The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

Tips for Labor from an OB Nurse

I am an OB nurse who worked in a high risk, high volume hospital for 9 years.  Then fate smiled upon me and I had the opportunity to work in a free standing birth center where women birthed normally.  Due to my husbands job, I needed to move from this birthing haven and have returned (just part time, on call - enough to make my car payment and keep me in fabric!) to hospital birth center nursing.

I had fooled myself that the medical community, docs and nurses, had progressed to the world of supporting and encouraging birthing families, rather than saving, curing and delivering women.  I am again an almost lone reed working for change.  I thought I could start with the easy things, like letting a woman wear whatever attire she chose for her hard work of labor and birth.  And I got slammed immediately because "in case something goes wrong and she has to go for surgery" she needs to wear the provided hospital gown. Now, this comes from fellow nurses!  I am still trying but I need help from birthing families.  Please continue to let women know that if the hospital is where there are birthing that they  are a customer - not an employee, not a prisoner.  And you can wear whatever you think you might like to.  Just say no to giving them your clothes.  If your nurse is truly a compassionate, caring birth assistant she will understand and continue to provide you with exceptional care.  If you get the feeling that she thinks you are going to be a pain in the neck patient, then ask the charge nurse for a different nurse. This is the only time you will birth this baby, the nurse does this everyday.  But too often I watch women cower to the suggestion of giving up her clothes and then I watch her become a patient, instead of a woman in labor.  Thanks for letting me vent, this tiny little tendril of frustration.

Next time, I will talk about not getting in the bed.

OBRN