Stalled Labor
So I had a lady I was taking care of that had her contractions pretty much stop at 8cm. She was doing it natural, with no other meds give, membranes were not ruptured, she just stopped laboring. The doc and other nurse that took over her care where thinking it was CPD, but I figured that something else had to be going on. If it's truely CPD, labor does not just stop, it keeps going, you just don't dilate...so....I thought I'd ask you guys out there if you had ever heard of a labor just stopping at this point, and what you do about it.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dixon Doula on -
Working as a doula, I have seen women "stall". Many have their contractions slow or even stop after the "active" phase had begun. In my own birth with my son, who was a VBAC, I had been in labor for 18 hours and "stalled" at 5 cm. I had been a 2 when labor had started. After my so called stall, I went from a 5 to a 10 in less than an hour. I truly believe, from personal and professional experience, that your body knows what it needs. Many times it needs a rest to prepare for the delivery. After my rest, I pushed for less than 15 minutes.
The only time I have seen lack of contractions a problem was once, when the mom was having powerful contractions without progress for a long period of time and her contractions stalled during the delivery. Mom was still able to deliver vaginally, but there was a problem with bleeding because the contractions were not there post-delivery.
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Permalink Reply by Carol Van Der Woude on -
I have one more story about stalled labor. Years ago I was working in labor/delivery at a Detroit hospital. It was acceptable at that time to diagnose CPD with an x-ray. We had a lady who stalled at 7 or 8 cm. She was sent down to the x-ray department. This involved getting her out of the labor bed onto a stretcher. In the x-ray department she had to get off the stretcher and was positioned for different angles of x-ray. She came back to labor/delivery and the resident doctor looked at the x-rays. He measured the diameter of the baby's head, the pelvic inlet, etc. He determined that the baby's head was not going to fit through the pelvis. He called the attending physician and while he was on the phone, one of my fellow nurses yelled from the labor room. She's crowning! This lady delivered vaginally without a problem. I learned from this that the angle of the baby's head is very important and the mother's pelvic movements during labor are important.
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Permalink Reply by Lorie Tan on -
I'm sickened when I read all of these replies because it tells me that there was nothing wrong with me at all. It makes me angry that my doctor was not willing to wait before pushing pitocin. It makes me angry that she was not willing to wait before cutting me open. Some days I think I've gotten over the fact that I had an unnecessary c-section against my will (can someone in the throes of labor who can barely say her name be said to have given informed consent? I think not), but then I read stuff like this and it brings it all back and the tears, anger, and grief return. I'm not upset that I read this stuff. Knowledge is power. Power for next time. Hindsight to share with other pregnant mothers, in the hopes they have a better experience than I did. Still, I cry.
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Permalink Reply by Rachel on -
I feel for you! I think one of the best things you can do, though, is share your story and be an advocate for other women. I have found it helps to heal the hurt. On the flip side, having been in situations like this, most doctors have never seen a normal, natural labor, and often feel like there must be something wrong if it doesn't fit into what they usually see. So, their natural response is to try and get that baby out as fast as possible. Their training does not show them different variations in labor, and with how many women get epidurals and pitocin, they don't see them.
I appreciate you sharing your pain though, it helps me to want to help other women more. It especially helps me want to find out more about normal labor progress and what is truly ok and what is not. Thank you!
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Permalink Reply by leann gallien on -
have you checked out www.ican-online.org.
my local group helped me alot!
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Permalink Reply by Lorie Tan on
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Have you seen this book? The Labor Progress Handbook
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Permalink Reply by Rachel on
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Yes, and I love it. It has become my birth bible:) I still feel like I need to read it more though, as when I am with women in labor, I forget. I also, work mostly with ladies who have epidurals, so I try and modify it for them.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer C on -
Shincter Law! Was she in a hospital, if so was she laboring freely? How were the people who were attending her? Did she have a fear she had not addressed? Was she connected to machines? Were people pressuring her with time limits? So may things can contrubute to stopped labor, usually they are external factors. Check out Ina Mays guide to Childbirth.
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