Why do patients like these go to a doctor?

[DutchgirlRN]

I'm watching a show about L&D. This couple was determined to have a natural delivery which is all fine and well. They want to go home 2 hours after delivery. The baby's temp is 100.8. The parents, especially the father is determined to go anyway (no insurance or money issues) just very fixated on natural everything. The father is insisting that the elevated temp is due to the baby being swaddled. The baby is rewrapped much lighter. The temp goes higher. The pediatrician orders IM antibiotics stat. The parents say no to the antibiotics. The father says "no drugs in my daughter, the whole point of this natural delivery was no medical intervention".

I want to reach through the screen and knock him in the head. Why not deliver at home all by yourself if you think you know everything? Then you won't have to worry about any medical intervention.

Why are people so stubborn and narrow-minded when they don't have any medical knowledge? I just don't get it. I understand wanting things natural but at the cost of the life of the child?

[Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN]

That is very strange.

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I have dealt with people who refuse everything the doctor orders for them. It makes me wonder; why come to the hospital if you don't want treatment?

[heron, ASN, RN]

Ya gotta wonder how things got so polarized! It seems that nowadays, people are stuck between a rock and a hard place ... the relationship between conventional medicine and alternative/complementary modalities is way too adversarial if you ask me. Sounds as if those parents either had a very bad experience with medical arrogance or are working with some alternative practitioners with some very sloppy thinking. Too bad it's the baby that's suffering!

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

If they do it at home by themselves, then they won't have anyone to blame (and/or sue) if things go wrong.

And you can bet they will. And they'd probably win.

If I were the physician, I would proceed to "fire" this family immediately. I'd also be requesting advice from the hospital's legal department.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

A burning question of mine: why on earth do people always assume "natural" is always "best"? Sometimes "natural" is "lacking".

orificenic and cocaine are natural substances. Doesn't mean they're good for you!

[woody62, RN]

A burning question of mine: why on earth do people always assume "natural" is always "best"? Sometimes "natural" is "lacking".

orificenic and cocaine are natural substances. Doesn't mean they're good for you!

A lot of people seek a situation where they feel they have some control but have access to treatment if they feel it is needed. And given the availability of information on the net and on cable TV, a lot of think themselves very knowledgeable. And what is 'natural' to one person, is not natural to another. They are a pain in the rear and are difficult to deal with. And there is little we can do, except what the law allows us to do. And chart appropriately in case we get sued.

Woody:balloons:

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

I had a really close friend who did this. We were good friends for years, and then she changed after she got married. She became very anti-medicine and paranoid. My friend had three home-births. She refused to take the babies or children to be examined for anything. No vaccinations, of course. This was after her first hospital birth where I'm sure she was like the patient in the original post.

The thing is, I wince when I read here on this board statements about providing education and patient teaching with people like this. I know you have to attempt to do that patient teaching, though. If anything, just to document that you did it. Not that they'll believe what you say, if the patient is like my old friend.

I think these types are often quite smart, and they seize upon nuggets in their own research, and blow it out of proportion. They must have some psychological glitch to be so paranoid of the true professionals, though. So they believe what they believe and they don't care what the professionals say. They don't trust medical or nursing professionals at all because they think they know more and are smarter. My friend viewed doctors and nurses as the enemy. Literally.

I would guess that they are in a hospital just in case and they feel they will decide if and what to utilize.

After I stopped contact with my friend because she was so nutty, I heard that her 5th baby died at home during another home birth. I hear she ended up hospitalized. I can only imagine that scene.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

Sorry I had to leave before finishing the show but I did record it. They did eventually agree to IV antibiotics after Mom got scared and practically begged Dad to give in. The baby had IV antibiotics for 5 days. The amniotic fluid was meconium stained. They wouldn't allow suction after the delivery. Stupid, stupid people. I hope this poor child remains healthy as I doubt there will be few visits to the doctor.

[MidwifeWannaB]

I delivered my first daughter at a free-standing birth center attended by midwives and never saw an OB. I got some strange looks when I told people that, but I did my research and trusted my midwives.

All too often I think people like me choose to go the natural, hospital-free birth because they want more control over the experience which, you all must admit, isn't going to happen in a traditional hospital setting. It sounds like that's what these people were trying for. They probably didn't have the baby at home because they couldn't find anyone to attend them there and they didn't want to go it alone. Scary thought, but some people do it.

Having said all that, I think these parents were too focused on no medical intervention and didn't know enough to know when intervention IS called for. That isn't the usual mindset of intelligent, thinking people who choose a natural delivery.

By the way, I plan on having my next baby at home.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I delivered my first daughter at a free-standing birth center attended by midwives and never saw an OB. I got some strange looks when I told people that, but I did my research and trusted my midwives.

All too often I think people like me choose to go the natural, hospital-free birth because they want more control over the experience which, you all must admit, isn't going to happen in a traditional hospital setting. It sounds like that's what these people were trying for. They probably didn't have the baby at home because they couldn't find anyone to attend them there and they didn't want to go it alone. Scary thought, but some people do it.

Having said all that, I think these parents were too focused on no medical intervention and didn't know enough to know when intervention IS called for. That isn't the usual mindset of intelligent, thinking people who choose a natural delivery.

By the way, I plan on having my next baby at home.

I think you summed it all up well. People who prefer a more natural, less medical approach don't make me even blink. *I* prefer that as well. However (and this is a BIG "but"), that doesn't mean there aren't times I'm thrilled to death that we have the medical advancements we do today. And when people who prefer that more natural route remember that there's less infant mortality in our country courtesy of that medical technology, everyone's better off.

I happen to think home births can be a wonderful, beautiful thing. Provided, of course, that the mother-to-be has sought appropriate professional prenatal care, doesn't have a hx of problematic deliveries or postnatal complications, and has not only professional attendants at her birth but those who have a PLAN for the "what ifs". I cringe when I hear of those who don't have the "what ifs" mapped out realistically. And then I pray that Divine Intervention will appear when or if Human Stupidity fails the innocent child.

[woody62, RN]

I delivered my first daughter at a free-standing birth center attended by midwives and never saw an OB. I got some strange looks when I told people that, but I did my research and trusted my midwives.

All too often I think people like me choose to go the natural, hospital-free birth because they want more control over the experience which, you all must admit, isn't going to happen in a traditional hospital setting. It sounds like that's what these people were trying for. They probably didn't have the baby at home because they couldn't find anyone to attend them there and they didn't want to go it alone. Scary thought, but some people do it.

Having said all that, I think these parents were too focused on no medical intervention and didn't know enough to know when intervention IS called for. That isn't the usual mindset of intelligent, thinking people who choose a natural delivery.

By the way, I plan on having my next baby at home.

I am sorry but I think you are putting yourself and your next baby at an unnecessary risk. I do not know Terxas law but here in Florida, free standing birthing centers have to have an OB available and must have a hospital backup. You may be lucky and have a perfectly normal labor and delivery. Then again, any number of things can go wrong. I do not see the advantage of having a home birth, when birthing centers are available.

Woody:balloons:

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

I think you summed it all up well. People who prefer a more natural, less medical approach don't make me even blink. *I* prefer that as well. However (and this is a BIG "but"), that doesn't mean there aren't times I'm thrilled to death that we have the medical advancements we do today. And when people who prefer that more natural route remember that there's less infant mortality in our country courtesy of that medical technology, everyone's better off.

I happen to think home births can be a wonderful, beautiful thing. Provided, of course, that the mother-to-be has sought appropriate professional prenatal care, doesn't have a hx of problematic deliveries or postnatal complications, and has not only professional attendants at her birth but those who have a PLAN for the "what ifs". I cringe when I hear of those who don't have the "what ifs" mapped out realistically. And then I pray that Divine Intervention will appear when or if Human Stupidity fails the innocent child.

People who think that medical technology and intervention are such bad things should wander through a few old cemeteries. The number of young women and babies buried there might get their attention.

My own grandmother had 14 children, 12 of them at home, and everyone survived birth. Still, death in childbirth or from postpartum hemorrhage or infection was a pretty common thing. Babies often didn't survive, as well. My other grandfather's first wife and baby would be included in those numbers. It's shocking now when moms or babies die; it wasn't shocking then.

A lot of people today don't seem to grasp that people in our grandparents' or great-grandparents' times died of things that are considered routine today. Things like appendicitis or pneumonia. People died of tetorifice or sepsis from dirty wounds. Even from things like diarrhea!

OK, I'll step off the soapbox now!

[nurse4theplanet, RN]

People who think that medical technology and intervention are such bad things should wander through a few old cemeteries. The number of young women and babies buried there might get their attention.

My own grandmother had 14 children, 12 of them at home, and everyone survived birth. Still, death in childbirth or from postpartum hemorrhage or infection was a pretty common thing. Babies often didn't survive, as well. My other grandfather's first wife and baby would be included in those numbers. It's shocking now when moms or babies die; it wasn't shocking then.

A lot of people today don't seem to grasp that people in our grandparents' or great-grandparents' times died of things that are considered routine today. Things like appendicitis or pneumonia. People died of tetorifice or sepsis from dirty wounds. Even from things like diarrhea!

OK, I'll step off the soapbox now!

I completely agree! I commend those women who want to go through childbirth without pain medicine, induction, etc. for the benefit of the child. I'm not against all natural methods. However, there is no need to put your child's life or your own at risk unnecessarily. The difference between a home birth and a hospital birth during a normal delivery is not even worth discussing. Either will produce the same result. But the difference between a home birth and a hospital birth during a dire emergency could mean the difference between life and death. And that's not something I would personally take a gamble on.

As to the parents mentioned in the OP.....these people are really pushing the natural approach too far. I don't consider it 'natural' to allow your newborn child to suffer from an infection and put their health, and possibly their life, at risk. I consider it stupid. I, too, wonder why they came to a hospital/MD anyway. Thank goodness for the child they did and that the mother came to her senses about allowing the antibiotics.