draping/ sterile field

excitedforbirth · 01-09-2010, 08:55 AM

The post about the doula being smacked got me wondering- how many of the births you attend do they drape the mom's legs? I've seen quite a few here and when they do it, they seem paranoid about nothing crossing that "sterile field" Moms are told not to reach up over the drape. And then in other births I've been to (same hosp, diff docs), there's no drapes. I don't believe the drapes really do anything, I just find it amusing (aggravating?) that they get so hyper about it. I sometimes want to ask "So, if she reaches under the drape to touch baby's head, is that okay? " It just seems so silly. At the last birth I was at mom asked for socks after baby was born. She was still draped and the nurse told me I couldn't put socks on her because of the sterile field. The doc overruled her and I put socks on her.

Comfy · 01-09-2010, 09:17 AM

Those are very good questions. I am waiting to see if anyone has the answers. I've always wondered about that too.

FLLucinda · 01-09-2010, 09:22 AM

The only draping I have witnessed in a birth has been a mama whose custom it is to BE draped. She wore a Binzi skirt, no men allowed in the room (except her DH and he was scarce anyway) and only women care givers. It was a first for this hospital but they were wonderful making sure her birth customs were honored.

I guess our hospitals here in our little neck of the woods really are moving forward! Rarely have I seen broken down beds or stirrups even! (Only with a vacuum)

breezyinsc · 01-09-2010, 10:26 AM

The only time I have seen a woman's legs draped was in a 1980's childbirth video. Uuuugh. I am not kidding when I say that video STILL gives me the heebie jeebies. Two words: high forceps.

Anyways! No leg draping in my neck of the woods. Plenty of lith and stirrups and purple pushing, but at least they've let the sterile field go by the wayside. Maybe set up a meeting with an L&D liason or head nurse, see if you can get the hospital's take on it? What their reasoning may be? I'd be interested to know.

AmandaB · 01-09-2010, 11:08 AM

No draping here. I don't even think there was drping at some of the assisted births I was at ...

It feels very "American" to me. No offence, but the only time I have seen draping is on American birth shows.

doulafava · 01-09-2010, 11:17 AM

I'm not sure I've ever seen full draping - maybe once. But I see a lot of modifed draping. Like, cleaning mom bikini line to anus with betadine and putting her bottom on a sterile field. I think moms might as well be draped then, there's a psycological barrier there.

helpinghands · 01-09-2010, 11:37 AM

I think the draping depends on the care provider...I have seen some heavily draped births and others where the bed isn't broken down, very natural, etc. It is so weird.

WestsideDoula · 01-09-2010, 12:09 PM

I always see a drape after the baby is born and they are checking for tears and doing the stitches. Which makes sense. Have yet to see one during the birth.

JessicaE · 01-09-2010, 12:40 PM

Interesting question --

I've never seen a drape used, except during a cesarean of course. Surprised at how much draping is still happening around the country!

Kayla · 01-09-2010, 12:56 PM

Here I have not seen draping during birth, but have only been to a few births also. They draped me after the birth with my last baby, I am stil not sure why. I was encouraged to feel her head (from my OB) and she was immediately placed on me after the birth. Bed's being broken down is still considered standard, unless you have had an indepth conversation with your doctor beforehand, you can't just spring it on them. You get some funny looks for it too, and it takes alot of coercing, but is generally allowed.

bbabs · 01-09-2010, 04:18 PM

haven't seen draping here, but i have only been to one hospital birth, in which mom was allowed and encouraged to feel baby's head by the L&D nurse. our mw's never drape.

not sure about the whole sterile field thing, i can't imagine birth is considered sterile and i know in hospitals that use the all in one labor, delivery, recovery type rooms (birthing rooms, family-centered maternity care, etc.), the rooms are not classified as sterile, so there can never be a 'sterile field' in birth, unless it's a c/s in the OR, of course. as for the contamination by crossing the clean field, that could definitely include a doula's ungloved hand as she may carry foreign colonies (plus you want to protect yourself from body fluids anyway), but mom's hand would be more questionable (and will definitely vary from provider to provider), since as long as she hasn't been touching anything too germy (of course what's not germy in a hospital??!!) her exterior skin isn't really colonized with anything worse than her vagina or anus.

not to mention baby has already been exposed to antibodies of most anything worrisome mom is carrying on her skin or elsewhere, and hopefully baby will be placed skin to skin on mom's chest immediately following birth anyway, or do they also not allow that in hospitals that drape!!

raeben · 01-09-2010, 04:32 PM

i was told that draping like that was more of a southern thing. apparently some hospitals (or maybe just old-school care providers) in some southern (and possibly eastern?) states are less likely to update their procedures than others so they are still doing things that were common during the 60's and 70's. even totally outdated practices like shaving and enemas are still routinely practiced in some of those areas.

DoulaCBE · 01-09-2010, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doulafava

I'm not sure I've ever seen full draping - maybe once. But I see a lot of modifed draping. Like, cleaning mom bikini line to anus with betadine and putting her bottom on a sterile field. I think moms might as well be draped then, there's a psycological barrier there.

we use the under the butt bags (what I call them), never really considered them a sterile field. they're just there to catch the mess, fluids, used gauze, etc.

breezyinsc · 01-09-2010, 04:49 PM

Yikes, Raeben! I'm down in Charleston, SC and although I have gotten the impression that some of the OBs are "good 'ol boys", I haven't seen/heard anything about shaving or enemas except for one comical conversation with a young primip who had read about "typical hospital procedures" in a 1990s version of "What to Expect". Needless to say, I got her a different book

The only real gripe I have is the "40+1 wks is a medical reason to induce" crap, which seems to be going on everywhere and is a relatively recent phenomenon. Anyways, done hijacking. Just thought I'd throw in my two cents as a southern Doula.

excitedforbirth · 01-09-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raeben

i was told that draping like that was more of a southern thing. apparently some hospitals (or maybe just old-school care providers) in some southern (and possibly eastern?) states are less likely to update their procedures than others so they are still doing things that were common during the 60's and 70's. even totally outdated practices like shaving and enemas are still routinely practiced in some of those areas.

I'm in the midwest and see it quite a bit.