Personal L&D w/son...want your opinions?? LONG

Published

Ok....its been 4.5 yrs since I gave birth to my first, a boy, but I still pain over my experience all the time.

I would love to hear from you experienced L&D nurses what you think should have happened so I can finally feel validated that they didnt do right by me.

Pre-labor quicky:

Lots of preterm contractions and tons of pelvic pressure around 30 weeks. Appt. with OB at 32 weeks and she about dropped on the floor after I begged her to give me a vag exam just to see what was going on.

22 yrs old, first baby, 32 weeks, 4 centim. She looked at me in disbelief and said you are still walking around???? After checking my chart/ultrasounds (I had several from 1st tri) she said OK, Go home, do nothing, keep hydrated very well, and I will see you next week!

Delivery:

36 weeks hit and that was it....he WAS NOT staying in. Check in and find out my normal OB is on vaca....great! I get to be delivered by someone I have never seen before but o'well.

In triage the chief resident ob checks me ( I still call her superwoman....gawd her hands were huge and she was not gentle in any sense of the word) and decides they need to take a piece of cervix for exam(I am going into my first year of nursing school this semester so I dont know what thats called?) and I almost fell off my bed from the pain. Im put in a room and ready to roll. IV done etc.....voided after put in my room.

3 hrs pass im now 5 cnm, 50%, -3 station (if I remember correctly) and no change. 1st yr res comes in to break my water. After 20 minutes and alot of pain and bleeding she proclaims "I had to have gotten it by now". Yeah, those are words to live by.

2 more hrs no change. They decide to put me on pit. Im upped by 6 every 20 min. They tell me to lay down and rest and they will be back in a couple of hrs. My nurses check on me and say well your getting in a better pattern we should start seeing some change in the next few hrs. They put in internal monitors for both the baby and my contractions. I have been checked only once by the 1st yr resident and told I could no longer get up to void.

hrs pass no change and pit is still going....I was on pit for over 6 hrs with no change is this normal???

havent voided since they put in my internal monitors. Doc who delivers me comes in and does a vag exam......VIOLA.....whats that?????? someone didnt what????

My water hasnt been broken yet????? So what was the "I must have gotten it by now speel"????

After that I was in so much pain I cant explain to any of you. My internal monitor for my contractions was in the 220's and I felt like my whole body was being torn in half. The flood gates had been opened and I had gone ALL NATURAL until that point. Not because I was being "stoic"sp? but because I didnt need it.

My hubby, sister, mom, and MIL were all bawling as I writhed in pain and with each massive contraction. After 45 minutes of begging my mom in a barely there voice to please do something "Superman"(chief res ob) came in and my mom had words with her. She was not very kind to my mom and said she will be fine...women give birth maam every hour of every day. She will live. She contacted Dr. of Aneth. for my epi.

That was a whirlwind and he tried his darndest to get me that stuff fast! My absolutely wonderful and glorious L&D RN (who was Jamaican...god I loved that woman!) Spoke to me kindly as I went through it with her great accent.

He looked at me and said...roll over and I will get your meds on board. I cried and said "I am sorry but I pushed....is that ok?" He immed. looked at my RN and said page the dr. 911 and proceeded to say its too late. No meds darlin your going to have a baby. Well that epi was for naught as I never got relief. I tried to push but I couldnt. Hadnt anyone realized I needed to void???? The doc did immediately so I could proceed to push and immediately began telling me how sorry she was. They took off over 1900 cc's! The doctor told me its was almost the equivalent to a 2 liter of pop and the most she had ever seen at one time. I paid dearly for that oversight. My son came flying out in a short 15 minutes after that with his own complications for months.

I still think if they had broke my water I would have never gone through that pain or trauma. My daughter was born in 1.5 hrs very easily.

Am I justified in feeling that I was done very very wrong? And could I have done anything differently or not?

Thanks for reading my long story. I really needed educated people to read it and get it off my chest.

I plan on spending alot of time in L&D after getting my RN before going for my CRNA. I dont blame any of my nurses for the oversight....however I blame the 1st yr res. and the dr. who should have been behind her making sure my water was broken. Please tell me this doesnt happen all the time????

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

That story sounds so bizarre that people could treat you so poorly. Also some inaccuracies...you gotta be a complete klutz to miss AROM with a cervix at 5cm, and then they got an internal moniter in- your water HAD to have been broken, or the moniter wouldn't have been reading. Just sounds like you may have been mixed up in some cases. But if even half is true they screwed up.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
That story sounds so bizarre that people could treat you so poorly. Also some inaccuracies...you gotta be a complete klutz to miss AROM with a cervix at 5cm, and then they got an internal moniter in- your water HAD to have been broken, or the moniter wouldn't have been reading. Just sounds like you may have been mixed up in some cases. But if even half is true they screwed up.
Thats the part I dont understand. I never had any flow until the OB who delivered me broke my water. Then it was a flood and I clearly knew it had been done.

He never came out with an electrode on his head nor did I ever see anything that was reading him???? Except the monitor on my belly. The 1st yr said she was going to put it in after she put my internal monitor for my contractions but I have no clue if she every really did. I am all for teaching hospitals but its clear the Teachers need to be present in these situations.

Could she have still put in an int. mon. for contractions with a full bag of water? Is it possible to have ?two? bags of water?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I agree w/Canoehead. So many things done wrong here I can't even address them all. I hope you do'nt believe OB is like this everywhere. Cause it's not. I am so sorry for your experiences. They truly scarred you......but it can be SO much better next time. I wish you well.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

No you don't have two water sacs for a singleton pregnancy----but imagine if you will, a balloon that is pinched off, and you break 1 half, but the other is intact beyond the pinch. The baby may be the "pinch" keeping the other part of the sac intact, and as he/she descends, that piece of sac may bulge or break, then, too. Make sense?

Often, in the OB world, this first part of the bag is called a "forebag" in that breaks first, or it bulges, preceding the presenting part in labor. Then, more breaks as labor progresses--- or the doctor/midwife feels the need to break it to make things progress. This is how we can explain a person's water "breaking more than once" in labor. So, it is possible they put in internal monitors after the forebag broke, yet there was more amnion intact beyond which could be reached, and later, it broke too. Hope this helps you some.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
No you don't have two water sacs for a singleton pregnancy----but imagine if you will, a balloon that is pinched off, and you break 1 half, but the other is intact beyond the pinch. The baby may be the "pinch" keeping the other part of the sac intact, and as he/she descends, that piece of sac may bulge or break, then, too. Make sense?

Often, in the OB world, this first part of the bag is called a "forebag" in that breaks first, or it bulges, preceding the presenting part in labor. Then, more breaks as labor progresses--- or the doctor/midwife feels the need to break it to make things progress. This is how we can explain a person's water "breaking more than once" in labor. So, it is possible they put in internal monitors after the forebag broke, yet there was more amnion intact beyond which could be reached, and later, it broke too. Hope this helps you some.

Thanks so much that makes more sense. I just remember not feeling anything...no trickle no nothing and thinking there must not be alot of fluid in there LOL. Boy was I an uneducated mom/patient or what?

This experience makes me think I will always explain every process to a patient so they understand and have a say in their experience. I am not here to save the world or anything but at least I can help them understand whats going on in lament terms in their world.

Thanks so much....I feel better knowing you all see the errors and that my feelings arent unjust.

Man I love this board!:blushkiss

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm so sorry to hear about your awful experience. There's a lot that's bothering about your story...but it's hard to piece it all together without your medical records, kwim? It's obvious that you're still having a hard time processing this 4 plus years later and that it was very traumatic for you. :o Perhaps you can request your medical record and get someone to review it with you (your OB or your nursing instructor who teaches OB etc.)

The things that bother me the most are your prenatal management when you were 4cm at 32 weeks, taking a "piece" of your cervix, and not emptying your bladder (as much as you loved your nurse keeping your bladder empty was her responsibility). The way they went up on your pit so fast...

As far as your concerns with your membranes...SmilingBluEyes explained that well.

It's possible that they had internal monitors on you but still left the external monitors on your belly without them hooked up...I imagine a lot of it is a blur for you. If I were you I would try to sit down with someone and talk about it so that you can make sense out of it because it sounds like you need that...good luck to you in nursing school and I'm glad that the birth of your daughter was a better experience for you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Laura is right. We are not being cagey or confusing on purpose. Please understand, it's hard to piece it all together w/o medical records or charts. From what you say, a lot of mistakes were made. I don't like the sound of how things were done. But I was not there, involved in your care in anyway, so I am going to try and reserve judgement on specifics and avoid saying too much. I just do not have enough information. Like I said, you sound positively traumatized and for that I am truly sorry. But remember, and take heart, this experience need NOT be repeated in the next labor/delivery experience. I am sorry I have no more to offer, but you do have my understanding, compassion and support as an RN and fellow mom.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks so much for your compassion and understanding. I dont know why after all these years I am still not past it.

This thread is making me feel better hearing from you all. For so long I have battled with anger and hate and just need to relent and move on. What should have been the best experience of my life turned out to be the most awful because of the pain. Thank you for letting me vent and finally try to put closure to such a difficult subject. Call me sappy but im crying....but I think its good its making me feel better.

I think its a very good idea that I once-and-for-all get my medical records and go over them with my OB. I need to have things explained to me and have some things sorted out. You are very right, alot of it probably doesnt make sense because it was so traumatic, so forgive me for "not making sense" to you in the L&D field.

PS: I was told they took a piece of my cervix because I was pre-term. I was told it was standard procedure to do it in all their pre-term cases.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Boy was I an uneducated mom/patient or what?

This experience makes me think I will always explain every process to a patient so they understand and have a say in their experience. I am not here to save the world or anything but at least I can help them understand whats going on in lament terms in their world.

Your predicament shows the importance of patient teaching-you went in not really knowing what to expect and your immediatly lost your confidence when you found out your trusted ob-gyn was not available....Your anxiety really ramped up the pain....The rest of the scenario pretty much sucked,too but I am not an OB GYN nurse and can't speak to that aspect..I am just glad that you will take that experience and apply it to your future patients...."Woman give birth every hour of every day-she will live" hmph....I am surprised that your mom did not wack that person....
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Your predicament shows the importance of knowledgeand patient-you went in not really knowing what to expect and your immediatly lost your confidence when you found out your trusted ob-gyn was not available....Your anxiety really ramped up the pain....The rest of the scenario pretty much sucked,too but I am not an OB GYN nurse and can't speak to that aspect..I am just glad that you will take that experience and apply it to your future patients...."Woman give birth every hour of every day-she will live" hmph....I am surprised that your mom did not wack that person....

Well, as inappropriate as it was, my Christian mother failed God that day LOL Lets just say a few choice words to "superwoman"(ch. res.ob) and that doc was red in the face and quickly searching for the dr. of aneth!

She doesnt regret it either. While no one deserves to be talked to like that, she was none to kind to my mother and given the amount of pain I was in and the marks in my forehead getting more and more imbedded (I was laying on my left side hanging on to the rail with my face smashed to it, I couldnt move) my mom was freakin and couldnt take anymore. Mind you this is after we were told there were 3 sections ahead of me and it would be another 45 min before my epi. We all found that unreasonable that given my history of events and having been on pit for a long time that they couldnt find one dr. of aneth or a CRNA to do my darn epi like stat!

After my moms choice words the dr. of aneth. was there in less than 15!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Stat epis are unfortunately never guaranteed:) Every patient I have ever had wants the epidural N-O-W!!! I completely understand, but sometimes it can't be done. It sounds like your whole experience was just awful for you. At the very least, it would have been very nice if your doctor or nurse just sat and talked to you to explain things and let you debrief. Don't let anyone tell you that you should be over it by now, cause I have met women who weren't over it after 10 or 20 years because they never had the chance to discuss it. Venting is healthy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion