OB Nurses that are insensitive?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hi everyone, I'm posting this because I am curious to see what you think. I am a CNA hopefuly will start with my pre-reqs in Sep.

Anyways, about 5 years ago, I was a patient like many other you see everyday, I had my first child and needeless to say I gained a lot of weight :o, some of this a some of that caused my stomach to be covered with strech marks.

All the nurses were great but this one nurse, came to me to introduce herself when she looks at my stomach and tells me... "Ohhh no! You got alot of strech marks! You should have used some vitamin E oil"... :eek::eek: I was in shock and extremelly embarrased... No only you feel like crap when you give birth and want to cry every two seconds, but now I also had to worry that my nurse really notice my strech marks and comented about them too! :mad:

Long story short and going to the point... what do you think about insensitive nurses? I mean, I don't like the smell when I change somebody, but I sure don't make faces or coment on anything... shouldn't have she keep this to herself? Is it normal for nurses to comment like that?? I never did anything at the time, but it always bugged me. When I had my second child I saw her again, but thankfully she was not my nurse at the time...

Just a silly post that I've been wanting to write for 5 years!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Plastics. General Surgery. ITU. Oncology.

It's not very professional to say the least. I never, ever comment on a patient's physical appearance. I came originally from Plastics where we saw lots of nasty disfigurement and deformity. Sister would have gone loco if one of her nurses said "Wow you have four nipples" (or whatever) to a patient.

It's not acceptable. You see the patient as a person not as a set of stretch marks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac, OB.

Unfortunately, Im sure there are insensitive nurses in every field, just as there are nurses who are incredibly caring and professional. Im sorry you had that situation happen to you, things like that serve to make us better at what we do!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I had insensitive nurses in labor/delivery. One brow beat me because I didn't want an epidural (I mean she got almost nasty) and I had some comments/looks that were unprofessional when I had a "Code Brown" during a hard contraction before the pushing stage and another one while in the pushing stage.

I think your experience will probably help you have great bedside manner. Sorry that had to happen to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

I had some pretty bad ones in labor and delivery. I stayed in mild labor until the last 15 min and then here came the baby I begged them to look at me I went from 5cm to 10 in just minutes and I kept telling them the baby was coming When one finally looked I was crowning. This happened with all of my pregnancies. On the 3rd baby my Doc told them specifially when I said look they were supposed to do just that. I never had time for anythin for pain. I had all 3 with natural child birth. It was Wham bam thank ya maam

But the nurses just would not believe me and were so rude.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Plastics. General Surgery. ITU. Oncology.

General nursing training and Midwifery training is different in the UK.

Midwifery is considered a speciality in its own right and RN's cannot work in L&D without the Midwifery qualification.

I"ve been an RN 20 years but I know NOTHING about managing childbirth.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in home health- pediatrics.

Definitely not professional, but a true reflection of how that person reacts normally. They may not have even realized that is was rude or offensive (ignorance)! I would bite my tongue in that situation with the nurse, but definitely mention it to the hospital's guest services or HR. Some people just can't help the way they were raised, and if you felt so obliged to teach her what was wrong with that statement, you could have ;).

As a CNA/healthcare provider, you are wise to notice that improper behavior, but now you must take it with you and try your best to not treat other people like that. Sometimes we have the best intentions, but end up making a mess of things. This happens across cultures especially.

Code brown- I never thought about that happening during labor! I have not had any children yet, but how embarrassing! I would be mortified already, then just plain ****** if someone had looked unprofessinally.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

On the other hand, since OB tends to be a very intimate field, many OB nurses take on a motherly or sisterly persona. "Girlfriend, you got stretchmarks; you need to be using your vitamin E oil" sounds a lot less offensive when looked at from that point of view.

As your experience shows, you can't tell how someone will receive such remarks so you have to be careful. On the other hand, perhaps the remark was not intended to be insensitive but merely comradly.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks everybody for your responses. And yes, code brown does happen more often than we think... But it should be something that L&D nurses should be used to.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
On the other hand, since OB tends to be a very intimate field, many OB nurses take on a motherly or sisterly persona. "Girlfriend, you got stretchmarks; you need to be using your vitamin E oil" sounds a lot less offensive when looked at from that point of view.

As your experience shows, you can't tell how someone will receive such remarks so you have to be careful. On the other hand, perhaps the remark was not intended to be insensitive but merely comradly.

I have to disagree with you. Strech marks are a very sensitive subject. We don't like them and they are there for life... We have to deal with our mothers telling us about it, I don't want my nurse to point out at them, specially right after I gave birth when it's the worst time to be insentive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My point is, I wouldn't find that offensive at all and I wouldn't find such remarks from a nurse to be insensitive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I did find it very insensitive. I just gave birth, was left with a bunch of permanent marks, my belly was flabby, my hormones were a mess and the last thing that i needed was my nurse to point out what I should have done to prevent them. And she didn't sound like one of my girlfriends,to me she sounded like OMG! You got strech marks, what a shame!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment