Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

So a friend recently called me to tell me that she heard from a friend that the OB that I'm currently seeing is being sued (it's very recent and apparently not public info yet) because during a labor & delivery several months ago, when the baby was crowning, the OB pushed the baby back into the mother and subsequently the baby died. I dont know any details about the delivery or anything else, other than that the baby died and the doctor is being sued. She felt compelled to tell me in case I wanted to switch doctors.

I just switched to this practice not long ago (several months ago) based on GLOWING reviews from a lot of other mommies who have been using them for a long time. I still have yet to read or hear anything about this lawsuit other than from this friend.

My gut tells me not to jump to conclusions. I dont know any details about the labor. I cant imagine a doctor would just push a baby back in during crowning for no reason. I'm not a doctor, but I would assume she had a very good medical reason to do so - the baby could have been stuck, the mother's life could have been in jeopardy, etc. I'm assuming she made the best decision she could in the moment. BUT when I google the maneuver of psuhing the baby back in, I'm coming up with a lot of stuff saying that it's an absolute last resort, almost always results in newborn death, etc. It does concern me that the doctor would even resort to it.

Has anyone ever heard of something like this? And honestly....if this was something you heard about your OB, would you switch practices?
I dont think I can really even ask the doctor about it because I would assume she's not at liberty to discuss it (and frankly I'm not sure addressing it with her is appropriate).

Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Omg that is horrible m
Edit: I would absolutely switch practices

Message edited 7/18/2016 4:21:48 PM.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

I have never heard of this. I don't think I would switch practices over this because it is hearsay. So long as you are confident in your care so far. You don't know the details of what actually happened and why. Maybe it's not even true.

Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

I think I've heard it on an older tv drama, never in real life.
One of my OB's back ups has had a bunch of malpractice claims settled - I can't recall how many, but at least 5. I have thought about switching each pregnancy because of it. Still thinking about it this time. If you like her and trust her, I would stay, but since she's still new to you, I'd probably want to switch.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Eh, I'd definitely be leery and look more into the claim. I might even consider switching doctors too.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

I'm not currently pregnant I was just reminiscing reading the pregnancy boards. I have heard of this happening. If the cord and placenta present before the baby the doctor can push the baby back so that they can reform an emergency section and hopefully save the baby. If the placenta comes before the baby it's bad news. It is rare that this happens but sadly it does happen.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

As a medic I have learned of many situations where you need to hold off delivery and or put your hand in and hold the baby from being delivered. There are many OB emergencies that this needs to be done for. Every situation is different and of course its very sad. When a baby dies everyone wants to blame someone. It may be an error but it may have been an OB emergency that the dr needed to try and help as best he can and the outcome was not good. I would not jump to judge. But that is just me. You need to trust the dr you are with. If you trust them then I would stay. If you have questions, then I think you should find one that you trust. This is why OB' have the highest malpractice insurance.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

I had a friend that they baby was too big to come out vaginally. They did everything they could, but it wasn't going to happen so the doc pushed the baby back in and performed an emergency c-section.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Firstly, I can tell you that any OB you see, unless it's one that just got out of school, has or is being sued. It's the nature of their practice that exposes them to unfortunate outcomes and, whether or not anything was done wrong, they get sued. It happens all the time. Child birth is no joke and many horror stories emerge from it.

Secondly, without knowing the facts, it's really hard to know whether the OB was trying to do the right thing in that situation and had a poor outcome or if he made a ****** judgement call.

The bottom line is that if you feel confident with the Doctor, go with him/her. Don't base your decision on one story that you don't know the entire story about.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

I would ask your doctor. Tell him/her that you were told this by a friend and wanted to discuss it. It sounds like there is some inaccuracies since you already confirmed that part of it is incorrect since the other Doctor is still there

Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Never heard of this but I would definitely ask the practice. I am a firm believer that there's 2 sides to every story and somewhere in the middle is the truth. At the time, this could have been the safest option.
Not too sure but I believe medical malpractice takes a while and may not show up under his license for some time if found guilty.
I would ask for more details (from whatever they can disclose). And if you don't feel comfortable I would switch.
I would probably consider switching practices if it were me but since I have been pregnant I became an absolute lunatic.

Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

I would ask but don't be shocked if they tell you they can't discuss it. One it involves medical issues that are covered by HIPAA and 2 usually ongoing litigation will not be talked about. I work for a company that is sued all the time and we are not allowed to talk about ongoing cases.

Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Awe so sad :( If that happened at my current practice I wouldn't switch. But I have had positive experiences with them and trust my doctors. It's extremely sad but these things happen and can happen to anyone even the most cautious doctor. Unless the doctor is a sicko you have to assume they did everything in thier power to save the baby and probably did as they were trained. But just trust your gut. You have the right to be concerned and switch if you'd like.

Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

First off, I'm annoyed that your friend would scare you like that. I get that she may have been trying to be helpful, but something like that will put the fear of god in a pregnant woman.

I agree that you don't know the full circumstances - and litigation is part of the medical field exposure - so without being privy to that, and as long as your comfortable otherwise, you should stay with the practice.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

I would not ask the OB about it because:

1. It would be a huge HIPAA violation.
2. It will be a pending legal matter that can not be discussed.
3. You are going to make the doc uncomfortable and put him/her on the defensive. The doctor is not going to be able to discuss that case with you at all. He/she is not going to explain to you what was happening and why the call was made. You don't want to jeopardize your own relationship with the OB in some attempt to feel reassured you are in capable hands.

I'll share this with you. My SD was delivered by a very popular, ivy league educated, well credentialed OB. My SD was a high risk preemie and my DH absolutely adores this OB. I'm a med mal attorney. I have seen this OB named in lawsuits. One in particular was horrific and needed to be settled. My opinion of this OB is completely skewed by this one lawsuit because the outcome was so bad (meanwhile, she probably delivers hundreds of babies a year incident free) while my DH credits her with saving my SD's life. The point of me telling you all of this is that if you were confident in your research and in your choice of OB before hearing about this, you should continue to trust your judgment and the capabilities of this doctor. Don't go questioning the expertise of the OB based on one bad case. As I said earlier, unfortunately, it's the nature of their business.

Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Labor can (and does) go wrong through no fault of the OB. If you like your OB and are comfortable with them, I wouldn't switch.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?

OB's do get sued all the time, yes. That is why many , many doctors stop delivering babies and just practice gynecology.
I have heard of many OB's that stop delivering babies for that reason and won't take pregnant patients anymore.

The malpractice insurance is astronomical.


Having said that, the OB's who delivered my DD, I loved. Loved the Doctors, love the practiced, trusted them with me and my DD's life without a second thought.

I come to find out AFTER I had my DD that they were sued- by a guy I worked with and knew for YEARS- because his wife died in childbirth!
I had known that story for years- that this guy from work- his wife died while giving birth about 10 years before I had my DD. It was an awful, tragic story that everyone in the office spoke of. He was left a widower with a newborn baby. How awful! Everybody knew about it.

After I gave birth he asked who I used and when I told him he was like- Oh GOD. That was them. I got a settlement in the law suit against them.
Turns out his wife had an aneurysm and didn't know it, obviously. When she was in labor she was complaining of a horrible headache, vomiting etc. They never thought aneurysm and to send her for an MRI. The pressure of labor burst it and she died .
Horrendous.

Now had I known this prior, I am not sure I would have switched. While it was a horrible tragedy, I am not sure of all the details, other than the brief part he told me.
They are a popular practice and deliver babies without event every single day.

Bottom line- having a baby is a medical event, and yes, it comes with risks- to mom and baby.
Unless I knew for sure that the Dr was GROSSLY negligent I would stay with a doctor that i personally felt comfortable with.

Re: Have you ever heard of this - doctor pushing baby back in during labor?