While we're on the topic of doctors...OB ROC rant!

[MrsCaseyRN]

I noticed someone else posted an unpleasant experince they have with an ER doc, so I thought I'd share my experince with the OB ROC when I was in labor with my son (now 6 monthes old). While I am an RN, all I know of OB is from nursing school, so any OB nurse feel free to tell me if it was me that was wrong.

I started having regular labors pains on a Tues, but I wasn't sure if it was braxton hick so I just hund out until Wed afternoon. I went to my OBs office and he said I was 4 cm, I think 90% eff, so he sent me to the hospital only because he said his fetal monitor was not working. I went to the hospital I would be delivering at and ROC did a VERY pain dialation check. I figured is was me, so I didn't say anything. Then he told me they'd give me an hour to walk around and see if I progressed. After an hour I was at 5cm. During that hour I did walk but I also spent time talking with my nurse, she was an incredible nurse who had been in OB for like 20 years!! I told her I was a nurse and my husband was a PA student and that I used to work at the hospital I was delivering at.

Anyway, ROC comes in and 5cm after another VERY painful exam, I really don't get why b/c my primary OB never hurts, but I figure it has to do with me being in labor and I brushed it off. And he says "ok hunny, here's what you're gonna do. I'm going to give you some pit, break your water, but I'll give you an epidural first cause its gonna hurt like hell and we'll get this baby out"

Now he's got a med student with him(just FYI). Well, during this hour I was talking to the OB nurse that I wanted to labor at home and drug free as long as possible. And everyone has their own opinion, but that was mine. So I said to ROC I want to labor naturally to see how I progress. (Truthly I think I was really scared that it would get really painful and fast with the Pit, this was my first)And he says..."No". Yep he told me "NO" That I didn't have a choice!! That since my doctor wants me to stay because I was progressing and I lived 40 mins from the hospital and couldn't go home to labor, I had to be helped along.

Now you would think I would have blown my stack (But I'm not an OB nurse, and maybe this was normal??) But my awesome nurse stepped in and said, how would you like to talk to your doctor. And she called my doc right up on the phone and he said he never told the ROC that I had to have those interventions, he said I could stay there and labor naturally.

Now to tell you the punch line, I have to tell you this...

I labored through Wed night into Thurday, through Thurs morning until about 7 am and dilated only to 6cm! Baby was fine but I was tired. So when my doc came in I agreed to Pit, hung around 8am. Well, at about 1pm I was still 6cm!! So I said if he wants to break my water thats fine, I just wanted to try with out interventions first. He did at that time, and there were a few times they had to increase the Pit, and really by this point the memory is very fuzzy!! I was sooo tired and I remember them talking about a Csection. Anyway I had my son at 1:14am on Fri!!

So here's the punch line, while walking around the day after having my son, in the halls the ROC I dealt with my first night comes up to me and say "If you just did what I said, you wouldn't have suffered so long"

:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire

What a jerk. Was he right? I mean, even with the Pit I wasn't moving along too quick! Either way I don't regret the course of action in the least. Oh well. Oh and BTW, the rest of the internals from the other ROCs and my doctor weren't painful in the least.

Anyway, thank God for the nurse I had. I could tell by the look on the ROC face that he was mad, and I don't know if he said anything to her afterwards. But my husband and I thanked her a million times over!!

She truly was a pt advocate.

[pattymac]

This one is easy. You and your nurse were right.....he was a jerk. Nuff said.

[bagladyrn, RN]

You and the nurse were definitely right! You should realize how off this jerk was when the nurse went over his head and called your doc from the room - that is a major slap in the face to him and an indication of exactly how wrong she felt his behavior to be.

Never, ever be afraid to say "What is the justification for that?" or "I'd like to discuss that with my own provider before proceeding". The only exception to this is if things are coming out of your body in ways they shouldn't (babies, cords or body fluids), 15 people come running into your room and your nurse has her hand stuck somewhere you never imagined it would fit - then is NOT the time for prolonged dicsussions! Saying this only because I had a dad try to give me grief in the middle of exactly this scenario for not explaining and asking permission according to the birth plan. My explanation was simple - I take my hand out, your baby dies.