Dealing with Difficult Hospital Staff

by Pattie Hughes | More from this Blogger

I've heard some horror stories recently about negative hospital staff in the labor and delivery room. I've also experienced some down right nasty nurses during the four times I've delivered babies. I was much more affected by attitude with my first baby than with my fourth.

When a woman is in labor, she is vulnerable to negative or nasty nurses. A roll of the eyes or unkind statement can really affect the confidence the woman feels in labor or as a new mother.

A family friend was told by a nurse that she was being "too loud" during labor. She was having a natural birth! In natural birth, there is going to be some noise. It's the very rare woman that can get through that without vocalizing. In fact, many women handle the pain better when they are making some noise.

This nurse was also obviously annoyed at the thought of a natural birth. She offered our friend pain medication about a half a dozen times during the labor. Each time, she told the nurse that she wasn't interested in pain medication. She wanted a natural birth. That's when the eye rolling started.

Unfortunately, in our society a medically managed birth has become the norm. Nurses are trained in pain management and want to "manage" the labor. They forget that labor is not a medical condition to be managed, but a natural process. Doctors and nurses too often take over the birth process. Some get annoyed when mom resists and wants to do it her own way.

Our bodies will birth our babies, whether we help or not. They will birth our babies with no help from a doctor or midwife too. We've all heard stories about women giving birth alone in cars, in their homes and even in elevators. These women didn't need their births managed. It happened naturally.

Writing a detailed birth plan is an important step in dealing with negative hospital personnel. This doesn't guarantee that the nurses, or even the doctor, will go out of their way to help you stick to the plan. But you will have a copy of the plan and so will they. You can refer them back to the plan if they try to push drugs or urge you to be quiet.

Your coach is an important ally in dealing with the hospital staff. In fact, this is one of his or her most important duties. The coach should remind the nurses or doctor that you really want to have a natural birth. If necessary, the coach should tell them to stop offering drugs. If you change your mind, you can bring it up.

A doula is a great source of support and comfort in the hospital. One of the duties of the doula is to help you stick to your birth plan. Another job is to advocate for you in the hospital. If you feel your partner won't advocate, you may want to consider a doula.

Related Articles:

What is a Doula?

Creating Your Birth Plan

Choosing a Labor Coach

Learn more about Pattie Hughes

Pattie Hughes is a freelance writer and mother of four young children. She and her husband have been married since 1992. Pattie holds a degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University.

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