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tawnynkids disagrees: Rude and assuming. Her doctor did have rights at the other hospital, so she could have gone there.

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Momof3girls said that she was told shortly after arrival that the computers were down and that things were going to be slow. Why didn't momof3girls insist on being transported to the other hospital immediately?

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And she was assured by her doctor upon arrival to the hospital that she could and would receive the epidural.

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That was before the nurse informed him of the computer problem according to the OP. The order is only valid after the blood count is verified - had it come back with results that would not allow an epidural, would you still be upset?

I will assume even further. I will assume momof3girls wasn't at the hospital by herself. Why didn't someone in her party ride the nurse and the lab rats until the meds were delivered?

Did you ask why the nurse felt the need to break your water? Perhaps the baby was in distress and someone needed to act. I can tell you about 3 friends of mine whose babies were left in the birth canal too long and developed various degrees of cerebral palsy. Their kids play Challenger baseball with mine. My son's condition didn't allow for medication and after I labored 20 hours an emergency c-section was performed. I was put completely under and although I didn't feel a thing - I also didn't witness my child's birth. 20 hours of labor without meds and I didn't even see my child until he was 4 hours old. It sucked - I cried - I complained that I was cheated. But you know what? Sometimes sh*t happens.

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You neeed to read a little better.

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I read just fine.

Read again Em... it says "The nurse then informed me that the computers in their lab had been down". They informed her NOT the doctor he would have already known.

I can tell you about 3 friends of mine whose babies were left in the birth canal too long and developed various degrees of cerebral palsy. Their kids play Challenger baseball with mine. My son's condition didn't allow for medication and after I labored 20 hours an emergency c-section was performed. I was put completely under and although I didn't feel a thing - I also didn't witness my child's birth. 20 hours of labor without meds and I didn't even see my child until he was 4 hours old. It sucked - I cried - I complained that I was cheated. But you know what? Sometimes sh*t happens.

And your point would be what? She did not have a complication that forced any emergency action. And just because "things happen" doesn't always mean they HAD to happen. She, for no other reason, just wanted to find out if what happened to her was completely legal so that if it wasn't maybe she could help it from happening to someone else.

At any rate... you fail to see the point. She was not asking for your opinion on her experience or yours just specific LEGAL advice. That is ALL she was seeking ever. In case you haven't been reading that has been stated many times already.

First- there are two posters who keeping adding information that MOM didn't mention in her first post. If MOM wants to get a realistic answer, then this additional information should have been provided by Mom.

Now- in my opinion- there are no ground for medical malpractice.

First- how was going to provide the epidural? Staff nurses don't do that. Nurse anesthetists or anesthesiologists do that. And if the NA/Anesthesiologist didn't have the appropriate lab work with the correct lab values, they aren't going to do the procedure. And it would be up to them, not the L&D staff nurse to tell your OB doc.

Second- you said you were in "hard labor," but you didn't say how far you had dilated. Most places can't do an epidural if you are more than 6cm dilated. So as a woman who had previously had two children and was in "hard labor," it was possible that even with the lab results, you had progressed to a stage that an epidural wasn't feasible.

Third- as a consenting adult, responsible for your own health care, you had the right to say- "if this is going to take longer than XXXXX time, I want to be transferred to ABC Hospital."

Fourth- you didn't say if they offered you any other type of pain management. I worked L&D. I know that there are other things you can have, both IV and/or IM to diminish some of the discomfort of labor. You (and your posting defenders) failed to mention if you were offered and received or refused any other medications.

Last- membranes rupture. They can rupture at any time, and in advanced labor, often do rupture when the mother-to-be is being given a vaginal exam. Did the nurse say "I'm going to rupture your membranes," or did it happen during an exam, and she said "Your water broke."

When it was all said and done, did you have a healthy baby? Enough said.

Look, everyone is getting a little personally pissy here (myself included). Her "other defender" and I were only attempting to help fill in some blanks, so that everyone who could offer valid legal advice might know all of the facts. Not to offend anyone. And I apologize to those who feel I have offended you personally in any way.

She has since received the information she was seeking and this post is basically dead.