Speaking of having to advocate for ourselves and our babies as patients...

[Anonymous]

https://qz.com/1177004/serena-williamss-terrifying-childbirth-story/

Serena Williams almost died from postpartum blood clots. Despite both being famous and having a history of this issue, hospital staff initially did not take her concern seriously and she had to explain to hospital staff how they could save her life. It makes me very angry that this is the level of care that is common in this country. Another woman would probably have died from an entirely preventable complication.

[Anonymous]

So sad. There was an article I recently read about how black women die disproportionately to white women after childbirth and it does not matter what their socioeconomic status is. Another example.

[Anonymous]

This is such an important issue facing women in America, and as this article points out, especially black women. How could the nurses and doctors of Serena Williams not be paying closer attention to her? I mean, if they aren't listening to a celebrity athlete, who are they listening to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So sad. There was an article I recently read about how black women die disproportionately to white women after childbirth and it does not matter what their socioeconomic status is. Another example.

That was this NPR series. The black woman who died was actually working in this health field and it didn't help her. https://www.npr.org/2017/12/07/568948782/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story-explains-why

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is such an important issue facing women in America, and as this article points out, especially black women. How could the nurses and doctors of Serena Williams not be paying closer attention to her? I mean, if they aren't listening to a celebrity athlete, who are they listening to?

Postpartum nurses aren't a specialized field like labor and delivery nurses are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Postpartum nurses aren't a specialized field like labor and delivery nurses are.

PP-Interesting, I didn't know that and would have assumed they were.

[Anonymous]

Post-partum care is so inadequate in the country, and especially so for Black women. According to ProPublica, up to 60% of maternal deaths are preventable, which is shameful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is such an important issue facing women in America, and as this article points out, especially black women. How could the nurses and doctors of Serena Williams not be paying closer attention to her? I mean, if they aren't listening to a celebrity athlete, who are they listening to?

Postpartum nurses aren't a specialized field like labor and delivery nurses are.

Well perhaps they should be ....

[Anonymous]

I gave birth last year and I don't remember a doctor ever seeing me or talking to me once I moved into postpartum. A pediatrician came for the baby.

[Anonymous]

This just makes me so angry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I gave birth last year and I don't remember a doctor ever seeing me or talking to me once I moved into postpartum. A pediatrician came for the baby.

Me too...my OB came in to see me once. I don't think they were even checking my blood sugar levels and I had gestational diabetes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I gave birth last year and I don't remember a doctor ever seeing me or talking to me once I moved into postpartum. A pediatrician came for the baby.

I'm the OP. I had my baby in July. The doctor who delivered her came by twice. Baby was born at 8:30pm, and doctor stopped by at 8:30am the following day before going home to see how the night had been. He also came by the following morning to give me my discharge instructions (stitches will fall out/dissolve on their own, use the peri bottle, take Colace, stay hydrated, don't have sex until 6 weeks, etc.). He did not actually do a physical exam either of the times he visited, which I thought was weird. I had no complications so was not worried about it. Pediatrician visited the baby the first and second nights. Then we didn't see her again until the end of the week (2 days after discharge). She had no complications either and had regained the weight she lost in the hospital by the time we saw the pediatrician at the end of the week.

In so far as I have advice for first time moms, it's that in the moment, after you have your baby, you will think you will remember stuff like who visited and when and what was discussed, but realistically, you will not. Write it down. Use the "notes" app in your phone. Whatever it takes. Ditto baby stats. I used the Sprout baby app to track feeds, diapers, and sleeps from birth to 3 months. I now use it to track pumping. You think you'll remember, but you won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I gave birth last year and I don't remember a doctor ever seeing me or talking to me once I moved into postpartum. A pediatrician came for the baby.

I'm the OP. I had my baby in July. The doctor who delivered her came by twice. Baby was born at 8:30pm, and doctor stopped by at 8:30am the following day before going home to see how the night had been. He also came by the following morning to give me my discharge instructions (stitches will fall out/dissolve on their own, use the peri bottle, take Colace, stay hydrated, don't have sex until 6 weeks, etc.). He did not actually do a physical exam either of the times he visited, which I thought was weird. I had no complications so was not worried about it. Pediatrician visited the baby the first and second nights. Then we didn't see her again until the end of the week (2 days after discharge). She had no complications either and had regained the weight she lost in the hospital by the time we saw the pediatrician at the end of the week.

In so far as I have advice for first time moms, it's that in the moment, after you have your baby, you will think you will remember stuff like who visited and when and what was discussed, but realistically, you will not. Write it down. Use the "notes" app in your phone. Whatever it takes. Ditto baby stats. I used the Sprout baby app to track feeds, diapers, and sleeps from birth to 3 months. I now use it to track pumping. You think you'll remember, but you won't.

I too thought I'd have a physical exam before being discharged! I was bleeding heavily and in pain, so I kinda wanted someone to look at me. I've been told since that they don't do physical exams after birth. Next time anyone looked at me was 6 weeks later!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I gave birth last year and I don't remember a doctor ever seeing me or talking to me once I moved into postpartum. A pediatrician came for the baby.

I'm the OP. I had my baby in July. The doctor who delivered her came by twice. Baby was born at 8:30pm, and doctor stopped by at 8:30am the following day before going home to see how the night had been. He also came by the following morning to give me my discharge instructions (stitches will fall out/dissolve on their own, use the peri bottle, take Colace, stay hydrated, don't have sex until 6 weeks, etc.). He did not actually do a physical exam either of the times he visited, which I thought was weird. I had no complications so was not worried about it. Pediatrician visited the baby the first and second nights. Then we didn't see her again until the end of the week (2 days after discharge). She had no complications either and had regained the weight she lost in the hospital by the time we saw the pediatrician at the end of the week.

In so far as I have advice for first time moms, it's that in the moment, after you have your baby, you will think you will remember stuff like who visited and when and what was discussed, but realistically, you will not. Write it down. Use the "notes" app in your phone. Whatever it takes. Ditto baby stats. I used the Sprout baby app to track feeds, diapers, and sleeps from birth to 3 months. I now use it to track pumping. You think you'll remember, but you won't.

I too thought I'd have a physical exam before being discharged! I was bleeding heavily and in pain, so I kinda wanted someone to look at me. I've been told since that they don't do physical exams after birth. Next time anyone looked at me was 6 weeks later!

OP here. TOTALLY. I'd been in the hospital for close to a week at that point (induction) so it was really weird to have an encounter with a doctor that didn't involve a physical exam, given how many I'd had by that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I gave birth last year and I don't remember a doctor ever seeing me or talking to me once I moved into postpartum. A pediatrician came for the baby.

I'm the OP. I had my baby in July. The doctor who delivered her came by twice. Baby was born at 8:30pm, and doctor stopped by at 8:30am the following day before going home to see how the night had been. He also came by the following morning to give me my discharge instructions (stitches will fall out/dissolve on their own, use the peri bottle, take Colace, stay hydrated, don't have sex until 6 weeks, etc.). He did not actually do a physical exam either of the times he visited, which I thought was weird. I had no complications so was not worried about it. Pediatrician visited the baby the first and second nights. Then we didn't see her again until the end of the week (2 days after discharge). She had no complications either and had regained the weight she lost in the hospital by the time we saw the pediatrician at the end of the week.

In so far as I have advice for first time moms, it's that in the moment, after you have your baby, you will think you will remember stuff like who visited and when and what was discussed, but realistically, you will not. Write it down. Use the "notes" app in your phone. Whatever it takes. Ditto baby stats. I used the Sprout baby app to track feeds, diapers, and sleeps from birth to 3 months. I now use it to track pumping. You think you'll remember, but you won't.

I too thought I'd have a physical exam before being discharged! I was bleeding heavily and in pain, so I kinda wanted someone to look at me. I've been told since that they don't do physical exams after birth. Next time anyone looked at me was 6 weeks later!

Same here and no one even did a pelvic exam at my 6 week appointment!