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Originally Posted by CamoShades
 Oh, Riverbeauty, that sucks. Did she tell you their policies have changed, or do you just assume that because what she told you differs so much from what you and your doctor talked about? Hopefully that is the case and it's just a whole lot of miscommunication going on. Maybe this nurse was on a bit of a power trip and was just trying to discourage a potential patient because she herself isn't a fan of having VBAC patients? (Or maybe I'm grasping at straws here.) Can you talk to your OB and have him/her sign your birth plan? That H1N1 policy really sucks, though I've heard of a lot of hospitals doing that. No overnight guests WOULD NOT sit well with me; that is absurd.
smeisnotapirate- You can do it!!!!! |
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Originally Posted by Riverbeauty
OH MY GOSH! So I called the hospital's L&D today to ask the charge nurse how a typical VBAC/vaginal birth goes... what kinds of things are typical procedures, etc... and apparently the hospital's policies have changed in the last month to completely be against everything I had talked to my doc about... now they REQUIRE every 2 hour cervical checks, continuous fetal monitoring, and continuous saline IV... no heplocks, intermittent monitoring or minimal vaginal checks if you are a VBAC... yeah! AND their H1N1 policy prohibits children from visiting at all even when I go to recovery... and I am only allowed to support people besides my Doula and NO visitors can stay overnight with me.... this is a MAJOR problem! I have seizures and can't be left alone... and that's not even counting being alone WITH a newborn! What's going to happen when/if I have a seizure while nursing my newborn? Yeah, they will take her to the nursery and I wont see her till THEY decide otherwise... AND I have a minimum stay of 3 days because I am Diabetic and switched to Insulin while pregnant so I have to be monitored to see how my sugar responds to Insulin post partum...
So it may turn out that I head to the local de facto VBAC ban hospital (10 mins from my front door) when I start pushing, because they don't have all those silly policies... |
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Originally Posted by CamoShades
Oh, when I was talking about being "on the clock," I wasn't talking about "timing out" of having a birth with my provider (like some hospital-based midwives will time their patients out at a certain week and make them switch to an OB), since I'm seeing an OB and having a hospital birth. That's my only option, so she won't "break up with me" or anything like that! I meant that as I approach 40-41-42 weeks, I know I'll start feeling pressure from my OB to get the baby out by a certain time or face another C-section. I'm saying I don't want to feel that pressure, so hopefully baby will come before that point. (Now I know I can refuse, but I just don't want to be put in that position in the first place.) And in terms of water breaking, doctors and hospitals have that 24-hours-to-get-the-baby-out rule, so that's what I worry about there (though I plan to fudge my times a bit if it comes down to needing to do that). That isn't necessarily a VBAC fear or worry, but probably something a lot of women in labor at a hospital -- who are educated on the subject -- think about. But alas, since I am a VBAC patient, all those things come into play all that much more.
And as far as "clock pressure" for induction (or lack of it, in your case; my OB will attempt certain forms if the cervix is favorable and baby hasn't appeared by 42 weeks, and I'm cool with that), that's kind of what I'm talking about. If your baby doesn't come on his or her own by 42ish weeks -- then what? In your case, automatic C-section, most likely, which I really, really don't want. So IMO, there's most definitely a "clock" there, which leads to that fear or worry that the VBAC won't happen. |
| I hope you're able to get over your catastrophic fears of uterine rupture or placental abruption. I would think those fears would be much more stressful than my little worries about being on a doctor's time clock! |
Since I'm not really afraid of laboring & birthing (looking forward to it, actually), must have *something* dreadful up in there! You are right, tho, as a vbac there are so many more completely unnecessary things for us to have to worry about as far as hospital policies go, which leads me to.. ) My hospital does require continuous fetal monitoring, but I can have a heplock & probably refuse cervical checks, too. IDK, can they really give you an IV or an exam w/ you shouting NO at them? I can understand the heplock; ob explained that when you have an episode involving blood loss, the vessels constrict & can then make it v difficult to insert an IV. Whatever, that's semi-fine, I'm not interested in dying b/c they couldn't find my vein. But continuous saline??? WHY? That just does not make any sense. I don't know anything at all about fighting hospital policies, so in your case I would ABSOLUTELY make sure I had a great doula!!|
Originally Posted by AustinMom
All I can say is, you can always say "I do not consent to that". Even if it is Against Medical Advice.
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Our country is pathetic when it comes to stuff like this, and it makes me so angry.|
Originally Posted by CamoShades
So true, but it sucks to have to be put in that position in the first place. Then the scare tactics come out, and the nurses and doctors do their best to make the laboring mother feel like she's harming herself and her baby by not doing what they say, when that is far from the truth. Everyone planning a VBAC knows they don't "have" to do anything they don't want to, but it's just sad that it has to come to that point.
Our country is pathetic when it comes to stuff like this, and it makes me so angry. |
Riverbeauty
