Stormy Days for Nurse Childbirth Educators in Raleigh

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Apparently certain OBGYN groups in the area are telling their pregnant clients to NOT attend childbirth education classes :angryfire The physicians are also demanding that the nurse childbirth educators NOT discuss Lamaze, do NOT give out any handouts, and give NO teaching on epidural complications (bad for business). This is setting childbirth education back 30 years. Very sad to see :o

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Specializes in ER, NICU, NSY and some other stuff.

WOW. Are these hospital offered classes? Are these demand being met? If it is a hopsital sposored class I am sure I knwo the answer to that.

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Do you know the reason for this? How AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in CV Surgery Step-down.

I attended a childbirth class at a major childbirth center in Raleigh over the summer (for nursing school). I was very surprised/impressed because the totally stressed natural childbirth--not a mention of an epidural until they discussed what would happen in the event of a c-section.

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
WOW. Are these hospital offered classes? Are these demand being met? If it is a hopsital sposored class I am sure I knwo the answer to that.

Not just hospital classes, but perinatal outreach classes (in the community) as well. It is the classic power struggle again between physicians (with the medical model) and nursing (with the holistic and patient advocacy model). Unfortunately, the physicians wield enormous power and control. The childbirth eductors are in a very difficult position right now (a tightrope, so to speak).

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
Do you know the reason for this? How AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!

The physicians want total control. They are threatened by patient empowerment, and by the mistaken impression that patient education may result in even more lawsuits/ litigation (which are at crisis levels now in NC). It boils down to a fundamental difference in philosophy. The physicians view labor and delivery as a medical process that must be managed; childbirth nurse educators, on the other hand, view labor as a natural process that should be facilitated (it's not a disease). Women who go into labor with education (prenatal classes) do better with the birth process.

So, the OBGYN's want business as usual, with 70-90% of the client accepting epidurals without question (no need for Lamaze this way). Why upset the applecart with educating these clients with the real risks that epidural anesthesia can present? They want the clients left in the dark and not aware that sometimes the anesthesia goes up and not down (leading to cardiac arrest) and the client may be in the ICU for weeks, or that the client may suffer from transient spinal headaches or persistent lower back pain.

Some good articles on patient advocacy with childbirth education:

Lothian, J.A. (2005). The dance of advocacy. The Journal of Perinatal Education, 14 (2), 36-39.

Simkin, P. (2005). Why keep on keeping on? Journal of Perinatal Education, 14(2), 5-7.

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
I attended a childbirth class at a major childbirth center in Raleigh over the summer (for nursing school). I was very surprised/impressed because the totally stressed natural childbirth--not a mention of an epidural until they discussed what would happen in the event of a c-section.

These childbirth educators are doing a wonderful job; most people are unaware, however, of the very difficult circumstances they are facing behind the scenes right now.

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