commonwealth of virginia
in march of 2002, at 39 wks pregnant, i was induced due to gestational diabetes. i received an epidural after the breaking of my water. when it came time to push, my doctor directed my nurse to cease the epidural w/out my consent. during the delivery, she directed two nurses to apply fundal pressure while i pushed. i protested this technique several times. but she ignored my protests. there was no maternal exhaustion, and did not explain the procedure to me or get my consent. also, she used a technique called "guarding the perineum". after over 3 hrs. of pushing, i delivered my child. at which time, i sustained a 2nd or 3rd degree tear. my doctor did not use local anethesia or any other numbing agent while she sutured. as a result of this delivery, i sustained femoral nerve palsy. i have still not recovered from this injury. my doctor did not discuss the injury with me re: cause, treatment or risks. and she has not done follow-up tests in re: gestational diabetes.
i have been doing independent research on these procedures, and would like some legal clarification about the use of the procedures. thank you.
08-23-2002, 03:47 PM
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