IV Question POLL

tmccord21 · August 2013

I'm reading my Bradley Book and they say having an IV slows down your contractions and then they could potentially add artificial hormones to speed them back up and before you know it you could potentially be in c-sec land. My sister is in the medical field and she said one advantage of having one is so you have an open vein in case of needing a blood transfusion etc. But it takes a minute to put one in and I guess they could put an IV in and then not hook you up to fluids. Right? Out of curiosity I wanted to hear from people who are having/had hospital births and what they did or are planning to do.

finnybooboo · August 2013

We just went to our childbirth class last weekend, and they said it's our hospital policy that you must have an IV. I didn't think to ask though if they could just put one in and not hook you up to anything if you don't absolutely need it. They just said it has to be there in case they need to quickly give you something.

kdjudd · August 2013

My hospital only requires one if you are getting too dehydrated, need antibiotics, or if you have an epidural. Other than that you are allowed to labor in peace!

ScorpioMum · August 2013

I had the hep lock because that's standard with my hospital. I didn't need it at all with #2 and it didn't really bother me.

kellyk17 · August 2013

FTM- For me, the biggest reason to say no IV unless medically necessary since it inhibits moving freely. I am asking for hep lock instead.

tmccord21 · August 2013

Hep lock! That's what its called lol

As PP said about their hospitals policy I'm not sure what mine is. I have to ask. I'm ok with the hep lock being there.

@comeongetdown The book said when you have extra fluids running through your blood stream it dilutes the hormone that makes the uterus contact.

Plus I believe if you don't have an IV you are still allowed to eat and drink.

EmJ&B · August 2013

My doc says you can request no IV so that's what I'm doing.

shelley1002 · August 2013

I voted I had an IV but only because I was GBS+ and had to get antibiotics.

pmarie33 · August 2013

I had one in my hand but didn't have it hooked up to anything.

hamiltks10 · August 2013

I was hung up on this leading into the birth of my son. I didn't want even the hep lock in place.

Once I got to the hospital (I was 10cm and ready to push), they gave me the IV for antibiotics. After that was done (it only takes a minute or two), I asked if they could "unplug" me and my midwife said "sure, we can give you a hep lock". I didn't fight it. I was just minutes from giving birth anyways and I didn't care at that point.

Funny thing is...I began bleeding more than they liked after he was born and the nurse ended up fiddling with the hep lock for what seemed to be a couple of minutes before she was able to get the pitocin in. She probably could have started a whole new IV in the other hand before she got the medicine in the original one.

MrsKocal · August 2013

I had one last time. I was so swollen they couldn't find a vein, it took three nurses, 25 minutes, and about 10 "tries" which were more painful than the contractions. I can't imagine if they would have had to do that in an emergency!

jen-and-ryon · August 2013

Lia1303 said:

It depends on the hospital. Some hospitals won't allow more than ice chips because in case of an emergency where they would need to use anesthesia you could potentially aspirate vomit.

This. My hospital only allows us to have ice chips.

Hopefully I won't need and IV this time around.

MommaNikki · August 2013

MrsKocal said:

I had one last time. I was so swollen they couldn't find a vein, it took three nurses, 25 minutes, and about 10 "tries" which were more painful than the contractions. I can't imagine if they would have had to do that in an emergency!

Same thing with me! Ugh, just getting the IV in was probably the hardest part of my labor... I was so bruised up after, it was horrible. But again, if I needed something in an emergency I'd rather have it in place and ready to go then gave 10 different people trying to get it going. I'll let them do what they need to do per hospital policy.

SuperSecretStatus · August 2013

I was GBS pos and got induced so an IV was necessary.

asilwhite · August 2013

I am requesting no IV and my MWs are fine with that as I'm allowed to eat and drink during labor. If they think one might be needed at some point, I'll be requesting a heplock.

Weljadraak · August 2013

comeongetdown said:

(FTM) I'm requesting a hep lock. I don't mind having the needle in place, ready to go just in case. I read the Bradley book and don't remember them saying the IV itself slowing down contractions? Also, I'm pretty sure they can't give you anything without your consent?

Yeah, what's the deal with this part?

crunchymama11 said:

The hospital requires a hep lock. I'm not too thrilled with that but I'll take it. And I have heard stories about nurses putting Pit in without asking. And all the fluids make you and baby all swollen. No IV unless I NEED it. And my MW lets me eat/drink in labor so I'm not worried about getting dehydrated (ha! "lets" me- I love that we have to get permission to do so many things while pregnant/in labor. But that's another post).

And then I read this.

MrsStuessyWI · August 2013

I will request no IV. If I need one for something like antibiotics then I will obviously not argue with that. At my hospital they encourage you to drink as much as you want or can. If for some reason I am still dehydrated than an IV would be ok I guess.

StayingSecret · August 2013

Same here -- hospital policy even if they don't hook it up to anything. It's got to be put in.

MtnChickaD · August 2013

Our hospital is fine with a hep-lock if you aren't getting IV meds. I am a nurse so I totally get why they want access but its silly to be getting fluids for no reason.

reederah · August 2013

I had a hep lock, and was connected to iv antibiotics for 20 minutes twice because I was gbs positive. Other than they let me labor without being hooked up.

Ayreka · August 2013

I had to have one in my previous deliveries because they were both born before I had had my group b test and I needed precautionary antibiotics.
I plan on having just a hep lock this time.

bnikiz · August 2013

Dd was scs so an iv was required. Current hospital requires iv, continuos monotoring and epidural for a vbac. If something goes wrong you will want that iv and fluids already going.

kimbo1216 · August 2013

I had one. I'm going to ask about a hep lock with intermittent monitoring this time. Last time, I liked being able to walk around before I got my epi. I hated being attached to the dang iv and worrying about the placement of the monitors.

It's more of a pain for the nurses to do a hep lock with intermittent monitoring, but I'm going to be at a more progressive hospital this time, so I'm hoping it won't be a problem.

Mmhodges07 · August 2013

Haven't read what other have written, but I am doing the Bradley method as well. I plan on just having an open IV, not hooked up, unless necessary. I think it is going to be difficult to drink at least 8 oz of water, every hour, especially farther along in labor, but I'm sure it will all work out. I'm not "against" fluids, but I guess I still have a few more weeks to debate about it.

babygiantquest · August 2013

Our hospital's policy is no eating during labor, so I'll be hooked up to an IV with fluids. Low blood sugar can actually throw me into having a seizure, therefore, this is the safest option. I guess I'll just have to have the husband on alert to make sure that our birth plan is followed and no pitocin gets snuck into it. (Unless, of course, I wind up needing to be induced due to the epilepsy; we aren't sure how I'm going to react to labor, so I'm trying to keep a very open mind about the whole situation.)

ETA: Regarding the sneaking of pitocin, I've had some lousy hospital experiences, and I fully admit to being paranoid.

Amjoy25 · August 2013

OMG. An IV will not hurt to have; not only is it access for blood transfusions, but also if your heart stops or they need to start CPR and give you medications. Birth is dangerous, mmmkay. And yes, they can put in a saline lock without fluids, but fluids are always good as you will be losing a percentage of yours while giving birth.

Amjoy25 · August 2013

Weljadraak said:

comeongetdown said:

(FTM) I'm requesting a hep lock. I don't mind having the needle in place, ready to go just in case. I read the Bradley book and don't remember them saying the IV itself slowing down contractions? Also, I'm pretty sure they can't give you anything without your consent?

Yeah, what's the deal with this part?

crunchymama11 said:

The hospital requires a hep lock. I'm not too thrilled with that but I'll take it. And I have heard stories about nurses putting Pit in without asking. And all the fluids make you and baby all swollen. No IV unless I NEED it. And my MW lets me eat/drink in labor so I'm not worried about getting dehydrated (ha! "lets" me- I love that we have to get permission to do so many things while pregnant/in labor. But that's another post).

And then I read this.

Reputable hospitals, doctors and nurses will NOT give you anything they have not obtained your consent for; and nurses putting pitocin in without consent...this is NOT common.

Amjoy25 · August 2013

tmccord21 said:

Hep lock! That's what its called lol

As PP said about their hospitals policy I'm not sure what mine is. I have to ask. I'm ok with the hep lock being there.

@comeongetdown The book said when you have extra fluids running through your blood stream it dilutes the hormone that makes the uterus contact.

Plus I believe if you don't have an IV you are still allowed to eat and drink.

Saline-lock. It is not common practice to use heparin unless it will be in your vein for days.

sleepy33 · August 2013

Amjoy25 said:

Weljadraak said:

comeongetdown said:

(FTM) I'm requesting a hep lock. I don't mind having the needle in place, ready to go just in case. I read the Bradley book and don't remember them saying the IV itself slowing down contractions? Also, I'm pretty sure they can't give you anything without your consent?

Yeah, what's the deal with this part?

crunchymama11 said:

The hospital requires a hep lock. I'm not too thrilled with that but I'll take it. And I have heard stories about nurses putting Pit in without asking. And all the fluids make you and baby all swollen. No IV unless I NEED it. And my MW lets me eat/drink in labor so I'm not worried about getting dehydrated (ha! "lets" me- I love that we have to get permission to do so many things while pregnant/in labor. But that's another post).

And then I read this.

Reputable hospitals, doctors and nurses will NOT give you anything they have not obtained your consent for; and nurses putting pitocin in without consent...this is NOT common.

Yeah, I was just going to say, unless they enjoy lawsuits they will not be administering drugs without asking/informing you first.

tmccord21 · August 2013

Amjoy25 said:

tmccord21 said:

Hep lock! That's what its called lol

As PP said about their hospitals policy I'm not sure what mine is. I have to ask. I'm ok with the hep lock being there.

@comeongetdown The book said when you have extra fluids running through your blood stream it dilutes the hormone that makes the uterus contact.

Plus I believe if you don't have an IV you are still allowed to eat and drink.

Saline-lock. It is not common practice to use heparin unless it will be in your vein for days.

ohh. Ok.Good to know. I've only had an IV once and that was a few weeks ago when I was in L&D for contractions. I hated it. The nurse turned it up wayyyyyy too high (as per what my sis said. She puts lines in for a living) and I was freezing. My teeth were chattering and I was shaking. Not a good feeling at all. I want to avoid if I can. I'm all for putting a thingy in my arm for access but I want to avoid the fluids if possible. My goal is to fluid up before I get there and hopefully their won't be an additional need for fluids when I'm there.

jnsmith85 · August 2013

Amjoy25 said:
OMG. An IV will not hurt to have; not only is it access for blood transfusions, but also if your heart stops or they need to start CPR and give you medications. Birth is dangerous, mmmkay. And yes, they can put in a saline lock without fluids, but fluids are always good as you will be losing a percentage of yours while giving birth.

This!! Thank you!! It shouldn't even be an option to say no...

I am in no way naive about the whole birthing process like some people. with my medical background in NICU I see everything that can go wrong.

If you're on the table hemorrhaging, you really want the nurses to be trying for an IV (which often takes multiple tries to finally get) when one could have been previously placed??

Jalee85 · August 2013

@tmccord21

I have a similar issue with the IV fluids and making me bitterly cold too! I could of sworn they were injecting me with ice water! But they aren't it's at room temperature!

I've had IVs way too many times to count but my best 2 experiences was when I had an allergic reaction and a paramedic put one in! That was amazing and didn't even feel it! Quite possibly because my allergic reaction let me to lose all the control of my muscles in my head and throat! The other really good experience I had was when an Anesthesiologist nurse was actually called in to put my line in! She was amazing! Then after that they gave me a heated air flow gown! It basically blows up with warm air and that completely counters the coldness from the IV fluids. I have only had that once though and it was right before I was gonna have a pretty major surgery!

I would never personally say no to an IV or fluids if needed but if I could labor for a little while before they put it in, I would definitely prefer that! I've had such bad experiences with them I'd rather have the least amount of time with the IV as possible!

mobilejen · August 2013

No one is going to "sneak" pit in your IV. This is a bit paranoid. I am a nurse and even in an emergency, you tell a pt what you are giving them, as long as they are conscious. If you are really concerned that it's going to happen, just tell your nurse on admission that you do not want to be given anything without your consent. Heparin locks no longer exist, except with certain implanted central lines (which you won't have unless you have some really bad chronic illness), but they are currently called saline locks. We stopped putting heparin in them well over 10 years ago, to prevent pts from getting too much anticoagulants. Perhaps the book you are reading is very outdated?

I would have no problem having a saline lock, or IV if needed (I plan on natural childbirth). An IV really doesn't limit your movement that much. You simply unplug it from the wall & roll it with you. Your birthing partner could easily assist you. I have elderly pts that can still walk with them. Some of this seems like fear mongering by the authors of a book. Just thought I'd clarify some of the misperceptions.

tmccord21 · August 2013

Jalee85 said:

@tmccord21

I have a similar issue with the IV fluids and making me bitterly cold too! I could of sworn they were injecting me with ice water! But they aren't it's at room temperature!

I've had IVs way too many times to count but my best 2 experiences was when I had an allergic reaction and a paramedic put one in! That was amazing and didn't even feel it! Quite possibly because my allergic reaction let me to lose all the control of my muscles in my head and throat! The other really good experience I had was when an Anesthesiologist nurse was actually called in to put my line in! She was amazing! Then after that they gave me a heated air flow gown! It basically blows up with warm air and that completely counters the coldness from the IV fluids. I have only had that once though and it was right before I was gonna have a pretty major surgery!

I would never personally say no to an IV or fluids if needed but if I could labor for a little while before they put it in, I would definitely prefer that! I've had such bad experiences with them I'd rather have the least amount of time with the IV as possible!

@jalee85 Ya, it was horrible. They brought in these blankets that must have come right out of a heater for me. It helped a little but I still felt so crappy from it. Like I said, I'm all for them putting in an access line but I don't want unnecessary fluids. Hoping I can get away without another one of those things.

jorkz821 · August 2013

I had an IV because I was induced last time, then it's practice to have one with an epi. I'd much rather have one in place just in case.

And a huge side eye to whatever book said nurses or other healthcare providers will "sneak" you anything. Come on now.

mweav1025 · August 2013

STM here. I had an IV put in and was given some fluid but not the whole time. It was procedure for the maternity ward to at least put a line in, that way if you requested IV pain meds it was there and they didn't have to put it in then give you meds. I only got fluid because I hadn't eaten since dinner at 6pm and I went into the hospital after midnight and I couldn't even hold down water during labor and they were worried about me dehydrating. Unsure about this hospitals policy and will be asking when we do our tour. I just hope if I need an IV this time it doesn't take three sticks to get it in like last time.

adcc43 · August 2013

I had one in bc I wa GBS positive and needed the antibiotics. They didn't do anything else through the IV. I was a little annoyed after the show was over, they wouldn't take the IV out for a few hours afterword. They said they wanted it left in for a few hours after "just in case". If I have to have an iV again this time I am demanding to have them take it out right away. It got in the way of everything!

Ayreka · August 2013

Amjoy25 said:
OMG. An IV will not hurt to have; not only is it access for blood transfusions, but also if your heart stops or they need to start CPR and give you medications. Birth is dangerous, mmmkay. And yes, they can put in a saline lock without fluids, but fluids are always good as you will be losing a percentage of yours while giving birth.

If you are drinking on your own and don't have to be pumped full of fluids I don't see how having the line running is better. If you have the saline lock they can give you meds immediately.

The fluids contribute to swelling post birth and they can artificially raise the babies birth weight. That may not seem like a big deal until they start pushing you to supplement because the baby has lost "too much weight too quickly".

tmccord21 · August 2013

jorkz821 said:
I had an IV because I was induced last time, then it's practice to have one with an epi. I'd much rather have one in place just in case.

And a huge side eye to whatever book said nurses or other healthcare providers will "sneak" you anything. Come on now.

@jorkz821 my book def didn't say that. It just said that once the saline is in your bloodstream it slows the process down and the dr may call for artificial meds to speed things up.

huntjul · August 2013

I have also heard too many birth stories where women were unaware they were getting pitocin in their IVa to be sheer coincidence or ignorance. However, I can't rule out that they were told but didn't actually "hear" the information because they were actively laboring. However, informed consent requires not only that you be told, but that you be told so that or until you understand. To be safe, if I need IV fluids, I'll look at the bag to see what's in it. But I would check the line, bag, rate, etc anyway just because I'm nosy and curious.

hamiltks10 · August 2013

Ayreka said:

OMG. An IV will not hurt to have; not only is it access for blood transfusions, but also if your heart stops or they need to start CPR and give you medications. Birth is dangerous, mmmkay. And yes, they can put in a saline lock without fluids, but fluids are always good as you will be losing a percentage of yours while giving birth.
If you are drinking on your own and don't have to be pumped full of fluids I don't see how having the line running is better. If you have the saline lock they can give you meds immediately. The fluids contribute to swelling post birth and they can artificially raise the babies birth weight. That may not seem like a big deal until they start pushing you to supplement because the baby has lost "too much weight too quickly".

This. And giving birth is not dangerous. It is a completely natural process that most women, if left alone, should be able to do without many of the routine interventions pushed today.

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