Pitocin

debbyed · Oct 14, 2001

That was way back before they did sonograms and such. I was healthy (Ffat and cranky) but healthy and so was the baby. But after 6 weeks she decided to induce so I went throug 12 hours of horror. I think I negelected to say that besides the horrible allergic reaction it also didn't work. Went back the next week and had a C-section. Bobby weighed over 12 pounds, had one tooth already started and rolled over in his crib the first night. Back than the babies were placed on their stomachs after feeding and he never did like sleeping on his stomach. The first time it happened, the Big MAMA type nurse really chewed out this little young new nurse for not putting Bobby on his stomach everthough she swore that she had. The next day the same thing happened to the Big MAMA Nurse. Bobby was crawling a 15 weeks and walking by nine months. I guess her really didn't want to leave the womb, but when he did, nothing held him back.

My second child was just the oposite. Since I had one C-section I was told that I had to have James C-section also. They took him a 9 months. He had respiratory distress syndrome and nearly died several times. He was always behind in size and activity and learning. I truely believe he wasn't "fully cooked yet" and that has caused him problems through out his life.

Now as a nurse I firmly believe that Mother Nature has her own time table and when we screw with it the mon's and the babe's suffer. Sure there are exceptions, but I have never considered the preferenced of the doctor to be one of these exceptions.

semstr · Oct 14, 2001

:eek: Wow, never heard something like that before!

Imagine walking at 6 months!

My daughter had her first teeth with 14 months, I thought she'd never had them!

Ach yes, nature is something really special and let it go it's way!

About the tub: only wtih an experienced midwife!

We had some babies who aspirated water (and blood and stuff, that was in the tub at that time, yak), becuase they were in the tub, under water, too long!!

So take care there!!

Renee

JennieBSN · Oct 14, 2001

Originally posted by Nursz-R-Awsm
I asked a fellow (experienced +10yrs) nurse at work, "does everyone get pit iv postpartum...even if breastfeeding?" She says, "yes, or they would bleed to death"...

LMAO!!! That woman would lose her religion if she did a midwife delivery @ my facility....not only do we not put those moms on the fetal monitor (we merely AUSCULTATE....GASP!!), but they DON'T HAVE AN IV, EITHER!!! If they need pit...and I mean NEED it...the midwives don't just shove it in out of habit...they get it IM.

Tell that old nurse that there's this neat little thing called fundal massage combined with breastfeeding that works JUST AS WELL, and doesn't fill up the doggone bladder with a big bag of IV fluids!! LOL!! I laugh because I used to BE one of those nurses...I freaked out the first time I had a labor patient who wasn't on the monitor and who didn't have an IV or anything...but now I LOVE it that way!! Education is truly a wonderful thing....

Nursz-R-Awsm · Oct 14, 2001

....not only do we not put those moms on the fetal monitor (we merely AUSCULTATE....GASP!!), but they DON'T HAVE AN IV, EITHER!!! If they need pit...and I mean NEED it...the midwives don't just shove it in out of habit...they get it IM.

Oh how wonderful! I can only imagine such a place. I guess I will have to move. :rolleyes: Arkansas is soooo behind the times! (btw..I'm a Texan hehe)

I will have to work on some of the open minded folks while I'm here...funny, plenty of the nursery nurses have open minds. It is so frustrating to see and being new, no one thinks I know what I'm talking about.... but I'm here for the experience (biting my tongue).

Lisa:p

MRed94 · Oct 16, 2001

While I agree with the "let's not use it until/if we have to" group, as a mother myself, I wouldn't have the healthy, happy children that I have without Pitocin and an Epidural.

Kid #2 was stuck in the middle due to being 8.8, and 19 inches and having her head turned ever so slightly the wrong way. She also had one arm around her own neck, so to speak. Elbow presented first. Took them a while to figger that one out.

My uterus gave up about 15 hours into it, and the Pitocin and the epidural saved me a C-section.

Kid #3 was 9.6 and also 19 inches long, and he did the same thing as kid 2, but without the arm. He had the cord around his neck.

Epidural time again, and doc came in and turned the beastie, and out he came. They had prepped me for C-section already.

To tell you the truth, the epidural was wonderful, and I felt sooo good after the kids were born.

After kid #1, at 8.7, and 19 inches, I wanted to die, I felt so terrible after that birth. Didn't stop me from doing it again, but I sure wish the epidural had been available for him, too.

I think it is all a matter of personal choice, and being able to be up and about without any stiffness, soreness, or other nasty symptoms, to take care of all of my kids without those kinds of things was wonderful!

I didn't fight the labor the 2nd and 3rd times, even with Lamaze and coach and etc..... I just didn't have to worry about anything but delivering the kids.

I am very small to begin with, a size 5 and about 125 pounds, and having those big babies wasn't a piece of cake.... I would opt for the epidural EVERY time...

I believe having a baby is a natural thing, but then again, I tried it and hated it. Why not take advantage of the help when it is there?????

As a nurse, I agree that it shouldn't be used for the first twinges, or even the hard labor, but it sure made a difference for me, feeling like a human instead of a bus terminal after delivery. I never felt like less of a mother having opted for some help.

Just my humble opinion.

BrandyBSN · Oct 16, 2001

Hey Marla :)

I never pictured you as a bus station... with that many kids, I would have said an AMTRAK :)

Your kids were HUGE! What an earth did you eat? I bet you didnt eat those bagels I try so hard to get you to :)

Sliding a sour creme bagel your way :)

BrandyBSN

Lzrdsgal · Aug 25, 2007

I was 6 weeks late with my first child and the doctors chose to use Pitosin. They told me there would be no ill effeects or adverse reactions (I wasn't a nurse yet)
Well Lo and behold..I had an acute allergic reaction to it. Of course they told me that wasn't possible because it was a human by-product but I had the reaction any way.
Although I can no longer have children I still list it with my allergies and physicians still tell me I could no possibly be allergic to it. Never say Never!

Hello, I also had an acute allergic reaction to pitocin... twice!!! With both of my last children I code blued after getting pitocin and woke up in the ICU!!! I am actually in a text book with Scripts medical because of how rare I am.

hvenbnd · Jul 2, 2008

A few nights ago I was honored to be the Labor nurse for a friend and fellow labor nurse's daughter-in-law. The delivery was uneventful and uncomplicated and the baby perfect. I used 3 mu of pitocin to augment her contractions and following the delivery of the placenta, I bolused 30 mu of pitocin as is our standard practice. Four minutes later the patient had a 9 minute seizure and was coded. We did CPR and she was transfered to the CCU. What happened? There was no preclampsia, her spo2 and BP's were normal throughout, no hx of seizure disorder and her cat scan showed no lesions or tumors, no signs that anything was out of the ordinary. Though the doctor's are still puzzled, I have a theory that she had an allergic reaction to pitocin. After reading further, seizure is one of the side effects r/t pitocin allergy. Anyone ever had a similar experience?