What it’s like in L&D January 31, 2008

I have a friend who, with her first baby was progressing beautifully in labor.  She had a supportive Labor and Delivery nurse who was encouraging, had my friend change positions, and really helped labor progress.  Then…. Shift Change.

The next nurse told my friend to get in bed, keep the monitors on, etc.   And wouldn’t you know it, my friend’s labor stalled.  No more progress. Then….C-section.

If only there was a way for 1st time moms to understand that often, it’s the L&D nurse who makes or breaks a good labor.  Even if you pick a great OB, you may not see him until the end.  It’s your nurse who can help or hinder a natural labor and birth process.  That’s why I think it’s so important to call your local hospitals and ask them questions…. what’s your epidural rate?  stuff like that.

But, it’s a hard thing to understand.  I sure didn’t get it.  I thought you got pregnant, went into labor, and had a baby.  1-2-3.  That’s all.  But – thankfully [sort-of], there’s a current post on CafeMom.com called the “Rules of Labor and Delivery.”  It’s probably one of those emails that get sent to friends who work in the same field.

While I won’t put all the “rules” in my post, here are a few.  If you’d like to see the whole thing, go here.  Otherwise, take this as a warning from the insiders:

15. You’d better be nice to your nurse. She, not the physician, decides when you get pain medication… There is such a thing as placebo. We can also make you wait the entire 2 hours… adding 45 minutes for our convenience… or we can give it to you 15 minutes early…. it’s all in your attitude.

16. The fewer visitors you have in with you… the better mood your nurse will be in.

17. Get rid of that one “know it all” visitor before it’s too late. She can ruin the entire experience for you by pissing me off.

30. Don’t scream. We hate screamers. It get’s on our nerves and we just sit at the desk looking at each other and grinning and making faces. It’s not to your advantage.