Warning to expecting moms: Required to wear mask during PUSHING at Holy Cross

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also had to wear a mask last summer and it was the worst part of my entire experience for sure. My friend also wore a mask and she and her baby still caught Covid in the hospital. Most of my friends not in this area never wore masks and never caught it. If there was definite science to it sure but there’s 100% not, especially now with high vaccination rates and antibodies. The whole thing is so anti-science and absurd.

I didn’t realize they were doing masks during active labor in DC. I had my baby in the Bay Area where there were heavy restrictions in place but they didn’t require this. I had to wear a mask when in all other parts of the hospital but not not while in labor. With a negative covid test and proof of vaccination the likelihood of contracting covid in this scenario can’t be that high.

[Anonymous]

I did not wear one 6 months ago as i delivered at home. No strangers in my house at the birth of my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP. I gave birth in November 2020 wearing a mask (Virginia Hospital Center). It was because the COVID test they gave me in triage took forever to come back (and no vaccines back then). I am shocked that they made you wear it after a negative test - I was allowed to take it off after my results came back. But it was all over by then.

I was also unable to get an epidural because the anesthesiologist wouldn't come in until I had tested negative. The good news is, when you are giving birth with no pain relief you kind of forget about the mask.

You couldn’t get an epidural? I am so sorry.

Omg we are so scared of COVID we have accepted denying a pregnant woman pain relief? This is crazy. I’m delivering at VHC in a few months (I’m fully vaxxed) and I will raise bloody hell if I can’t get an epidural.

RN here. Your pain is not more important than the risk to the doctor's life. Sorry. You're not going to die from labor pain. It will suck, but you're not dying. If you were positive, the doctor could die.

Healthcare workers who are that high risk ("could die" from COVID) should not be working in healthcare. Jeesh. -daughter of healthcare workers

I work in an underserved area with retention problems in the best of times. Right now, we are less than half-staffed, and our patient load is much higher.

People would literally die if I were not here. They can't replace me. They couldn't replace my colleague who stayed an extra two years past retirement, or the one who had to retire with early dementia, or the one who died early on from COVID. We are hemorrhaging staff and nurses.

You really think I should leave? I think I should PPE up as best I can, try to get people to comply with safety precautions, and just keep working. We can agree to disagree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP. I gave birth in November 2020 wearing a mask (Virginia Hospital Center). It was because the COVID test they gave me in triage took forever to come back (and no vaccines back then). I am shocked that they made you wear it after a negative test - I was allowed to take it off after my results came back. But it was all over by then.

I was also unable to get an epidural because the anesthesiologist wouldn't come in until I had tested negative. The good news is, when you are giving birth with no pain relief you kind of forget about the mask.

You couldn’t get an epidural? I am so sorry.

Omg we are so scared of COVID we have accepted denying a pregnant woman pain relief? This is crazy. I’m delivering at VHC in a few months (I’m fully vaxxed) and I will raise bloody hell if I can’t get an epidural.

RN here. Your pain is not more important than the risk to the doctor's life. Sorry. You're not going to die from labor pain. It will suck, but you're not dying. If you were positive, the doctor could die.

Healthcare workers who are that high risk ("could die" from COVID) should not be working in healthcare. Jeesh. -daughter of healthcare workers

You’re not as smart as your parents are you?

[Anonymous]

The anesthesiologist needed a negative covid test for YOUR safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The anesthesiologist needed a negative covid test for YOUR safety.

I mean think of the absurdity here, hospitals all along have been treating everyone, including the ones they KNOW have covid. But we’re supposed to believe there’s one rogue anesthesiologist who just refuses to go in a room without a negative covid test? Your covid status is relevant to the procedure. She was waiting on the test like all the other labs she needed to safely give you an epidural. And then your labor proceeded too quickly for it to be possible. The end. Women miss the epidural all the time.

[Anonymous]

As a L&D nurse, I find that mom wearing a mask or not in active labor is a consensus process driven by the patient, her partner, her nurse, and her provider. Generally, the most cautious one wins because people have their reasons. Neither of us know if your nurse was, for instance, immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk of complications from an incidental COVID infection, even one superimposed upon a vaccine.

That said, as a vaccinated patient with a recent negative rapid in triage, you were at extremely low risk to be a transmission vector to that nurse. Often, a way to address it is request not to wear a mask, and non-confrontationally encourage a nursing assignment change if that is what it takes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The anesthesiologist needed a negative covid test for YOUR safety.

I mean think of the absurdity here, hospitals all along have been treating everyone, including the ones they KNOW have covid. But we’re supposed to believe there’s one rogue anesthesiologist who just refuses to go in a room without a negative covid test? Your covid status is relevant to the procedure. She was waiting on the test like all the other labs she needed to safely give you an epidural. And then your labor proceeded too quickly for it to be possible. The end. Women miss the epidural all the time.

PP here. Ok, I'll bite, since you called me "absurd." I literally was just repeating what the hospital told me: that the anesthesiologist wouldn't come in until my test came back. I never said it was a "rogue" anesthesiologist - I don't know what the concern was. If it was the risk to me, they certainly never said that.

If that was the reason, it would have been nice for them to tell me that and maybe let *ME* make the decision about whether to take the risk, as a person with zero symptoms who had been extremely careful in my late pregnancy including barely leaving my house the last few weeks.

Also, the article PP posted about epidurals and COVID makes one recommendation: that COVID-positive patients get the epidural EARLIER. So please explain how waiting made me safer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a L&D nurse, I find that mom wearing a mask or not in active labor is a consensus process driven by the patient, her partner, her nurse, and her provider. Generally, the most cautious one wins because people have their reasons. Neither of us know if your nurse was, for instance, immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk of complications from an incidental COVID infection, even one superimposed upon a vaccine.

That said, as a vaccinated patient with a recent negative rapid in triage, you were at extremely low risk to be a transmission vector to that nurse. Often, a way to address it is request not to wear a mask, and non-confrontationally encourage a nursing assignment change if that is what it takes.

Yeesh, consensus process seems like a recipe for conflict. IMO it is better to just have a rule and be clear about it (preferably BEFORE the woman arrives at the hospital - i.e. the OBs should tell their patients).

[Anonymous]

I pushed out a 10lbs baby with a mask on at Holy Cross. So, what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a L&D nurse, I find that mom wearing a mask or not in active labor is a consensus process driven by the patient, her partner, her nurse, and her provider. Generally, the most cautious one wins because people have their reasons. Neither of us know if your nurse was, for instance, immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk of complications from an incidental COVID infection, even one superimposed upon a vaccine.

That said, as a vaccinated patient with a recent negative rapid in triage, you were at extremely low risk to be a transmission vector to that nurse. Often, a way to address it is request not to wear a mask, and non-confrontationally encourage a nursing assignment change if that is what it takes.

Yeesh, consensus process seems like a recipe for conflict. IMO it is better to just have a rule and be clear about it (preferably BEFORE the woman arrives at the hospital - i.e. the OBs should tell their patients).

This. It could turn into a peer pressure situation fast. I was pretty horrified to learn during my hospitalization last summer than some of the nurses and techs were unvaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pushed out a 10lbs baby with a mask on at Holy Cross. So, what?

I think the better question is “so, what” is the point of your post?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had surgery in June and had to wear a mask during my entire 3 day hospital stay.

I was allowed to remove it once positioned on the surgical table before the Anesthesiologist did their thing. I even woke up in recovery with one on my face. It also had to stay on the entire time I was in my room, except for when I was eating a meal.

I was also vaccinated and had a negative Covid test during pre-op.

I was happy to oblige because it kept me safe!

While I was waiting in my room in the ER, the only call I heard on the overhead speaker more than "stroke patient incoming" (very scary, they called 5 of those!!) was "security to ER bay/room X". Every security call was for a patient who refused to keep their mask on.

“Security” to deal with a patient mask issue? What’re they gonna do, beat the patient unconscious with a rubber truncheon? Taser them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had surgery in June and had to wear a mask during my entire 3 day hospital stay.

I was allowed to remove it once positioned on the surgical table before the Anesthesiologist did their thing. I even woke up in recovery with one on my face. It also had to stay on the entire time I was in my room, except for when I was eating a meal.

I was also vaccinated and had a negative Covid test during pre-op.

I was happy to oblige because it kept me safe!

While I was waiting in my room in the ER, the only call I heard on the overhead speaker more than "stroke patient incoming" (very scary, they called 5 of those!!) was "security to ER bay/room X". Every security call was for a patient who refused to keep their mask on.

“Security” to deal with a patient mask issue? What’re they gonna do, beat the patient unconscious with a rubber truncheon? Taser them?

Seriously? There are belligerent and violent patients in hospitals and there are security teams. Varies by hospital of course but it happens a lot in Emergency Departments. Could have been presented over the loudspeaker as "patient wont wear mask" but it's probably someone flipping out about masks acting dangerous or threatening the medical team. Security likely coming to either calm them down or escort them out. I had a patient rip a phone out of a wall once in the ICU and try to beat me with it and the overhead page didn't say "Large crazy man on drugs trying to beat intern with telephone" just a generic "security to ICU" LOL.

https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/OSHA3826.pdf