Pressure from doctor?

kat4905 · January 2014

Hi everyone,

I'm seriously looking into a natural birth. I'm looking to start private Bradley method classes next week (since the classes are 12 weeks long, I may deliver before the classes are done). I have an OB/GYN I've been seeing the whole pregnancy. I'm wondering if any of you have felt pressure from your doctor for interventions or that they didn't support your wishes to go natural? This is my first time, so I don't know what to expect. Any feedback or advice would be appreciated!
Thank you!

wintersong · January 2014

Not all doctors are the same...some ate more pushy about interventions, some are less. The only way to know how your doctor feels is to bring a birth plan and discuss it with him/her.

aylafsu88 · January 2014

My OB was great. I spoke with her about my wishes and what I wanted in my birth. She made notes of it in my chart and when I was in labor the on call OB had those notes. He told me he would do everything he could to help me have a natural birth and he did. He was amazing and respected my H and I. When I arrived at the hospital I was in transition and refused an IV or a Heplock. The nurses and OB were all OK with that. I think one of the big issues is that many women do not know about the various interventions and that they have the right to refuse them (if there is no medical emergency). Being educated and prepared for a natural birth is the most important thing.

stephl3055 · January 2014

I didn't decide I wanted a natural birth until I was fairly far along, like around 25 weeks or so. Because of that I had never researched a natural birth friendly OB and hadn't talked to mine about how he felt about certain things. I ended up with GD and he kept saying that he didn't want me to go past my due date, blah, blah, blah even though I was diet controlled and I only gained 19 pounds during the whole pregnancy.

I wrote up a birth plan and he looked it over and said he was fine with everything. He sent it with my file to the hospital and seemed like he was going to be on board. Two days before my due date I got a call at 5:30 in the morning from the hospital saying I never showed up for my induction. ??? He never discussed scheduling one with me (even though he said he wouldn't let me go past my EDD) and I was so blindsided.

I finally agreed to the induction at 40w5d and she arrived the next day. My labor/birth experience was great, but he really pressured me to do a lot of things despite saying he was okay with my birth plan. He wanted to break my water but I said no and he got a little defensive (I said in the birth plan I didn't want it broken). Then he said I wasn't making progress like he wanted me to and wanted to try an enema. I refused and after he left the nurse said that was a really old school technique and that she hadn't seen one used for that purpose in years.

Starting around 20 weeks I just had a feeling that he wasn't the right doctor for me but I never switched. Everything was a battle and I was tired of feeling like I was always disagreeing with his advice. I won't be going back to him again and I've already found a very NB friendly OB who I will use next time.

So bottom line, don't be afraid to switch if you are doubtful that your OB won't be 100% supportive. Don't feel like you have to agree with everything they say and do as much research as you can on your own.

Gamera3000 · January 2014

I have a rare neurological disease (it's being researched because its so rare). Because of this I'm seeing a regular OB, a high risk OB and I have a doula.

The high risk guy wants me to get an epidural because he thinks it'll help me be less tired and therefore push more effectively. I said okay we'll see. If my labor is long that'll probably be a good idea. He asked how big the father is (6'5" 220 lbs-I'm 5'6" and was 130 pp). When I told him he said OH you'll definitely want an epidural.

No matter what he says I'm just going to see how it goes before I do ANYTHING.

barista411 · January 2014

Gamera3000 said:
I have a rare neurological disease (it's being researched because its so rare). Because of this I'm seeing a regular OB, a high risk OB and I have a doula.

The high risk guy wants me to get an epidural because he thinks it'll help me be less tired and therefore push more effectively. I said okay we'll see. If my labor is long that'll probably be a good idea. He asked how big the father is (6'5" 220 lbs-I'm 5'6" and was 130 pp). When I told him he said OH you'll definitely want an epidural.

No matter what he says I'm just going to see how it goes before I do ANYTHING.

I would be concerned about an OB that would recommend an epidural to push more effectively. It would probably allow you to be more rested. However if you can feel your contractions and feel if you are pushing properly your pushes will be more effective. With an epidural you are purely relying on the nurses and doctors to tell you when to push.

CLLDLL · January 2014

I think it really depends on the OB. Mine is one of the top five busiest in the city I live in. She's very well know for her surgery skills. That being said, she was actually very pro NB for me. She requested my birth plan around 32 weeks. We reviewed it together & talked about why I wanted what I wanted. She was on board with just about everything.

The day I went into labor she pretty much just let me do my thing. A few times she made suggestions (like breaking my water when I was 9.5 cm), but respected my wishes if I disagreed. The only thing she pushed on was that I have pitocin after delivery because I was bleeding a lot still. (I had a pretty fast birth, and I guess a lot of bleeding after is common in quick labors.)

Now every time I see her for a Pap, she calls me her rockstar because I delivered med free!

wintersong · January 2014

@barista411, usually that is true, but Gamera mentioned that she will be laboring under the added strain of a neurological condition...it very well could be true that depending on the condition, it would preferable to have less stress on the muscles and be more relaxed, even if the laboring woman can't feel when to push properly.

That being said, I don't think the father's height guarantees a big, small, long, short, round, or whatever baby.

Gamera3000 · January 2014

barista411 said:

Gamera3000 said:
I have a rare neurological disease (it's being researched because its so rare). Because of this I'm seeing a regular OB, a high risk OB and I have a doula.

The high risk guy wants me to get an epidural because he thinks it'll help me be less tired and therefore push more effectively. I said okay we'll see. If my labor is long that'll probably be a good idea. He asked how big the father is (6'5" 220 lbs-I'm 5'6" and was 130 pp). When I told him he said OH you'll definitely want an epidural.

No matter what he says I'm just going to see how it goes before I do ANYTHING.
I would be concerned about an OB that would recommend an epidural to push more effectively. It would probably allow you to be more rested. However if you can feel your contractions and feel if you are pushing properly your pushes will be more effective. With an epidural you are purely relying on the nurses and doctors to tell you when to push.

Yeah he's just guessing, which is why I'm gonna wait and see. When I'm overtired I can't stand or walk very well and when it's real bad I also can't use my hands or talk very well. I have no idea if being tired will effect my uterus.

There are just soo many stories about women who had problem after problem which all seemed to start with the first intervention. It makes me pretty wary.

wintersong · January 2014

@Gamera3000 - Good luck! When are you due?

Gamera3000 · January 2014

@msvarner march 9th.

I had a birthing education class from my doula today and now I'm feeling a different kind of pressure. A lot of the techniques that sound helpful for regular moms sound so wrong for me!

Because of my neurological condition my balance is crap and physical exertion makes movement coordination harder. So she's saying that sitting on a yoga ball helps (not me!) and climbing stairs (not me!) and letting someone support you as you let go and sink into it (oh god no!).

It's difficult because I feel like I'm all by myself to find natural options that would actually help me. I know the drs and my doula really are trying to help-they just don't understand.

barista411 · January 2014

MSVarner said:
@barista411, usually that is true, but Gamera mentioned that she will be laboring under the added strain of a neurological condition...it very well could be true that depending on the condition, it would preferable to have less stress on the muscles and be more relaxed, even if the laboring woman can't feel when to push properly.

That being said, I don't think the father's height guarantees a big, small, long, short, round, or whatever baby.

I can clearly read her original post. I'm not sure why you felt the need to reiterate that point. I am not criticizing her approach towards her birth I am merely pointing out that epidurals can inhibit the ability to properly push. It is something to keep in mind when weighing the pros and cons of the epidural.

@gamera I would highly recommend using water, either in the form of a tub or a chair in the shower. It will help with pain without causing any type of physical exertion.

nosoup4u · January 2014

@Gamera3000

Have you looked around online for ideas for women w physical disabilities? You can't be the first woman who wants to go med-free but can't necessarily do things that are recommended.

Epidurals can be turned off or down for pushing, if it comes to that. And laboring in a tub is a great idea. Good luck!

jessib10 · January 2014

Gamera3000 said:
I have a rare neurological disease (it's being researched because its so rare). Because of this I'm seeing a regular OB, a high risk OB and I have a doula.

The high risk guy wants me to get an epidural because he thinks it'll help me be less tired and therefore push more effectively. I said okay we'll see. If my labor is long that'll probably be a good idea. He asked how big the father is (6'5" 220 lbs-I'm 5'6" and was 130 pp). When I told him he said OH you'll definitely want an epidural.

No matter what he says I'm just going to see how it goes before I do ANYTHING.

Love how doctors assume big/tall men were all born big/tall babies.

My husband is 5'10" and weighs 245. He was 22inch long and 6lb when he was born.

Gamera3000 · January 2014

@barista411: my hospital is supposed to have ONE labor tub so I'm going to request that and cross my fingers.

@nosoup4u: I've been researching since the first positive pregnancy test. My neurological disease is a degenerative movement disorder, so the most common similar diseases are ALS, Parkinson's, MS, and Huntingtons. I couldn't find any more onnpregnancy

kat4905 · January 2014

Thank you ladies for all of your feedback! I just had my first Bradley Method class tonight and it went well. I feel really good about my decision for a natural birth.

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