Thinking of leaving hospital AMA...what will happen?

RNfromMN

Anyone have any experience with this? My due date is in a week from yesterday, at my clinic appt yesterday, the monitor from my NST at yesterday's appt picked up LO's HR to have dropped down to the 90s for 3 minutes. The MD said the monitor had most likely picked up MY hr, which was also in the 90s, but.... He still wanted to admit me for an induction, just in case, & here we are. I've been on a pitocin drip for 12 hours with no progress. Baby was continuously monitored throughout the night: no drops in HR. I can't do a GD thing without setting off these monitoring alarms. I was awoken every half hour to up the pitocin throughout the night. I WANT TO GO HOME! I'm waiting for doctor to round now & I'm going to beg him to d/c me to home, but I'm guessing he's not going to go for it. Next step will be to break my water, then a c-section if still no progress. All this over a blip on a monitor. So yeah, I'm thinking about leaving against medical advice if the doc won't discharge me. Anyone know what the consequences of this would be? The thing I'm most concerned about is insurance not covering my stay if I leave AMA, but I have no idea if this is something that actually happens or not. Any thoughts?

Julia_JJ

Ugh - that sucks! I'd definitely try to stick it out long enough for your doctor to hopefully discharge you. Leaving AMA, as far as I know, will negate your insurance coverage and you'll have to pay out of pocket. Hang in there!

MissAmber23

I would definitely ask your doc about the possibility of stopping and seeing what happens. Monitoring the baby for a bit to make sure his HR is normal? 

i know with my insurance if you leave AMA they won't cover any services you received. 

kmn3

I, personally, would not leave until the doctor discharges you.  They are medical professionals and know what is best.  It's frustrating, but you'd hate for something to happen suddenly and you be at home rather than where you are now.  They are monitoring for a reason...

jesselayne8

Your screen name says you are an RN.  IF that is the case, you should know the consequences of leaving AMA.  Not only are you risking being stuck with the bill but also how could you forgive yourself if something bad does happen to the baby.

It sucks to be stuck in hospital but that might be where you need to be.

MrsT2008

I'm sure they're not just keeping you for the hell of it.  Talk to the Dr this morning but honestly, I'd just suck it up and stay - there is a reason they want you there and I'd never forgive myself if something happened and I was the one who pushed to go home (or just left)

lijuan09

Um, I would be most concerned about leaving the hospital after having all that pitocin pumped into me overnight.  Beg the doctor to monitor the baby some more, or ask for a sleeping pill, or something.  I'm sure being in the hospital sucks, but it sounds like you need to be there right now.

MesmrEwe

Few things - first, you need some sustained sleep...  Second, you need to assert as much...  Third, you need to assert that you need to get up and go on a walking tour of the hospital in an attempt to get things moving along when you are done getting that sleep.  Inductions take time, they aren't put the cervadil in, add some pitocen and two hours later out pops a happy baby.  Inductions can take DAYS.  Also, have they done a quick u/s to make sure the baby's head is in the right position and you aren't breech? 

When I was induced for DD, it started Monday at 10a and ended Tues at 9:45p... I didn't start progressing until after I spent an entire day in bed on the bleep'n monitors, they discharged me, I literally got out of the car to walk into Walgreens and my water broke...  I'm convinced now that had I been able to get up and walk around the hospital it'd broke there... 

 As an aquaintence who is a L&D Nurse at Regions pointed out to me later on, YOU are in control of your induction/L&D/PP, if you don't want to be woken up every hour for being checked, assert yourself and say "I'm going to sleep for a few hours, you can come in to check the IV/monitors, but don't even think of waking me up unless there is a real problem!  Leave me flipp'n sleep so I've got the energy for later on!"  .. if they unreasonably don't respect that then ask for a different nurse to be assigned to your room who will...  It's hard having the tables flipped on you going from being a nurse to being the patient, but that doesn't mean your only two options are sitting in bed on IV/monitors and leaving the hospital AMA...

shanabonner

Your insurance wouldnt cover your stay and the doctor would probably discharge you as a patient he would have to see you for at least 30 days but you would be without a doctor in the long run.

Jjhampton

Leave!

indiana101

I would discuss leaving with the doctor and explain that you would prefer to come back another day and try again later. I completely understand wanting to avoid a c-section. It does not sound like you will be putting your LO at risk by leaving, and as long as you are comfortable being out of the hospital and aware of the possible (if any) risks then the decision should be yours. Alot of the other posters sound like they are trying to guilt you into staying which really pisses me off. No-one should ever pull the 'I would never forgive myself' card. It is truly horrible and actually sounds incredibly uneducated, Best of luck to you, whatever you and your Dr decide.