Saga Continues

What a week! My body, this baby, wants to create a story like no other.  The fFn test was positive so I went to the nearest hospital (per my midwifes request) for further follow up, or so we thought.  I cannot even begin to explain my emotions walking up to the triage unit.  What a paradox: being a nurse, but HATING and DREADING everything hospital when it comes to my body and pregnancies.  In my worry, confusion, and all unanswered questions I found myself crying and with my guard up.  As a doula, homebirther, breastfeeder, and midwife user I KNEW what to expect.  Once I got into the triage room an hour later, I could over hear all the conversations and how I became the talk of the unit. 

The inconsideration of hospital culture STILL baffles me, even as a nurse.  I wasn't asked nor was it explained to me "may I put on these monitors to watch the baby and you?"  It was just done as routine.  The doctor got under my skin even more with his condescending attitude towards the fact that I CHOSE to have a vaginal breech birth with my first child who was sitting right by my side, in which i was induced.  He asks "ummm why were you induced?" After my short but sweet explanation he looks at me sideways like "hmmm wow things sure have changed." I asked him what he meant and he said "well we don't induce before 39wks...breech... well that another story" My blood was already boiling and irritated by the fact that I was there, but I just wanted answers and if any time medical intervention was needed, this would be a good case (possible preterm labor at 28wks).  I annoyingly said "yeh I know the rules now (holding back b/c I wanted to say although most docs don't hold back on inductions) but that was 11 years ago and THANK heavens I didn't live in Arizona then. Oh yeah he asked "soooo your a doula right?" I looked at him dumb founded because I never told anyone that.  So I told him "yes and I'm a nurse" looking like whats your point?

He proceeded to then tell me my options in dealing with the current situation because I showed no signs of contractions.  Basically, do nothing but follow up with my midwife in a week.  Forget the fact that I've had cervical change.  I say all this to say, I went to the very spot most families in the world consider "Gods House" so to speak and got nothing more than a hefty bill I cant afford and sent right back to my midwife who is really concerned about me and my babies well being.  My midwives are awesome!  They go above and beyond, force me to be on bed rest, and get results.  The saga continues next week as I have been seen by another OB today, got a scrip for battling yeast which she thinks is causing this problem, so we will see.

Powerful Positive Birth is possible in hospital

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Receives Top Rating for Maternity Care for Second Year in a Row from HealthGradesStudy Finds Significantly Lower Obstetric Complications in Top15% versus Bottom 15% of HospitalsBERKELEY, CA (June 30, 2009) – Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Alta Bates Campus announced today that the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings company recognized them with a Five-Star Rating for Maternity Care for the second consecutive year. HealthGrades found that wide gaps persist in quality outcomes for maternity care and the best-performing hospitals had far fewer complications compared with poor-performing hospitals.The Sixth Annual HealthGrades Women’s Health in American Hospitals study found that best-performing hospitals had 52% fewer maternal complications among women who had vaginal births compared to poor-performing hospitals and 76% fewer complications among women who had C-sections. Patient-choice C-sections had the largest difference at 84% between best- and poor-performing hospitals.“It’s an honor to be ranked among the top hospitals in the country by an independent source such as HealthGrades,” said Amy Huibonhoa, MD, Chair of OB/GYN. “Pregnancy gives families nine months time to make careful decisions about where to receive their health care. Providing this crucial information about Alta Bates Summit’s outstanding clinical performance will allow families to make thoughtful choices about where to experience this important event in their lives.”Study findings include the following:• If all hospitals, among the 19 states studied, performed at the level of the best-performing hospitals from 2005 through 2007, 182,129 women may have avoided developing one or more in hospital major obstetrics complications. • Best-performing hospitals had a 56% lower weight-stratified neonatal mortality compared to poor-performing hospitals.• C-section rates average approximately 32% among the 19 states studied.• Quality inconsistencies are seen when comparing states; those with the lowest complication rates have almost half the complications compared with states that had the highest complication rates.“For many women, having a baby is their first experience with hospitalization, and as this study shows, it really matters which hospital is chosen.” said Dr. Rick May, a senior physician consultant with HealthGrades and a study co-author. “But now women have a way of identifying hospitals with outstanding track records in terms of the outcomes of other new mothers. That’s a powerful tool for all women as they plan for their birth.” HealthGrades analyzed approximately 13 million hospital delivery and neonate records from 2005 through 2007 in more than 1,500 hospitals in 19 all-payer states for this study and identified 218 hospitals as being five-star rated in maternity care. The full HealthGrades study can be found at www.healthgrades.com.