Wanting a Nurses opinion

[stacy0071]

Hi all and thanks for reading this.

Let me warn you that this might be long and thanks in advance for responding, if you do.

When I was delivering my first child, the labor was very, very long and not very productive. After many hours in labor, my doctor decided to use a vacuum to deliver my son. After the vacuum was unsuccessful and my son showed signs of distress, the doctor advised me I would be having a c-section.

While waiting for the anestesialogist to come down, they were still using the vacuum, well what do you know, right before the anestesialogist showed up, I deliverd a healthy baby boy. YEA!!

After the delivery, my doctor told me that any future pregnancies would have to be delivered by c-section.

Fast forward 5 years.

I became pregnant with my second child. Shortly there after my husband left me for his "administrative assistant" (aka the bimbo floozy) I was forced to go on Medicaid durring my pregnancy. The doctor I was assigned to was not really a doctor yet but a student.

I informed my doctor (student) about my first delivery and that my previous doctor said I should have a c-section. Well this "doctor" disagreed and said "If you already delivered one baby lady partslly, then you should not have a problem with the second, in fact it will be easier."

Well this made me nervous, but I thought he must know what he is talking about, even if he is a student doctor, he must have a supervisor thats an actual MD approving his decisions.

Fast forward to the delivery.

It was horrendous! Much, much more painful then the first and lasted much longer. No epidural, cant remember exactly why, something about bieng too far into the labor and it wouldnt make a difference.

Labor went on and on, again they decided to use the vacuum.

No progress was being made. Mostly because of me, I just couldnt push anymore, I didnt have anymore strength in me and I started to get very cold, but they kept using the vacuum and pulling on the baby in hopes of getting him to come out. Finally my ex husband ( who was there with me) ran out in the hall to find another doctor. He asked this doctor he found in the hall to come and please take a look at me. She agreed. After she took one look at me she ordered me on oxygen and called for an anestesiologist .

Yet once again, I delivered a son while waiting for an anestesiologist to come down.

After the delivery was over, my "doctor" came up to me and said " Im sorry I pursuaded you to deliver lady partslly, you were right from the begining. If you ever have another baby in the future tell your doctor that you HAVE to have a c-section and if he trys to tell you something different,,,FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR. Again, Im really sorry."

The recoup from this delivery was physically horrendous too, but I wont go into that.

Fast forward 5 yrs.

My son is developmentally delayed. He has been recieving physical, occupational, and speech therapy for the last 2 yrs. He is not autistic but shows "autistic tendancies".

Im just wondering in your opionions do you think this difficult delivery might have something to do with my sons develpmental delays? This question has been haunting me for along time now.

Thanks again for reading this and for your response.

Stacy

[babs_rn]

Stacy:

If you are asking if you have grounds for a suit, I can't answer that. All I can do is offer an objective supposition based on what I do know about this.

Difficult deliveries may or may not be related to developmental delays...basically it depends on if the baby was deprived of oxygen during the delivery. There are other causes too, so one can't say that that was definitely the cause of the problem. A medical student can only do so much when advising you about these things, and ultimately if you have questions about what is being suggested to you, it is your responsibility to seek out those answers from a qualified, practicing, board certified MD. I can see where the assumption would be made that if you delivered successfully once, you should be able to again; however, each pregnancy and each delivery is different and should be considered according to its own merits.

It sounds like you may have a small pelvic inlet, causing your difficulties with labor progression and delivery - although you have managed to deliver two children despite this. Currently, the thinking has been that C-sections are over-done and they do have more complications and longer and more difficulty recovery periods than do lady partsl deliveries so they are not to be taken lightly nor done just as a matter of convenience. So there are a lot of factors to consider.

Best of luck to you and your children.

Babs