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From: Wendy Puddy
Email: puddyw@mfldclin.edu
Category: Induction/Pitocin
Date: 09 Jan 2002
My son was born back in April and I'm still trying to get answers about the methods used during my labor and delivery. I was seeing a group of three OB's at the time. At 36 weeks, I was 2 cm dilated. . .no big deal. At 37 weeks, during my exam, the OB said, "You're 4 cm and 80% effaced -- and by the way I'm just going to strip your membranes a bit." !!!!! What?! Isn't that considered induction? At 37 weeks?! I trusted my doctor and went home. I went in to work the next morning and by late morning I was feeling a bit yucky and after a few phone calls to my nurse, I went up to monitoring at the hospital where I worked. I found out I was having contractions 5 minutes apart. After approximately two hours of hanging out on a deserted floor with no one in site, I buzzed the nurse back and she informed me that we woould go up to Labor and Delivery as soon as a room opened up and that I should call my husband. We went up shortly after and the nurse said that a resident would be there in a minute to break my water. After that, another nurse came in a stated I was going to receive some pitocin . . .!!!!!What?!! I told them that my family had a history of fast labor -- it fell on deaf ears. My husband looked at me and said, "Why do you need that?" I shrugged my shoulders. The drip started and the contractions IMMEDIATELY went into overdrive with a blinding pain I cannot even describe. My son skidded out in ONE AND A HALF HOURS. . .I had NO medication and no epidural. They did an episiotomy with no local numbing medication! It was civil war medicine! My son was as dusky blue as death itself and was carted off to the ICU. He had Respiratory Distress Syndrome, a disease of preemies and he was a good-sized baby at 7 lbs. 7 oz. Well, the disease ended up being severe and he was transferred to Children's Hospital where he was placed on a ventilator. He spent a month in the hospital and went home on oxygen. He was weaned off the oxygen several weeks later. The OB who delivered him was not the same person as the one who induced labor. The three OB, the one who I liked the best, was never involved but later confessed that he didn't know the reason for the induction in the first place. We were angry and asked many questions concerning the induction and the reply was, "I thought you were ready. . .I wanted to avoid a birth in the car." I'd had a completely normal pregnancy up until that point. What a bunch of incompetents who chose not to listen to their patient and rushed things along for whatever reason. You can be sure WE will run the show next time around.
Just for the record, all information posted here are personal experiences/stories. There are no Doctors/Nurses answering questions on the board. This board is for sharing stories so we can learn from each other! If you have any problems with the board, please email me at Angela4KP1@comcast.net