Counter pressure contributing to decels?

[Funny Face]

I'm a nursing student in my l/d rotation and had a primip today, baby OP. The baby had significant decels caused by pitocin, every time they shut the pit off baby was fine, then they'd turn it on again.:

The nurse I was working with wasn't so nice anyway but mom was having back pain and I was helping her with counter pressure since they wouldn't let her move at all. The nurse told me not to touch the mom because the baby was decel'ing. I asked why I couldn't touch her and the nurse said I could occlude the cord and make things worse.

I figured helping mom relax and breath better would allow better oxygen perfusion and help the baby.

I don't see how my pressing on mom's sacrum could compress the cord, is this a valid concern?

FYI- the nurse ended up TURNING UP the pit so the baby would decel so they could 'commit' her to a c/s definitely. Reminds me why I don't want to have my baby in the hospital next time.:

[Funny Face]

Awww, no one?

[Malga]

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! It is highly unlikely that counter pressure could cause a decel! That nurse sounds awful!

I totally understand your frustration as I was a student in L&D last fall and now I work in L&D as a new nurse. I graduated in May and now I am trying to gain some experience before going to grad school! Don't worry-- not all nurses practice like that... We are forced to do some ridiculous thing, but I would never do something like that nurse did.

[pamamidwife]

This is crazy.

With OP babies there are early decelerations often. Were the decels early, late or variable? The only issues I would be concerned with is very low variables with slow return to baseline (I'm talking under 80) or late decels. Early decels in an OP labor are typically caused by head compression but they're not a problem.

[doctorjen]

That is absolutely nuts! Pushing on her back was going to affect the cord how? Through layers of bone, muscle, skin, and other tissue? That's like breaking your toe by pushing on your fingers.
I've seen that pitocin deal before - "pit to delivery or distress!" was what they said when I was training.

[Jane]

I think it should be treated like anything else - make an educated guess on available evidence, then try if it is seems prudent. Like position changes for decels...left lateral usually helps, but if it doesn't, over to right lateral, then hands and knees, etc., etc.
So, try some sacral massage b/c it seems likely to work, see what happens, don't do it if it doesn't help or the baby doesn't like it.

[cfiddlinmama]

How horrible! That poor mother. And ridiculous that you could cause the decels by counter pressure. It just doesn't make sense! Wow! "pit to delivery or distress." :

[wumanh]

Makes me want to scream!!!

[Funny Face]

They were early decels falling in the 80's and returning to baseline at the end of the contrx and were very reassuring when the pit was off. I rubbed mom's back a few times when the nurse wasn't around because I felt pretty confident that she was full of bs. I just wanted to make absolutely sure that I was correct.

I also asked why they couldn't turn of the pit and let mom ambulate and move around to help with position and pain tolerance and she looked at me with a straight face RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE MOM and said "Do you want a dead baby?"

It was RIDICULOUS!

[babycatcher01]

Welcome to the "American" way of birth.