Okay- I am not a nurse yet (planning on starting school in another year) My son was born this past october and I have so many questions that I need answered. I understand if no one wants to. I hope this isn't horribly rude to do, but he is 8 mths old now and I just can't get past some of the things that happened or why. Maybe some of you can clear some of this up for me?
I was induced at a week overdue- nothing was wrong- but I just assumed that there must have been a reason I didn't understand. Now I know there really wasn't any big reason and I want to know why I wasn't allowed to go into labor on my own? why are inductions so common? I was 'closed tight' (as my doc put it) at 41 weeks and after 3 rounds of cytotec nothing happened. Then my son stopped being active- this was the next morning after the induction started and I had never had a single contraction and never dilated past 2cms. What did they do but a c-section (which I learned later they said was for failure to progress, even though at the time they had me all freaked out b/c he wasn't moving enough!). I can't get past it now, i regret not asking more questions and hate how it all went. Is this a common scenario?
Why was I not just sent home to go into labor on my own when labor didn't start? Doesn't that generally mean baby is NOT ready?? I don't know why I was induced at all really...
My other question is: I chose to breastfeed, but as this was my first baby I obviously had no clue what to do. The nurses helped me get him latched within an hour of his birth- that was great- but it was later on that I had so many problems. First one nurse told me that b/c he was so big he just wouldn't settle properly (she said he was hungry???) and said supplementing would be best. I didn't know any better at the time and assumed she must know- but I refused to let him have more then a 'top up' b/c I didn't believe that he would really need much.. she was not happy with that.
Why would she not have told me the truth? I now know that there is no need for formula- I kind of knew it at the time- but he was 9.4 so I thought maybe the weight thing was just something I hadn't read about. Why are all nurses who not trained in proper methods of breastfeeding and ways to help?
I also had so many difficulties with getting him latched- and instead of helping me figure it out the nurses would come in, latch him and leave- never really showing me what I was doing wrong (this was usually in the middle of the night b/c my day nurse was awesome!)
Thanks for any and all help you can give me - any insight on these things would be great. I hope I'm not asking anything dumb- I know how it can be when you do this stuff all day and then someone asks you basic stuff, but really- this is just stuff that I didn't fully understand and I can't stop thinking about.Thanks again!
I am so sorry to hear what happened to you. As a chilbirth educator it is a story I hear all too often which women grieve for long periods of time. It is so sad to hear all of this, I begin RN school in September in another phase of finishing my masters degree in ARNP-CNM. I have a BA in medical anthropology and have been a doula, lactation educator and childbirth educator for four years and in reporductive healthcare as an MA, midwife assistant, and EMT for eight years. I attend births in a freestanding birth center on-call and have never had a birth go over 7 hours. Grant it we dont have high-risk pregnancies, but we have also only had to transport 2 women in three years. We do hypnobirth, waterbirth, and natural birth. I have to go to nursing school to become what I want to become. But now I am afraid I will be brainwashed into thinking c-sections and inductions are normal and birth is an illness and not a natural processes in a womans life. I have been to the FARM met Ina May Gaskin, work with Penny Simkin and Hency Goer and am now moving to California to finish school, where I hear there are barely any midwives and only few birth centers. I will miss Seattle!! Any advice?!!
Okay- I am not a nurse yet (planning on starting school in another year) My son was born this past october and I have so many questions that I need answered. I understand if no one wants to. I hope this isn't horribly rude to do, but he is 8 mths old now and I just can't get past some of the things that happened or why. Maybe some of you can clear some of this up for me?
I was induced at a week overdue- nothing was wrong- but I just assumed that there must have been a reason I didn't understand. Now I know there really wasn't any big reason and I want to know why I wasn't allowed to go into labor on my own? why are inductions so common? I was 'closed tight' (as my doc put it) at 41 weeks and after 3 rounds of cytotec nothing happened. Then my son stopped being active- this was the next morning after the induction started and I had never had a single contraction and never dilated past 2cms. What did they do but a c-section (which I learned later they said was for failure to progress, even though at the time they had me all freaked out b/c he wasn't moving enough!). I can't get past it now, i regret not asking more questions and hate how it all went. Is this a common scenario?
Why was I not just sent home to go into labor on my own when labor didn't start? Doesn't that generally mean baby is NOT ready?? I don't know why I was induced at all really...
My other question is: I chose to breastfeed, but as this was my first baby I obviously had no clue what to do. The nurses helped me get him latched within an hour of his birth- that was great- but it was later on that I had so many problems. First one nurse told me that b/c he was so big he just wouldn't settle properly (she said he was hungry???) and said supplementing would be best. I didn't know any better at the time and assumed she must know- but I refused to let him have more then a 'top up' b/c I didn't believe that he would really need much.. she was not happy with that.
Why would she not have told me the truth? I now know that there is no need for formula- I kind of knew it at the time- but he was 9.4 so I thought maybe the weight thing was just something I hadn't read about. Why are all nurses who not trained in proper methods of breastfeeding and ways to help?
I also had so many difficulties with getting him latched- and instead of helping me figure it out the nurses would come in, latch him and leave- never really showing me what I was doing wrong (this was usually in the middle of the night b/c my day nurse was awesome!)
Thanks for any and all help you can give me - any insight on these things would be great. I hope I'm not asking anything dumb- I know how it can be when you do this stuff all day and then someone asks you basic stuff, but really- this is just stuff that I didn't fully understand and I can't stop thinking about.Thanks again!
Your questions ahve been more than answered so well here. As an LC as well as an RN, I can tell you hpw frustrating it is to try and haelp all thestaff get on the same page. It would be wonderful if it could happen. However, like anything else, people bring their own experiences into it and that's such a big patr of the problems we see with breastfeeding education.
Sadly, breastfeeding education gets put on a back burner and if you have a manager who doesn't really see this as a priority, it's darned near impossible to get enough time or support to try and educate the staff. I run into this all the time.
I am sorry your experiences were so negative. You did get inadequate breastfeeding support by (as it sounds like) poorly trained staff.
I've worked L&D in Canada and I believe the SOGC guidelines are to offer inductions after 41 weeks and strongly encourage them after 42 weeks simply because the mortality and morbidity rates rise so sharply at that point. I've seen a few really bad post term deliveries (anyone ever see a nice mec aspiration combined with shoulder dystocia? The results were fatal for the baby unfortunately after an NICU stay). My advice would be to simply ask your doctor the questions you've asked here. Only he/she knows the real reasons.
As far as breastfeeding... inconsistencies are always a problem in teaching, partly because a lot of situations don't have black and white answers. Smilingblueyes' hospital allows cup feeding, mine doesn't. If I had that situation, we probably would use a lactation aid at the breast with a little formula if needed. Some nurses would bottle feed. Some would use an eye dropper. All RNs have the same basic training, but we're still human. For instance, I would never have a VBAC at a birth center without the capabilities for an emergency section (NEVER!!!!), other RNs might feel completely comfortable having a VBAC homebirth. In the end, I hope that you have a healthy baby and that you were able to breastfeed at home. I also hope you'll take more of an active role in your care and education in the future now that you know the problems you can have.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I am so sorry to hear what happened to you. As a chilbirth educator it is a story I hear all too often which women grieve for long periods of time. It is so sad to hear all of this, I begin RN school in September in another phase of finishing my masters degree in ARNP-CNM. I have a BA in medical anthropology and have been a doula, lactation educator and childbirth educator for four years and in reporductive healthcare as an MA, midwife assistant, and EMT for eight years. I attend births in a freestanding birth center on-call and have never had a birth go over 7 hours. Grant it we dont have high-risk pregnancies, but we have also only had to transport 2 women in three years. We do hypnobirth, waterbirth, and natural birth. I have to go to nursing school to become what I want to become. But now I am afraid I will be brainwashed into thinking c-sections and inductions are normal and birth is an illness and not a natural processes in a womans life. I have been to the FARM met Ina May Gaskin, work with Penny Simkin and Hency Goer and am now moving to California to finish school, where I hear there are barely any midwives and only few birth centers. I will miss Seattle!! Any advice?!!
You won't be brainwashed IF you remember your roots!!!
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I've worked L&D in Canada and I believe the SOGC guidelines are to offer inductions after 41 weeks and strongly encourage them after 42 weeks simply because the mortality and morbidity rates rise so sharply at that point. I've seen a few really bad post term deliveries (anyone ever see a nice mec aspiration combined with shoulder dystocia? The results were fatal for the baby unfortunately after an NICU stay). My advice would be to simply ask your doctor the questions you've asked here. Only he/she knows the real reasons.
As far as breastfeeding... inconsistencies are always a problem in teaching, partly because a lot of situations don't have black and white answers. Smilingblueyes' hospital allows cup feeding, mine doesn't. If I had that situation, we probably would use a lactation aid at the breast with a little formula if needed. Some nurses would bottle feed. Some would use an eye dropper. All RNs have the same basic training, but we're still human. For instance, I would never have a VBAC at a birth center without the capabilities for an emergency section (NEVER!!!!), other RNs might feel completely comfortable having a VBAC homebirth. In the end, I hope that you have a healthy baby and that you were able to breastfeed at home. I also hope you'll take more of an active role in your care and education in the future now that you know the problems you can have.
Partera1
7 Posts
I am so sorry to hear what happened to you. As a chilbirth educator it is a story I hear all too often which women grieve for long periods of time. It is so sad to hear all of this, I begin RN school in September in another phase of finishing my masters degree in ARNP-CNM. I have a BA in medical anthropology and have been a doula, lactation educator and childbirth educator for four years and in reporductive healthcare as an MA, midwife assistant, and EMT for eight years. I attend births in a freestanding birth center on-call and have never had a birth go over 7 hours. Grant it we dont have high-risk pregnancies, but we have also only had to transport 2 women in three years. We do hypnobirth, waterbirth, and natural birth. I have to go to nursing school to become what I want to become. But now I am afraid I will be brainwashed into thinking c-sections and inductions are normal and birth is an illness and not a natural processes in a womans life. I have been to the FARM met Ina May Gaskin, work with Penny Simkin and Hency Goer and am now moving to California to finish school, where I hear there are barely any midwives and only few birth centers. I will miss Seattle!! Any advice?!!