Forum Index
»
Expectant and Postpartum Moms
How serious is a drop in fetal heart rate during labor?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| 10:50 here. Forgot to mention that I also delivered with Foxhall/Sibley and am extremely grateful to them for the decisions they made on the day of delivery. |
Anonymous
| My DS heartrate droped quite a bit during labor b/c I was having serious contractions right after the other (thanks to pitocin which I needed b/c my waterbroke & I didn't progress after 14 hours). I was put on oxygen & then needed forceps & a vacuum help rather than a c-section. Sometimes you need to pick your poison, but however the baby arrives, it is most important to consider the health of both you & your baby. |
Anonymous
| Why, why, WHY even take up the doctor's time if you're not going to trust his/her judgment? Delivering babies and making the judgment calls necessary in that context is what these doctors do every single day. A fetal heart rate drop can be an indication of a serious problem. You would be insane to gamble on your baby's health or LIFE. At least that's my opinion - I would rather have a healthy baby than my "dream" birth. |
Anonymous
I will follow this up by saying that I delivered at Sibley and my baby's heart rate was slowing significantly and causing the nurses and doctors quite a bit of concern. They had me change positions, put me on oxygen, and took several other measures to try to alleviate the problem. No one tried to hustle me off for a c-section, but they DID continue to closely monitor me. I ended up having a vaginal delivery, but if my doctor had even hinted that a c-section would be a good idea, I would have wheeled myself down to surgery ASAP. I just wanted a healthy baby. |
Anonymous
Do you seriously believe that there is ANY woman out there who would prefer a "dream birth" over a healthy baby? Every woman wants a healthy baby, and has her baby's interests at heart. What many women have discovered is that oftentimes, "dream birth" (ie, the natural childbirth) is typically healthier for both the mom and the baby, and that is why they pursue it. In fact, many interventions carry risks that could be significantly worse than the benefit they supposedly offer. There are all sorts of problems associated with cesarean for both mom and baby, so this encourages some women to find ways to avoid them. Trust me, please....there isn't a single woman out there who would trade "birth experience" for a healthy baby. We are all just trying to do what we think is best for ourselves and our families. |
Anonymous
|
"Why, why, WHY even take up the doctor's time if you're not going to trust his/her judgment? Delivering babies and making the judgment calls necessary in that context is what these doctors do every single day."
The problem is that the medical profession is often not transparent enough to patients for them to make an informed choice. Many women end up finding out along the way that their doctor is extremely conservative or favors a high c-section rate. Doctor and hospital stats involving interventions, c-sections (emergent and elective), vbac, non-medicated births and outcomes should be public knowledge and then everyone would be better off. My ob/gyn, as a department head, really tries to keep the c-section rate down. A mom who wanted an elective c-section would be very unhappy with her as she would have refused as if it was never done. The reverse doctor who prefers elective c-sections and had a rate in the 80% range would be a horrible choice for someone wanting a natural childbirth. Neither of these extremes are medically dangerous but doctors hold their own non evidence based opinions about things and virtually all will claim that I do only something if medically necessary because in their opinion anything they must be the right way. Its horrible arrogance and many women do not trust the medical profession because of it. I went to one generalist and asked the question about episiotomy. She looked defensive at the question alone and replied she only does what is medically necessary and what she says go. I switched because she was rude and strange in other ways. I later found out from others who had gone to her and one nurse who worked with her that she does these routinely at almost every delivery b/c she thinks they are easier to stitch. My second doc on the other hand when I asked the question replied that they are not routine and she was trained to not to do them unless there was a serious complication. No one I know who went to her has ever gotten one. I had alot of trust in doctors before having children but after just seeing the range of practice and opinion before a medical situation had even presented itself reduced my confidence in the profession as a whole. |
Anonymous
What interventions are you talking about? What risks as compared to what benefits? Please expand on this very broad statement. "Pursuing" a vaginal delivery is all well and good, but how do you presume that your reading or childbirth classes provide you with the ability to make a better medical decision than a physician? If the benefit of a c-section is a baby getting enough oxygen, I'm pretty okay with the associated risks. The doctors are well aware of the pluses and minuses of c-sections, and no one wants to risk an adverse effect for either mom or baby. |
Anonymous
|
Thank you, 11:50 and 12:50 posters, for your thoughtful replies.
I know some people are of the opinion that the doctor is always right and you should listen to him/her -- that's what they're there for. But the more I learn about the medical profession as a whole and obstetrics in particular, the less I agree with that. And obviously, the most important thing is to have a healthy baby at the end. That's why I feel it's important to educate myself as much as possible to find the best way of getting there. |
Anonymous
The more of my chidhood and college friends who end up as doctors, the more I realize doctors are just people -- highly medically trained people -- with prejudices and personality flaws and prone to errors just like the rest of us. They are not perfect; they are not gods; they are that annoying chick down the hall senior year; they are that goofy guy from high school who you had to coach through math class. Many doctors are fabulous, and I have great respect for the hard work of medical school and the skills they've achieved. But respect and unquestioning acceptance are two different things. As I said in a PP, the middle of labor is not the time to be second guessing your doctor. That's why it's important to find a doctor in advance whose prejudices and personality flaws line up with your own. 
|
Anonymous
| MY SON'S HEART RATE DROPPED DURING LABOR AND THE NURSE CAME IN AND THEN WALKED OUT NEXT THING YOU KNOW THE OB ON CALL CAME IN AND TOLD ME THEY CALLED MY OB AND SHE WAS ON HER WAY BE CAUSE I HAD TO GO FOR A C SECTION. I WAS SCARED BUT I TRUSTED HER AND I KNEW SHE WASNT JUST GOING TO MAKE HAVE C/S JUST BECAUSE. WHEN MY SON CAME OUT HIS UMBILICORD WAS REALLY SHORT AND HE HAD NO AMNIOTIC FLUID IN THE SAC NONE AT LL. |
Anonymous
| My baby's heart rate dropped every time I contracted. The OB wasn't concerned until my contractions were right on top of one another and the baby essentially couldn't recover after each contraction. However baby had moved down far enough to push, so I was able to deliver naturally. |
Anonymous
It's not about doctor always being right, it's about trusting your doctor. If I were you, I would ask my doctor about the various scenarios that would lead to a c-section, ask her to explain how she bases her decisions, etc. Ask WHY. If you read message boards all day, in some ways you will never trust your OB, because if she says, "Well if baby's heart rate drops... that might lead to a c-section," you may not believe that because of the arguments made in this thread alone. In reality, there are many factors that can contribute to a drop in heart rate - from a wrapped cord to fetal distress during contractions - and I think your OB would in the best position to make that decision at the time. What you can do beforehand is express your wishes for a natural delivery. |
Anonymous
No doubt this is a problem. I am not a big fan of c-sections myself, but if my OB told me it was necessary, I would do it in a heartbeat. Just not worth the risk (I have a friend whose kid is severely brain damaged b/c c-section didn't happen fast enough). Luckily, after 2 births, I haven't been in this situation. But I have had a fetal heart rate drop that would have probably resulted in c-section if I wasn't as far along as I was. I changed positions, which helped, and was able to push the baby out pretty quickly. |
Anonymous
|
if you want to avoid fetal distress don't get induced with pitocin and don't get an epidural in the first place
also the attached monitors are not always accurate; get monitored with a fetal doppler |
Anonymous
|
OP here, I just had my baby last week, and guess what? The baby had a dramatic drop in heart rate and I ended up with an emergency c-section.
But you know, when it happened, I really did trust my doctor. It was an emergency induction (due to very low amniotic fluid), and I knew that I had a good chance for a c/s at that point. Then, during the induction, he had 2 drops in heart rate -- the 2nd one he dropped to 40 bpm for about 5 minutes, so off to the OR we went. So, a c/s it was, and I'm a little disappointed, but in the end, I have a healthy baby and I'm healing well, so I can't complain. |