OB myths and mis'conceptions'

at your cervix · Jul 25, 2002

preterm pt, tired of being sent home for false labor, claims that she will not go home because last time she was in (1 wk prior) the baby was crowning, the nurse pushed the baby back up and sent her home. (wow, what a cool new tx for ptl!!)

one i overheard in a resturant "the baby was just about out, the doctor came in and noticed that the baby was breech, the nurses couldn't tell, but he reached up inside me and turned the baby the right way and then I only had to push once." (i am sure that this poor soul meant to say posterior instead of breech, but it made for a funny mental image.)

"My baby has a dance that she does to country music, but she doesn't like rock music."

These pts sure keep life interesting don't they?

labornurse · Jul 25, 2002

Had a pt (antepartum for bleeding) whose father came in with her for moral support. He was out of the room when I was explaining to pt about the fetal monitor. I left for a few min to call the OB and right in the middle of the conversation, he runs out shouting that there is no line on the paper and the baby must be dead. He then promptly fainted.

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 25, 2002

How bout the ceremonial"passing of the mucus plug"????

i have had patients show up at the desk. Conversation is like this:

"Hi can i Help you?" -- reply: 'Yep lost my plug" Me: "oh really, what brings you here?" --reply " welp means I am gonna have a baby today, right? I mean the plug is gone so the baby is next!". Keep a straight face explaining that one.

Same conversation ensues with ladies who show up on their DUE DATES, saying "well today my baby is due, so here i AM!" Happens more often than I realized before I got into OB! Good thread!

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 25, 2002

Or this one: Back in my days when I was a nurse in rural Oklahoma: OLD OLD grannie comes in w/her great granddaughter who is 15 and in labor w/her first baby:

"This baby is smart, real smart:" Granny tells me. I ask , "Oh --yes? I am sure he is".

--Grannie: "well you know how I know he is smart; I done heard him talk from the womb!!!!"

---Me: "you did? wow, did not know they did that".

Grannie: "Girl don't you know from nothin'? EVERYONE knows when you hears a baby talking and crying in the womb, that means he is SMART! You nurses don't know from nothing with all your books and technology!"

Me: "See I learn something new every day, thanks for sharing that with me."

What else can I say? Maybe she is right! Anyhow, that is what brings "spice" to my work and I love people like these!!!!!

HollyWA · Jul 25, 2002

This one isn't from L&D---(I'm newborn/NICU):

I was asked to start an IV on a baby in peds. I remember this mom/baby from just the month before in OB. Mom white/dad black. Husband white. This mom was explaining to us that the baby was "dark" skinned from being mec. stained. What do you say then??? We said nothing!!!

I sure hope no-one from nursery told her that!!

sbic56, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2002

hollym4k

This mom was explaining to us that the baby was "dark" skinned from being mec. stained.

That is priceless!! :lol2:

at your cervix · Jul 26, 2002

Originally posted by SmilingBluEyes
How bout the ceremonial"passing of the mucus plug"????

oh yes, how could i possibly forget the "lost mucous plug". I love
it when they call first and tell me that they have lost their mucous
plug! I always tell them, well there really is no such thing as a
mucous plug-sure you may have more mucousy discharge, but
it is not plugging anything!!! But what I really want to say when
they tell me that they have lost their mucous plug I want to either
ask them "oh no, where was that last place you saw it!", or
"oh no, how long ago was it? Has the baby fallen out yet? Because you know that the only thing holding the baby in is that
big glob of snot!!!"

mark_LD_RN · Jul 26, 2002

one of my favorite myths is when they tell pregnant patient not to reach over her haed as this will knot the cord

GailWHNP · Jul 26, 2002

* Labor won't hurt

* Don't swim in lakes because aligators are drawn to pregnant women

* I've worked a lot with Haitians who bring in axes to put under the labor bed in order to cut the pain (Guess that's not so much myth as cultural thing.)

* I must admit, though, that I've never worked with a group of people so superstitious as L&D nurses.

mark_LD_RN · Jul 26, 2002

yo ugot that right gail! the nurses by me see a birth plan they put c/s paperwork on the chart,:)

sbic56, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2002

So true, Gail and Mark!

We sometimes pull out the c/s paperwork to ward of evil c/s spirits.

Have you ever been admonished for saying the "Q" word on one of those unusually quiet days?

If you mention the name of the patient who nobody really wants to see (again) then they will show up that day for sure!

Hmmm..sounds like a whole new thread on US.