Re: MD presence during labor
From: AMD (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Thu, 21 Jan 1999 11:48:28 -0600 (CST)
The on-call doctor called me back when my water broke and told me to
come to the hospital. He was gone by the time I got there. My doctor
showed up right before delivery. That was the extent of contact with a
doctor during my labor and delivery.
I was more concerned about the possibility that there was not even an OB
or midwife on the premises. Is it a minimum standard for hospitals to
at least have someone in the building while there are patients in L&D?
If not, how can they handle emergencies in a timely fashion?
Andrea
At Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Elizabeth wrote:
>
>Hi there, this is not neccessarily standard. A lot depends on your care
>provider. If there was no emergency, chances are you would not see a
>resident OB if there was one - they are there for emergencies usually.
>Did you speak with your ob at all? When you went in to labor or more
>importantly, beforehand? Many women are suprised by the fact that they
>do not see a doctor or their doctor until last minute - it is not
>unusal. The problem is that many dont know to ask beforehand or to have
>a labor support/doula who will give continual uninterupted care -
>doctors are busy, l/d staff change shifts. Congratulations on your
>first baby! If you are considering becoming pregnant again, consider
>your options and remember this is a good question to ask initally. Even
>the most personalized doctor or midwife may end up with another woman in
>labor or other emergency while you are also in labor. But its good to
>have communication ahead of time. Hope this helps.
>At Thu, 21 Jan 1999, AMD wrote:
>>
>>When I had my first baby, I did not see any sort of doctor/midwife from
>>the time I checked in until about a 1/2 hour before my son was born,
>>when my OB arrived to deliver the baby. I had already been pushing for
>>an hour. The nurses did all the assessments during labor, and I don't
>>think there was even an ob/gyn in the hospital given I was the only
>>patient in L&D that night.
>>
>>Is this normal practice at most hospitals? Or do most require an OB (at
>>least a resident) on site if there is a delivery in progress? I know you
>>can't expect your doctor to sit with you through labor, but I expected
>>to have some contact with some doctor during this time.
>>
>>I know L&D nurses are skilled professionals,but I wonder if this really
>>put a woman and her baby at risk to not have a doctor available at a
>>moments notice. If no one is even there, how quickly could they do an
>>emergency c-section?
>>
>>Just curious if my prior experience was unusual or if I should expect
>>the same thing this time!
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Andrea
>
>--
>Elizabeth Mazelis,CCE
>
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