** I posted this on acadianamoms.com to see if anyone had anything to share. I am posting it here for support or ideas. I am writing W&C a letter very soon. Any help would be appreciated)

As an active birth doula in the community, I have seen it all. Hospital births, home births, birth center births... high risk, low risk, intervention-full and intervention-free... Regarding hospital births, I have attended births at both LGMC and W&C and I have to say I hope I never step into W&C again. I am posting this in hopes that someone else out there wants to add their voice to the letter I am going to be writing Womens and Childrens hospital in the near future. If so, please feel free to speak up or PM me with the information.


From the second my clients walk into the door at W&C, the battle begins. There is a constant need to defend oneself as a birthing mother who is choosing not to have interventions in her birth. Those who choose not to have an epidural are constantly reminded "well, I can get you the epidural so you can be more comfortable," instead of more encouraging comments like "you can do this mama!"

I have seen it all- from "You need to stay on the monitors for the first few hours until you can prove to me that everything with this birth is going to go smoothly" , to "let me get you some narcotics to take the edge off. Yes, it will affect your baby but we have a NICU for that."

The biggest complaint I have about W&C is that I do not find the majority of that hospital is NOT providing evidenced based care. I was attending a birth one night and 19 moms were in labor. 17 were in for elective inductions. In the four - six hours I was there I saw two c-sections take place. This is not a coincidence!
While I was there that sa I asked the anesthesiologist about how many epidurals she had given. She said 18, with the 19th mama in labor being next to complete her list for the night. I asked her why she thought the epidural rate was so high in the hospital. Her response to me was "90% or more of these moms are being induced. Pitocin is a cruel drug and these moms deserve pain relief." She failed to address the issue of 90% or more of the moms being electively induced- which in itself carries high risks to both mother and baby.

VBACS are pressured into elective c-sections rather than encouraged trial of labor... even when they were already promised trial of labor. In fact, I had a potentional VBAC client who was told she needed to be induced because she had a kidney infection. That is NOT evidenced based care. You DO NOT induce a VBAC (and you dont induce for a kidney infection. Thats ridiculous).

What drove me to the point of writing this is the breastfeeding issues with this hospital. I asked a nurse just this week to help my client latch her baby while i was gone, and she told me she didn't even know what a good latch looked like. She didn't offer to get my client any help either. I asked a second and even third nurse on the postpartum floor and none of them felt comfortable helping a breastfeeding mom. They called a Lactation consultant to help and she got frustrated and left in the middle of the session. They offered bottles to my client instead of support. She wasn't the first client I have had who can't receive breastfeeding support at W&C. I hope my speaking up will make her the last though.

Honestly, women all over the country are still having to battle hospitals that dont practice evidenced based care. Lafayette however, has choices. LGMC has been nothing but supportive for my moms who insist on intervention free births.They provide evidenced based care from the moment mom walks in the door. They are supportive of her birth choices, supportive of her choices on how she wants to her newborn cared for, and EXTREMELY supportive of breastfeeding. So,maybe Lafayette General raised the bar for childbirth and breastfeeding support and education in the area? Im not sure... but what I do know is that I have absolutely had it with W&C hospital making my clients feel inadequate and stressed about their whole birthing process. These women should be birthing their babies, not having to defend their educated choices. They should be given support for breastfeeding- since it is best- rather than bombarded with bottles of formula in their bassinets.

I am glad you are writing a letter. Do any of your clients want to? I know they are dead tired from their births but their words, on paper, would weigh a ton....not to mention if they tell them that they won't birth with them again (aka no money for them). Better yet, they could file a grievance with the hospital and even the AMA...and then let the hospital know IN the letter that they did it.

On a positive note, it would mean the WORLD to the staff at LGMC to hear from these moms and doulas that they are appreciated and valued as being supportive towards women who want a natural birth. :)

Here's to being a doula....I am about to enter the world too....

Hugs,
Jenny

Complaints towards hospitals are best directed (after dealing with the admin of that hospital) to JHACO. Hospitals are scared of them.

Jcaho has actually created more "stuff" to "do to" women.

My best friend had a C-section at that hospital. When she asked her doctor about a VBAC, the doc said, "I just think it would be fruitless for you to try." Fruitless? Really?