Sibley delivery - dumb question about men in labor room

[Anonymous]

Even though I'm comfortable with a male dr. delivering me, and my husband will be in the room with me, I would prefer not to have any male nurses attending to me during such an intimate medical event. Are any of the Sibley L&D nurses men? Is it permissible to voice my concern that the presence of a male nurse will likely make me uncomfortable, which in turn could delay my progress?

[Anonymous]

I don't think there are any, but to be honest this should be the least of your worries! is this your first? when the contractions hit you would be suprised how you feel.

[Anonymous]

Nurses have seen thousands and thousands of women delivering so I don't think they are going to pay particular attention to your intimate parts. I would not worry.

[Anonymous]

I've never seen a male nurse there. Plus, you typically will only have one nurse, plus your OB and your partner there during the push stage. You can also tell your OB in advance and he will likely tell you there are no male nurses, or can make sure you have a woman. Depending on your OBs reputation amongst the nurses, he or she can probably request certain nurses. I know my doc (Beckerman) is well thought of by the staff and got me one of the more experienced, compassionate L&D nurses for the push phase, since I was having a tough labor.

[Anonymous]

Now why would anybody tell her this should be the least of her worries or act so sure of how she'll feel later on? There are a lot of know-it-all moms on here, who seem to think they know not only everything about labor, but also everything about how someone else is going to feel once they get to labor. Everyone is different, people! And she's posting it here, so obviously it's a concern. OP, I tend to agree that you may care a little bit less when you're actually in labor, only you really know how you are likely to feel. If it's something that concerns you, talk to your OB about it. They may be able to request no male nurses, though that may be harder to explain if you've got a male OB. Good luck with your pregnancy and delivery!

[Anonymous]

When you check in, tell them that you would like a female nurse. I'd guess it's similar to when you get a massage and request a male or female masseuse. And I wouldn't worry about offending or explaining why. This is your delivery and you have the right to request a female nurse.

[Anonymous]

OP here - I know it seems silly, and it will likely be of almost no concern when the actual moment arrives, but I had a D&C last year and I had male nurses and it made me really uncomfortable for whatever reason. My doctor is a man, but it has taken years to establish the level of trust that makes me OK with having a non-female physician. A D&C is a little different because they actually put you under - so maybe there's more grounds for anxiety in that situation (being undressed and unconscious?). I know all of the nurses are professionals and not phased by seeing it all etc., but I also know myself and my sense of modesty when it comes to strangers. No doubt that everyone is there to be helpful and i should be grateful to have trained professionals looking after me - I'd much rather a male nurse than a delivery on my own on the roadside - but I'm already really anxious about labor and just trying to prepare myself for how it's going to be. In short - you're probably all totally right that I shouldn't care and likely won't care, but I hope those of you who said there are no male nurses are also right . . . that's just prudish me

[Anonymous]

Sorry but had to LOL. I didn't deliver at Sibley but ended up with an all male delivery team. No kidding, the nurse, on call ob/gyn, resident, and medical student were all male. The nurse was the best I have ever had. The med student was an idiot and the resident was afraid of the attending ob/gyn. I think 3 out of 4 were gay. My doula and I thought the whole thing was amusing.

[Anonymous]

I delivered four years ago at Silbley and also had an all male team - doctor, resident, intern. I remember looking down and thinking, there are four men staring at my crotch! And then, it was no big deal. Believe me, the whole labor, delivery and recovery experience will make you a less modest person! But, for peace of mind, you should know that you can always request a different nurse and they will honor that request if another nurse is available.

[Anonymous]

There are no residents or interns at Sibley - it's not a teaching hospital.

I had a male nurse in the maternity ward - and they are checking on you down there post-partum. However, he was the BEST nurse I had while there. You could certainly request not to have him, but I would use a wait and see approach. Some of the female nurses were quite bad and unresponsive. He was really fabulous and I had great care while he was on duty.

[Anonymous]

I never had a male OB/GYN until the day that I delivered. Plus the anesthesiologist was also male. I had a female OB on-call and nurse for the first 12 hours, then when it came time to deliver, the male doc was on-call. While during annual exams, I would not opt for a male OB/GYN, during a delivery, it goes out the window. You take the most experienced people on duty.

Some things take more priority than trying to find a certain gender during a medical procedures, especially when you can't predict when the baby is going to pop-out or if/when there will be complications.

[Anonymous]

It's probably worth noting that some women have difficulty with male ob/gyn services due to prior abuse/assault (unrelated to medical services, but just generally in their lives). Thus, what may appear to be a childishly misplaced priority that should be set aside when push comes to shove, may, in fact, be a mental health issue that's totally valid and not going to just take back burner when labor takes off. I don't think that's what the OP is suggesting, but I imagine this is nevertheless the case for some women, which makes me reluctant to suggest that anyone's concern in this regard should be dismissed simply because some of us have faced the issue and found it to be of no consequence. just saying.

[Anonymous]

8:15 - I bet you had the same male nurse in maternity that I did. He was by far the best, most knowledgeable, and had a great bedside manner. The thought of a male nurse was werid for like 2 minutes, but that's all.