Sunday 31 August 2014

Breastfeeding Unfriendly Hospital and so much more!

My cousin gave birth last week at one of the hospitals along E.Rod (You can take a guess na lang). Mark and I visited her the following night after she gave birth. She had undergone C-section so inevitably, I asked her why she had undergone C-section. She actually did not know she had CS until she woke up! She was not informed. The staff asked for the husband's consent instead. The things that made me raise my eyebrows were the following:



1. She had undergone C-section because the baby had cord coil na daw.

2. Her cervix was not evaluated kahit once. Hindi sya na IE. I think that's basic diba? I also had CS because my cervix stopped dilating na when it reached 4cm.  I just don't get it! I mean, in my experience, pagdating ko sa hospital, the first thing na ginagawa is to check my cervix talaga. Even before totally sumakit ang tyan ko. I asked one OB and she said "hindi pwedeng hindi icheck ang cervix".

3. Why didn't the doctors inform my cousin that she will need to undergo C-section? Ok naman na hiningi ang consent ng husband but they should have informed my cousin first, unless super emergency na hindi na sya makausap, which is not the case.

4. She was under general anesthesia! I asked my OB before and I also researched why it is not good to be under general anesthesia during C-section. I have also attended a lot of pregnancy lay forums. Kasi daw when you're asleep, then the baby is also asleep and this is risky for the baby. There are times that gen anesthesia is used in CS but this is on rare occasions na super emergency na talaga and there's no time to do the epidural or spinal. Maybe the OB had his reasons for giving the general anethesia, which he did not mention to the relatives.

5. She had blood transfusion. They were told that while my cousin is already in the recovery room, nagbleed daw sya kaya they needed blood transfusion. So, ang question, binalik ba sya sa OR so they could address the bleeding problem? They don't know and they were not informed again. Ang alam lang nila, pagkasalin ng dugo, nagstop na ang bleeding. Nakakalito diba?

6. So, you'll think that my cousin's case was super emergency because of all these diba? Pero, naka bikini cut sya! The doctor had no time to get my cousin's consent and no time to administer epidural, but he had time for a bikini cut! It's a rule, na kapag emergency, vertical talaga ang cut because bikini cut takes more time.Unless there's another explanation for this? Can someone enlighten me? Maybe, bikini cut is not that difficult and time consuming for emergency cases? I don't know.

7. Ito ang pinaka problema ko sa kanila- When we visited, it was already almost 2 days after she gave birth. Kasi she gave birth in the morning, then we visited her the following night pa. The baby was not in the room! And they were told to buy formula milk. They were even asked to sign a waiver for buying the formula milk! Sabi sakanila, magpahinga daw muna ang cousin ko kasi pagod sya and had blood transfusion. I never thought that being tired and in pain because of a c-section is a contraindication to breastfeed! The baby was just in the nursery, perfectly healthy! Nainis na ko, so I asked the nurse bakit hindi sila breastfeeding friendly sa hospital na yun. Ang sagot nya, breastfeeding friendly naman daw sila pero depende sa OB. I told her to bring the baby to the room na so my cousin can breastfeed. She said Ok. So, after a while the baby was delivered to the room na.

8. Bonus: The room had a step going to the restroom. So CS na nga, hahakbang ka pa para makapasok sa CR sa loob ng room, and sa loob ng CR, may isa pang step. Napaka patient friendly.

P.S. I called the DOH to confirm these points. They were also shocked with what I told them. There is already a Republic Act for rooming-in and promoting breastfeeding:

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State adopts rooming-in as a national policy to encourage, 
protect and support the practice of breastfeeding. It shall create an environment where basic 
physical, emotional, and psychological needs of mothers and infants are fulfilled through the practice 
of rooming-in and breastfeeding.

I blogged about this because I am concerned about the moms who will have to experience the same thing not even knowing na mali ang ginawa sakanila. My cousin and her husband were actually thankful na ok silang mag-ina, but what the OB and the hospital staff did was wrong. I even called the hospital and asked them if they encourage rooming in. The person I talked to proudly said that yes, automatic yun pagkapanganak room-in agad. So anyare diba? I told her about my concerns above, she said that the my cousin's OB does not really do IE's unless the mom is already in labor. My cousin was in labor na nga e, hindi pa din sya na IE. When I asked about the steps in the room, ganun daw kasi talaga ang pagkakagawa ng room. When I asked why my cousin was asked to buy formula milk, wala na sya maisagot.

Ayun, so ang moral lesson: Choose your OB and hospital wisely.

P.P.S. I have nothing against OB's and doctors in general. Kaya please, if you're a doctor, don't get offended if these things don't apply to you. This is my blog and these are my thoughts. There is no room for debate here on my blog. Thank you.




25 comments:

  1. I think all of these were allowed to happen by her OB so I say choose your OB wisely.

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    Replies
    1. Exactly! We also need to check the OB's history.

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  2. I was very lucky to have my very caring OB. I was on labor for more than 24 hours, but I was still normal, as well as my baby. So my OB did not decide to CS me. She patiently waited and checked me from time to time until me and the baby were ready. I was informed as well that I need to have my epidural as early as possible due to possible pre-eclampsia, and I even sign a waver for the Episiotomy procedure. Sabi lang ng ibang fellow mommies, try to find experienced OB-Gyne kase they won't charge too much and will not conduct CS agad agad unless it's a matter of life and death. They also obliged me to breastfeed my baby. It's a mandatory. I had great experience in MMC.

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    1. It's good that your OB was very supportive, caring and pro-breastfeeding!

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  3. Cord coil din ako pero normal delivery naman. Sa hospital namin, sinabihan din na magbuy ng formula milk yung husband ko. I don't know kung dahil tulog pa ko at nakagen. anesthesia. I think choose OB and hospital wisely.

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    1. You had general anesthesia kahit Normal Delivery? Bakit daw?

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  4. You should really choose your OB wisely before my OB is very expensive. bawat turok may bayad, so i had to choose another one and she said madaya ung mga ganun OB she didn't charge me for extra and ask me to breastfed my baby kasi mas magnda un para sa bata :)

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  5. I was reading your post na nanlalaki mata ko! Promise! I had emergency CS, too, because like you, I just wasn't dilating. Super emergency because my son already ingested meconium, so I had the vertical cut. And I had both epidural and spinal anesthesia (during the different days of my labor). And about the formula, to be honest, I was made to buy a can, too, when my newborn was in NICU but it wasn't the OB's fault; it was the nurse's. I wasn't very informed then so we bought a can of S26, but luckily, my baby didn't take it. After 6 days of being confined in the hospital (with a dextrose connected to him), he finally went home and, miraculously, latched directly on me! We never had a problem breastfeeding afterward, so I'm sure your cousin can breastfeed, too.

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    1. Good for you! Breastfeeding advocate din si baby :) Maybe the doctor had his reason for doing what he did, but I just want people to be aware that these things can happen.

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  6. We need to report this. DOH is tracking violators - doctors and hospitals alike. I agree that we should be knowedgable in making our choices but we have to stand up for those victims.

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  7. Grabe naman yan! Na CS nang walang kamalay-malay! Hinimatay ba sya while in labor? So weird! And to think I gave birth in a breastfeeding unfriendly hospital kasi 24 hours before my baby was roomed in when I specified in my birth plan that she will be roomed in immediately. Isa pa yun, we need a birth plan where we tell them specific instructions like rooming in immediately, delay cord clamping, no formula, etc.

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    1. I agree. Moms need to talk to their OB's and have a plan kung ano ang gusto nila. Some moms don't know that they can do this and that they have options. That is why researching and being aware is a must.

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  8. Kaloka naman yun. Dapat talaga piliing mabuti ang hospital and most especially ang OB kasi most of them (im not saying all) kasi they take advantage of the patients. I have a friend na na CS din kahit yung first baby naman nya is kaya nya mag normal delivery. Sabi ng OB sa kkanya it should be CS daw coz na cord coil sya eh kung magaling syang OB she can really make it to normal delivery kasi ako normal delivery ako sa lahat ng kids ko. Sa eldest ko na cord coil din ako pero my OB, which is mind you lalaki itong Ob ko na to He was able to deliver my baby ng normal without any problems. Yung friend ko siningil ng kutakot takot na pera. In short pnerahan lang sya kasi mas malaki of course ang bayad sa doctor pag CS. Tsk tsk. Report na dapat yan!

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  9. I've read about this already via BFP. Anyway, my comment would come from someone with a bad experience with cord coil... Pinilit i-normal ang delivery ng brother ko kahit na cord coil na sya. Nabigti ang brother ko and naubusan ng oxygen sa utak. Now he is 9yrs old with cerebral palsy and global developmental delay. Sana na CS nalang ang mama ko, sana normal ang brother ko ngayon. IE's are not needed if positive ng cord coil kasi you shouldn't risk it. However, the breastfeeding part is something serious. The part where pinapirma pa sila to give the baby formula. Those are things na dapat i-question and i-report. I am also a breastfeeding mum and advocate, so kudos for you for fighting for that little baby's right to be breastfed. :)

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    1. I totally agree that if there's already a cord coil, then CS is really indicated. The safety of the baby is number one priority. But before even knowing that there's a cord coil, the initial thing that ob's do when a mom arrives in the hospital and is about to give birth is to assess the cervix. I have consulted an OB and asked her how to determine if the baby has cord coil, it is actually difficult to say daw unless ma-ultrasound. If it is also a scheduled CS, perhaps some OB's would prefer not to do the anymore since it is scheduled naman and calculated na that the baby can come out already. But for women who go to the hospital and feel like they're already in labor, first thing talaga that ob's do to check if the mom is really about to give birth is do an IE.

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  10. De Los Santos Hospital... I remembered that CR, nadulas ako..

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  11. I agree, they should have asked your cousin first if she wants c-section. As for the formula milk, for me I think it's understandable because yes, she is tired, and maybe she doesn't produce milk yet. ;)

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    1. We already have a breastfeeding law that says hospitals and doctors should encourage breastfeeding their newborn child and they are not allowed to recommend formula milk. When the mom and baby is discharged already, then that is the time that the mother can choose if she wants to continue breastfeeding and hopefully she does.

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  12. OMG! Scary naman yun, why they have to sign a waiver for buying a formula milk? I wasn't able to room in my baby din because he had infection so he has to stay muna in the nursery and I am just visiting him to breastfeed. Although syempre not everytime kasi I delivered through CS din so hirap gumalaw. I was informed naman of the C-section and advised my relatives din. Good thing pinsan ka nya, or else, no one will voice out this things.

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  13. OMG! That is one scary hospital huh! How is your cousin taking all these issues?

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  14. This is just the worst, your cousin should have been informed about the c-section, she wasn't unconscious or anything. As for breastfeeding, my baby was placed on my chest as soon as he came out to encourage him to latch on to me. Kudos to you for speaking up for your cousin.

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  15. Oh no... i should start finding a good pedia asap, will probably need to do rounds of interview with different pedia avail. I still have few weeks left before my due date... good thing, my OB is prepping me for normal delivery and also have read good reviews about makati med promoting breastfeeding. I feel for your cousin.

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  16. I feel sorry for your cousin. That is one scary hospital talaga - and one scary OB!

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  17. I don't want to think that this hospital and what I'm thinking is the same. Haay. Is she on private or public ward? AFAIK, all hospitals discourage feeding newborns with formula milk dahil nasa patakaran ng DOH yun. This must be investigated.

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  18. Ayayay. I am very picky with hospitals and doctors because I grew up in a family of doctors. Sadly, not everyone is as discerning, and what's even more sad is that there are establishments and practitioners who take advantage of people who don't know any better. Nakaka bother yung story.

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