how to make fetal monitoring bearable? - Page 2

[cottonwood]

"i'm surprised at how worked up i got over this."

I'm not. It's unreasonable and will make the labor harder for you.

I'm really surprised this is state law. Did they happen to mention where you could find this state law?

[Bekka]

NYS law?

I live in New York State, and I told my midwife (in a group) that I didn't want the "standard" 20 minutes strip that was hospital policy, and she said that I just needed to say "I don't want that." I am writing a birth plan anyhow, just to be sure that I cover all the bases (there are 7 midwives in the group). I will sign a waiver or whatever ... Ask the midwife about intermittent monitoring with doptone or fetoscope ... Where does the law say this?

[Greaseball]

Maybe it's a state law for the hospital to offer it to you, but no law can make you do it. They just have to write on your chart that you refused.

If they say you can't be admitted without the 20-minute strip, threaten to give birth at home. No way will they want you doing that! They will bend over backwards to get you to stay!

[guerrillamama]

yeah, the state law thing sounded wierd to me too, and as a law student it really woudlnt be that hard for me to find it, i'm just up to my ears in homework right now so i haven't made time to look into it. whether or not it's true, i'm not too troubled by the initial 20-min strip. if it is law, it's inane, but i don't feel like it will ruin my experience. i was just worried about all the monitoring after that.

if i feel different in the moment, you bet i'll demand a waiver.

i have no doubt you're right about threatening to give birth at home! but i'm hoping not to get in any fights w/ hospital personnel. once i get started it's pretty hard to rein me in, so i'm hoping we can just keep everything chill and diplomatic. i will save my big guns for bigger issues.

midwife says they have birthing balls at the hospital, so i should be set.

[applejuice]

I think if you do not like the hospital requirments for birthing there, you should vote with those beautiful pregnant feet of yours and stay home.

Fetal Heart Monitering was developed by a physician for high risk mothers in labor.

For healthy mothers, to restrict their movement as the monitering does during a normal labor, is detrimental to the outcome of a healthy labor.

If you still want to deliver in a hospital, you need to remember, the hospital is the medical professionals' "turf"( and the insurance company's, and the government's...). You are on their ground. Those are the rules...

When a woman delivers at home, she is the Queen. She has the home court advantage.

[applejuice]

Ask for a copy of that state law.

Read it for yourself.

F.Y.I.:

Your state has a compelling interest in the health (safety, education, and welfare) of its citizens, which is vested in the States by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. These are called the "Police Powers". I am sure the medical board and insurance companies had a "compelling" interest to lobby the State Legislature to pass such a law.

I would have a problem with Congress passing such a law. They already passed a law requiring women to stay 48 hours after birth in the hospital and insurance companies to reimburse. Where is the compelling interest here?

[guerrillamama]

applejuice -

believe me, if i could do it at home i would! there's various logistical reasons that just wouldn't be feasible in my situation, but if there's a next time...

anyway, the 48 hr law (i believe it's federal) does require insurance companies to reimburse but does not require the mother to stay. however, we do have to get ok'ed by my dr and ped to leave early. anyway, that's what the midwife told me.

what's the compelling interest? well, as far as insurance goes, that should be clear. there are so few laws requiring insurance co's to pay anything, this is good news to me. as far as limiting mothers' choices, i'd say... patriarchy. that's probably not what it says in the congressional record, however.

one of these days i'll get around to looking up the law and let you know what i find.

[Clarity]

I've found discharge delay is usually waiting for the ped to checl out the babe, usually at rounds in the morning. So see if you can find a friendly ped who will do it whenever you deliver.

As to monitoring, I think that "state law" things is just smoke and mirrors...so you can buck it if you want to.

For practical advice, frequent bathroom breaks as suggested is helpful. Aslo watch, and learn how to reset the machine yourself...less interaction with the nurses, you can turn yourself back on when you feel like it. You usually only have to push one button. It's easy. I did it all the time. Also think about buying your won belts...the hospital ones where I was were itchy and plasticky, and I snagged nice comfy cloth ones (distributor samples I think) from some friendly nursing supervisors while I as a long term guest. They were more easily and more obviously need laundered so I think most hospitals use the yucky plastic ones. The softer ones were nicer. Midwifery and medical supply catalogs would have them.

[applejuice]

If you insist on going to the hospital, I would PUT THEM on the defensive and demand in WRITING a maintenance record from the hospital on that machine. I would also record the identification number of the machine in my own records and the manufacturer.

And of course, DEMAND your records from the hospital before they have a chance to 'doctor' them up.

I wrote on these forums about the time Jay Hathaway of the Bradley method of Natural Childbirth taped the birth of twins confirmed by several U/S scans.

There was one baby.

He went to congratulate the mother on the recovery floor after putting away his film equipment in the delivery room. The new mother's records were changed in that short period of time to reflect the birth of one baby, with NO TWINS in anticipation. No one on the recovery floor knew who Jay was talking about.

RE: leaving the hospital AMA.

The hospital, doctors, nurses, CPS, and the government can make life miserable for you. Remember this is only the beginning of making decisions for your new one. Try to make it as 'non-traumatic" as possible for you, your DH, and your dear child.

[Greaseball]

And of course, DEMAND your records from the hospital before they have a chance to 'doctor' them up.

They will make you wait 10-30 days. It doesn't make any sense - a patient should be able to go into the office, demand the record, and have it immediately handed to them because if there is something the doctor doesn't want you to see, it won't be in there.

I used to work for a mental health agency and it was common practice to keep two records on each client - the one we would give them if they asked for it, and the "secret" one. Often, the diagnoses even differed between those two records. Of course, the secret file with all the "real" information was the one given to insurance companies.

Another place I went to get records from had this policy: instead of giving you the record, they would lead you into a windowless room and a person who worked there would read you the record.:

[Clarity]

Maintenance records!!! oh my lord, that made me laugh. I had two actually SMOKE while I was using them. A few days later maintenance sent one back saying there was no prob -- I would not allow it in my room. A norse was even with me when it smoked! These were older models that were moved to the antepartum unit since they were replaced by newer ones for l&d. I was using a lot more intensively than most antepartum patients. They also tried to wake me up every 15 minutes for an hour after midnight on Y2K until I made them get it out of my room. Like, why not reset the date to think it was 1976 or something.

Maintenance, hahahaha!

On medical records, the last fetal monitoring tape when my ds died mysteriously disappeared.

[miriam]

If the machines are so lousy and records are so unreliable, why would anyone rely on these machines?

Why are these monitors required to record our darling child's health and well-being if they smoke, spark, sputter, and records are lost?

They hold up in court that is why.

Amazing world we all live in.

As far as the judicial and medical system is concerned, they are more reliable than you.

[guerrillamama]

WELL. after all that... Mr. Monkey decided to just go ahead and be born on my dining room floor. needless to say, there was no fetal monitor. if you're interested, heres the story (sorry its so long)

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...hreadid=105106