My next class is going to be a doozy!

[herwitsend]

I posted last week about having my first same-sex couple in my class. I finally feel like I am pretty comfortable with meeting their needs and now I am looking at another registration form...

An OBGYN wants to take my class!!

She is pregnant with her first child and wants a natural birth! She admits to being in a strange situation with her desire for an intervention-free birth and her career being so at odds. She will be giving birth with one of her colleagues in the hospital where she works. I am scared to death, but SO excited about how much her birth experience has the potential to change her and her practice!!

Have you ever taught an OB?

[MamaRabbit]

wow, that's an exciting situation! I'd love to hear how that turns out!

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I have taught an MD one time (the dad) but he wasn't an OB. He did sports medicine. I'd probably be nervous too! If your classes are like mine you'll be challening everything she's ever learned in her career training. Yikes!

[Mamabeakley]

No, but I am sort of ex-officio serving as my SIL's CBE (at least for this early part of her pg) and she's in her final year of medical school. Originally she thought she was interested in perinatology, although she's decided on something completely non-OB related.

It's been interesting. Since she's not in a class I'm offering, and is a family member, I'm sure it's a pretty different situation but . . ..

I think I just have to be even more conciously detached than usual from the outcome of her and my brother's decision making process. I mean, as an educator I always know that my role is to provide information and facilitate a process - not make decisions for those I am working with. But I just have to know it even more so w/my SIL.

[onlyboys]

I've taught two chiropractors, one dentist, one family practicioner, a ton of L & D nurses, and one CNM.

It's been fun!

[homewithtwinsmama]

I have taught a bunch of docs including two family practice docs who also did OB. They told me after that even though they had done so they learned lots they didn't know in my class. You do have to be prepared to quote studies. Make no claims you can't back up in the literature. Don't let them get away with undermining you in class by making some intervention seem innocuous. Don't be obnoxious about it, but if they did a "gotcha" in class then the next class I would revisit the topic with handouts from the literature, Enkins Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy, Midwifery textbooks, etc. I showed a lot of side by side videos of typical OB management birth next to a naturally facilitated birth and we could compare/contrast. Last class I had two psychiatrists who ended up hiring me for labor support and then had precipitous birth (no labor until urge to push) where I caught at home. They are really really true believers in natural birth now. And Just one more story:

One cardiologist in my class having baby number 2 (first was induced medically managed epidural vaginal that she did NOT enjoy) was going back to same OB. In class I was talking about internal fetal monitoring. How its almost never necessary, immobilizes mama, can create infection route in baby, hurts baby a lot. Cardiologist said "oh it really isn't that bad for the baby to have one placed." I whipped out the probe (I had gotten one from and L&D nurse) that had the little screw in wire on the end and handed it to her and said, "please screw this in your scalp and tell us how it feels". She stopped in her tracks and really looked at this thing. Then she said she didn't think about it that way and it didn't look like something she would want done to her or a baby. Four weeks before her due date she realized her OB wasn't on board with not handling things as last time and switched to midwives at her same hosp. Had a great natural totally intervention free birth. So know your stuff and be very prepared and even the most fervent medpros can come around!

[momileigh]

Closest thing I had was a urologist! It was really something else, considering our curriculum includes teaching birth control, and I realized halfway through teaching the class what a vasectomy entailed that I was teaching vasectomy to someone who performed them on a daily basis! That was the one time I felt self-conscious teaching her, though. She was a really nice woman. She later told the head midwife that she had thought the classes would be lame and boring for her, but she really enjoyed them and learned a lot.

I've also had a lot of nursing students, some paramedics, and others. They are usually the coolest people and end up being very supportive! I never had anyone try to challenge or correct me in class or create an uncomfortable environment. And I never gave the credentials of my class a second thought once I started teaching. (Except for that one time as I was explaining vasectomy... I got slightly tongue-tied.)

[mamaSun loveMore]

"Cardiologist said "oh it really isn't that bad for the baby to have one placed." I whipped out the probe (I had gotten one from and L&D nurse) that had the little screw in wire on the end and handed it to her and said, "please screw this in your scalp and tell us how it feels". "


laughup

That was perfect! Thanks for the inspiration.

[delilahdr]

I have had a bunch of nurses, a couple of midwives, a few other doulas, and one anesthesiologist (!!!) take my CBE class and/or hire me to be their doula. But an OB... nope, not so far!!!

I will tell you this- my health care professional clients have done better and had an easier time going natural when giving birth NOT at their place of business/with colleagues. I have had a couple of them succeed even under those conditions- but also some not, and it is way easier NOT to be "at work" and thinking about if you decline something, what are the long-term repercussions, what will they be saying about me and how I labored and what I did to cope, when I said I wanted to go natural, PLUS people come in and chit chat- it's like hello, this is not the water cooler, GO AWAY!

Ah, well. Good luck with that! I would be intimidated too!
Delilah
http://www.cherishbirth.com

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I've taught lots of chiros and chiropractic students. They're great