at people for apparently nothing, then crying, bawling for hours on end. Irrational as hell and couldn't make her see it for nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:chair:

That said, she is quite emotional when NOT pregnant, but pregnancy multiplied it x1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:sofahider

I don't need to be pregnant for that... PMS dose it for me. :smilecoffeecup:

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Specializes in ER.

I knew a woman who had to be hospitalized for behaviors that were harmful to her and her baby. She was with us for months, and totally drove us to the edge. She would scream for hours, but not know what she wanted (among other problems). I actually posted about her a few years ago when I needed to vent badly. Anyway, I've seen her since she had the baby and she is a perfectly normal caring mom. I would never have believed it when she was pregnant, so I guess those hormones can actually make you nuts.

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