Explain something to me - Re: Doctors in L & D

JackieMac824 · January 2012

I have read alot of birth stories over the past couple of days and I have notice that sometimes there is no doctor there in L & D and they tell the patient they have to wait until he or she gets there - I do not get it - why do they not have a doctor there in L & D at all times??

christinbeatrice · January 2012

They should always have a resident assigned just in care your doctor don't get there, it's just a matter of if yours will be able to make it, is my understanding. But I'm a FTM & don't work in the hospital so take that for what it is!

Sascha3 · January 2012

I'm sure there is always one on call that is in the unit for emergencies, but if you want your personal doctor to be there, they don't call him until you are about to deliver. It makes sense, since otherwise the doctor would have to be at the hospital for hours and hours for each patient during their whole labor, which literally isn't possible for a doctor with a lot of patients.

Indiechixor · January 2012

Agreed- my doctor has a private office on the other side of the hospital complex. If I were to go into labor, they would page him once Im ready to push and he would head over. If its 3am, I'll have to either call him in, or go with whoever's on shift.

buckeyebride22 · January 2012

:lurking:

At all the hospitals I've worked at doctor's don't come in till the patient is basically crowning. They get ticked if the patient isn't ready. Midwives on the otherhand from my experience are there for as much of the labor as they can. Its a sad myth that the OB is there. Really you see your nurse for like 99% of it then your doc for 1%.

Raven0227 · January 2012

buckeyebride22:
:lurking:

At all the hospitals I've worked at doctor's don't come in till the patient is basically crowning. They get ticked if the patient isn't ready. Midwives on the otherhand from my experience are there for as much of the labor as they can. Its a sad myth that the OB is there. Really you see your nurse for like 99% of it then your doc for 1%.

Yep, this. Not that I've ever been in labor (c-sections). My mom, however, was an L&D nurse for 15 years and this is what I heard from her. From what I understand they try to wait until the last possible moment to call in the OB. My mom has had to make a couple of catches in her day.

JWSchwarz · January 2012

I asked my OB if she would be there and she said she would but might look a little sleepy and have bed head depending on what time it is:) otherwise, it would be the generic hospital dr.