Pitocin?
RBXChas
Posts: 2,708 Member
I am so glad I found this group on here because it has gotten me thinking about a lot of things from my last L&D experience and how I want to do things this time. I will tell my story as briefly as I can and then ask what I want to ask, so please bear with me.
When my son was born in January 2011, I went into labor naturally at 38w5d. I started having contractions out of the blue at 11:30 PM, they were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting for 30-45 seconds apiece. We called my OB's office, my OB happened to be on call that night (yay!), and we went into the hospital about 1AM.
During the ride there, I was able to have a conversation with my husband, but I would pause and breathe through my contractions, since I had several on the trip. They hurt, but I was ok enough.
When I got to the hospital and was bedded up, they put me on an IV drip immediately. I didn't question it because I was strep B positive and knew I was going to need antibiotics at various intervals, plus I am Rh negative (my husband is Rh positive), so I know there are interventions that go on there (only now do I know that the IV had nothing to do with that).
Shortly after getting there, my contractions went from "ok, this hurts, but I can handle it" to "please kill me now, I feel like I am being stabbed repeatedly from several angles and there's no amount of walking or back-rubbing or any position that alleviates it." In fact, I was having double and triple contractions, where I was not getting a break between them at all, so I would essentially have contractions for 3-5 minutes straight without a break. I was already dilated about 2cm prior to my arrival, and in a couple of hours I got to 4cm and stalled.
I honestly blacked out for a few hours until they gave me the epidural around 8AM. My husband says doctors and nurses were coming in and whatnot, and I was talking to them, but I literally have zero recollection of any of it. Those few hours are completely lost for me. All I know is that I was in a lot of pain and was begging for the epidural but was told I had to wait. When I eventually got it, the anesthesiologist told me to tell him when a contraction was ending so he could do his thing, but I couldn't do that because of the double and triple contractions (he just had to do it while I was having one). He told my husband he felt awful for me because I was having such bad contractions, that he'd never seen anyone go so long without a break in contractions before.
What ended up happening was that after the epidural, I was able to relax and doze off, and I dilated to 10cm in no time flat, then got my son out in three easy pushes.
All of this leads me to believe they probably gave me pitocin in that IV when I was first admitted. At my next doctor's appointment (which isn't for another 2.5 weeks - I am 10w1d today), I intend to ask my OB if she can see if I was given pitocin last time and why, if I'd gone into labor on my own.
Do you all think I'm crazy to ask this? I feel like if I had not been given pitocin last time, I may have still stalled at 4cm but might not have been in such utter agony. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure my contractions would have gotten worse and still hurt like crazy but maybe not to the point where I was begging the nurses for anything to help me and telling my husband I would rather die than feel this pain anymore. Is pitocin just given as a rule, even if you go into labor on your own, for hospital births with OBs in the US?
Sorry to ask what seem like such dumb questions. It's hard to find stuff that's on-point online, especially stuff that is reputable and not shaming me for having had an epidural the first time (and, frankly, being open to having one again). The little I've found seems to imply that it should be given when/if labor stalls, but not otherwise, not counting inductions.
When my son was born in January 2011, I went into labor naturally at 38w5d. I started having contractions out of the blue at 11:30 PM, they were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting for 30-45 seconds apiece. We called my OB's office, my OB happened to be on call that night (yay!), and we went into the hospital about 1AM.
During the ride there, I was able to have a conversation with my husband, but I would pause and breathe through my contractions, since I had several on the trip. They hurt, but I was ok enough.
When I got to the hospital and was bedded up, they put me on an IV drip immediately. I didn't question it because I was strep B positive and knew I was going to need antibiotics at various intervals, plus I am Rh negative (my husband is Rh positive), so I know there are interventions that go on there (only now do I know that the IV had nothing to do with that).
Shortly after getting there, my contractions went from "ok, this hurts, but I can handle it" to "please kill me now, I feel like I am being stabbed repeatedly from several angles and there's no amount of walking or back-rubbing or any position that alleviates it." In fact, I was having double and triple contractions, where I was not getting a break between them at all, so I would essentially have contractions for 3-5 minutes straight without a break. I was already dilated about 2cm prior to my arrival, and in a couple of hours I got to 4cm and stalled.
I honestly blacked out for a few hours until they gave me the epidural around 8AM. My husband says doctors and nurses were coming in and whatnot, and I was talking to them, but I literally have zero recollection of any of it. Those few hours are completely lost for me. All I know is that I was in a lot of pain and was begging for the epidural but was told I had to wait. When I eventually got it, the anesthesiologist told me to tell him when a contraction was ending so he could do his thing, but I couldn't do that because of the double and triple contractions (he just had to do it while I was having one). He told my husband he felt awful for me because I was having such bad contractions, that he'd never seen anyone go so long without a break in contractions before.
What ended up happening was that after the epidural, I was able to relax and doze off, and I dilated to 10cm in no time flat, then got my son out in three easy pushes.
All of this leads me to believe they probably gave me pitocin in that IV when I was first admitted. At my next doctor's appointment (which isn't for another 2.5 weeks - I am 10w1d today), I intend to ask my OB if she can see if I was given pitocin last time and why, if I'd gone into labor on my own.
Do you all think I'm crazy to ask this? I feel like if I had not been given pitocin last time, I may have still stalled at 4cm but might not have been in such utter agony. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure my contractions would have gotten worse and still hurt like crazy but maybe not to the point where I was begging the nurses for anything to help me and telling my husband I would rather die than feel this pain anymore. Is pitocin just given as a rule, even if you go into labor on your own, for hospital births with OBs in the US?
Sorry to ask what seem like such dumb questions. It's hard to find stuff that's on-point online, especially stuff that is reputable and not shaming me for having had an epidural the first time (and, frankly, being open to having one again). The little I've found seems to imply that it should be given when/if labor stalls, but not otherwise, not counting inductions.
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I just went back and looked at this, then realized it is insanely long. I'm sorry.
The TL;DR version is, assuming I was given pitocin, which may have made my contractions a living hell, why would I have been given pitocin if I went into labor on my own and my labor had not (at that point) stalled?0 -
I don't think it's crazy at all to ask...I would want to know. And I would be pissed if they did that without telling me! Let us know
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I know that at my doctors office pitocin is only given if you are not having contractions at all. When I went into labor with my son I was hooked up to iv's for saline and because I was strep b positive. Usually most places tell you when they are giving you a drug by iv. but again there are exceptions to the rule.0
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I know that at my doctors office pitocin is only given if you are not having contractions at all. When I went into labor with my son I was hooked up to iv's for saline and because I was strep b positive. Usually most places tell you when they are giving you a drug by iv. but again there are exceptions to the rule.
It's very possible that I wasn't given pitocin and that I just had a horrible time with my contractions, but in retrospect it seems weird (1) that they were so bad and coming right on top of each other and (2) that I was ok enough until I got the IV, at which point they pretty much went straight to awful.
Of course if I ask, I highly doubt my OB is going to lie to me.0 -
I don't have any advice other than to say I would definitely ask the doctor! I would *think* they would have told you if they were giving you pitocin, but we know that doesn't always happen. Either way, asking will get you an answer 0
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I don't have any advice other than to say I would definitely ask the doctor! I would *think* they would have told you if they were giving you pitocin, but we know that doesn't always happen. Either way, asking will get you an answer
Just wanted to make sure I wasn't nutso for asking (meaning it's a totally normal thing to be administered pitocin upon arrival at the hospital - in which case I would have stayed home!).
I am still curious, though, if anyone knows of any reason why it would be given outside of stalled labor or an induction.0 -
Hmm, in continuing my super awesome internet research, I found a blog post by a nurse who basically said that if it's your first child, you need to labor at home as long as possible because if you get to the hospital and are in "latent labor" (as opposed to "active labor"), then they are going to give you pitocin as a rule to speed up your delivery and free up the bed for someone else. There were a few exceptions to staying home, one of which was if you are Strep B positive (like I was), but my OB also told me to go to the hospital based on the timing of my contractions (2-3 minutes apart from the start).
But I found it rather disturbing that bed availability could lead to their giving someone a drug they don't need. *shivers*
http://www.momaroo.com/682028656/why-you-need-pitocin-in-labor/0 -
From what I've read, Pitocin is also used to increase the strength of your contractions even if you've already gone into labor on your own. Just like C-Sections, the drug is used much more frequently than it should be. I'd definitely talk to your doctor because if I had an experience like yours, I'd certainly be suspicious too!0
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Hmm, in continuing my super awesome internet research, I found a blog post by a nurse who basically said that if it's your first child, you need to labor at home as long as possible because if you get to the hospital and are in "latent labor" (as opposed to "active labor"), then they are going to give you pitocin as a rule to speed up your delivery and free up the bed for someone else. There were a few exceptions to staying home, one of which was if you are Strep B positive (like I was), but my OB also told me to go to the hospital based on the timing of my contractions (2-3 minutes apart from the start).
But I found it rather disturbing that bed availability could lead to their giving someone a drug they don't need. *shivers*
http://www.momaroo.com/682028656/why-you-need-pitocin-in-labor/
Grr, stuff like this makes me CRAZY! We hired a doula and if I'm not home when contractions start, I'm going home as opposed to the hospital for that very reason. My doula is very experienced at the hospital I'm delivering at and has already given me some pointers about some of the nurses there.0 -
Hmm, in continuing my super awesome internet research, I found a blog post by a nurse who basically said that if it's your first child, you need to labor at home as long as possible because if you get to the hospital and are in "latent labor" (as opposed to "active labor"), then they are going to give you pitocin as a rule to speed up your delivery and free up the bed for someone else. There were a few exceptions to staying home, one of which was if you are Strep B positive (like I was), but my OB also told me to go to the hospital based on the timing of my contractions (2-3 minutes apart from the start).
But I found it rather disturbing that bed availability could lead to their giving someone a drug they don't need. *shivers*
http://www.momaroo.com/682028656/why-you-need-pitocin-in-labor/
Wow, that's crazy. I plan on staying home as long as I can, but now I'm a bit more concerned because of the strep B. I will just have to make a point for them not to give me pitocin....I really do not want it. I believe most times things will happen naturally....if they let it!!0 -
I think all people have different types/ intensities of labor. I believe that's why some women can make it thru an L&D without an epidural, and some women just don't seem to able to. By the time I got to the hospital with my daughter I was 4cm dilated and my water had already broke....no pitocin, but I had terrible contractions, like what you were describing doubles and triples lasting a straight 3-4 min. I had no plans of having an epidural, but I was literally begging for by the time I got back into my room. My son, I was also 4cm dilated when I arrived at hospital, no pitocin, but had the same type of contractions again. That was at two totally different hospitals, and two different OB practices. Meanwhile I have a cousin who is the type you would look at and think there's no way she can get a baby thru those size 0 hips who had two large sons, without any help from drugs. She was literally doing crossword puzzles while in labor.0
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I'm not sure where you are located, but in a lot of hospitals pit on admittance is pretty standard. As is increasing the dosage very quickly. If you google pitocin to distress you'll find some pretty disturbing articles. I know it can be incredibly beneficial, as can a cesarean (I have to have a c/s), but for a woman that comes in fine there is no need for it. And many consent forms we sign have somethings in them that we do not realize we are consenting to. That is why many women request a consent for each individual item, not a mass form.
You have every right to ask to review your hospital records. If you do ask for your records make sure to ask for the nurse's records as well. Some things are not in the OB's notes, but can be found in the nurse's notes. That is who provides the majority of your care, they are the ones you really want on your side.0 -
I think all people have different types/ intensities of labor. I believe that's why some women can make it thru an L&D without an epidural, and some women just don't seem to able to. By the time I got to the hospital with my daughter I was 4cm dilated and my water had already broke....no pitocin, but I had terrible contractions, like what you were describing doubles and triples lasting a straight 3-4 min. I had no plans of having an epidural, but I was literally begging for by the time I got back into my room. My son, I was also 4cm dilated when I arrived at hospital, no pitocin, but had the same type of contractions again. That was at two totally different hospitals, and two different OB practices. Meanwhile I have a cousin who is the type you would look at and think there's no way she can get a baby thru those size 0 hips who had two large sons, without any help from drugs. She was literally doing crossword puzzles while in labor.
Yeah, this could very well be me. I joked afterwards that I would have signed over the deed to my house to get the epidural. I figure asking doesn't hurt, though if I didn't get pitocin, I will be really sad because I can probably look forward to the same excruciating labor again :frown: Of course I would be happy that they didn't give me something without telling me, but since it's all said and done, I'd almost rather hear that they did give it to me.0 -
I'm not sure where you are located, but in a lot of hospitals pit on admittance is pretty standard. As is increasing the dosage very quickly. If you google pitocin to distress you'll find some pretty disturbing articles. I know it can be incredibly beneficial, as can a cesarean (I have to have a c/s), but for a woman that comes in fine there is no need for it. And many consent forms we sign have somethings in them that we do not realize we are consenting to. That is why many women request a consent for each individual item, not a mass form.
You have every right to ask to review your hospital records. If you do ask for your records make sure to ask for the nurse's records as well. Some things are not in the OB's notes, but can be found in the nurse's notes. That is who provides the majority of your care, they are the ones you really want on your side.
I am in Charleston, SC - but we have at least three different major hospital systems here, so they may all have different practices.
Thank you for the tip on the hospital records/nurse's records. While I will ask my OB if my file has any notation, I will ask her regardless about not having it unless deemed necessary (as well as what is considered "necessary").0
