confused (and a little bit of a vent)
So I had my 37 week appt with my GP Ob today and went through my birth plan with him. He was ok with the delayed clamping but got funny about me not wanting the injection and said he didn't think the MWs would be comfortable with that (even though I told him the one running the antenatal class didn't seem perturbed).
He asked me why I didn't want it and I said that if I could get the same hormone naturally by bfing then why do I need it. And that I also did not want the drug going through the cord before it was clamped/cut. He told me I was reading too much into it and that it helped stopped bleeding. When I said that I understood that women were still at risk of PPH with the injection and asked what the increased risk of not having the injection was, he said the risks are different for everyone. He went on to say that its not an uncommon thing to lose blood and if you lose a lot (like 3L) questions will be asked about why the injection wasn't given. And if it was part of the birth plan they "might go easier" on the MW. (So am I getting the MW in trouble now??) So I asked him if he had many patients not have the injection and he said no. I said can't I get the injection if I start bleeding and he said it takes a while to work which is why its ok to have delayed cord clamping because it doesn't go straight into the system. So I was getting upset (as of course a heavily pg woman is prone to do) and didn't want to start getting hysterical. So I left it at that and he said to think about it. (He even told me to talk to my sis who had a bub 4 months ago at the same hospital, I think he thought that would make me think "what am I making a fuss about??)
So now I'm confused. He's been an ob for many many years (my mum actually was under his care for my sister) plus he's an anaethetist so you'd think he'd know how these drugs work. My thoughts/questions are:
- if bleeds are common, but no one he treats opts to NOT have the injection, then they have had the injection and still bleed so how is it any more beneficial to have it?;
- if the MW aren't open/trained for physiological, is it riskier?;
- how long does it take to work? so if I declined the injection then started bleeding could the injection be given and expel the placenta quickly?
My DH has said he wants me to have it because he doesn't want anything to happen to me (I think he thinks I'll bleed to death). This is after today's appt (he wasn't there, just what I said the dr said). I totally understand that things don't always go to plan, but in the perfect scenario why can't I do it on my own???