Need a nurse's opinion: My pregnant daughter fell down at work today.

If the "Women's Center" is not equipped with the medical staff and equipment to diagnose, re-align a broken bone and cast it then they would tell you to go to the ER as you "need a higher level of care" than they can provide.

I just went through this when I fell and broke my wrist. I went to the Urgent Care . They did take X-ray's they did cast (half cast to support and protect) it and told me that I would probably need surgery and I should go to the ER.
At the ER they tried to re align, they re casted it and told me that I would need surgery and to call the ortho the next day. There were no ortho doctors available. (could not get in to due to poor weather and traffic conditions. thank you polar vortex)

Please keep us posted as to how her arm is.
You, by the way are not a "madwoman" you are a mom worried about her "baby" and your grandbaby.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud from reading some of your responses. I DID sound like a madwoman, looking back. I was upset and completely forgot I had posted this until just now. Things have settled down considerably and my daughter did end up taking herself to the ER to get her arm looked at. It’s hard being somewhere that you literally are unable to leave, when things like this happen. Just one more, difficult, live-in caregiver, conundrum.

The women’s center checks the baby. The orthopedic X-rays her arm (or an urgent care with an x ray or the ER). This is standard.

The hospital will have moved the arm about to see if there is a major fracture. As there was not, this may be musculo skeletal pain and may be expected for some time. However, if the daughter or you suspect there could be even a hairline fracture here, it is back you go to the ER for xrays. I am certain she was too concerned about the baby to make overmuch of the arm. Now she is home understanding baby is fine -- thank goodness for that -- and she knows the arm is much worse than she suspected, she should continue and follow up on the arm.
That simple.

Your calling the hospital will get you written off as a "madwoman", but hey, go for it. Maybe they will think twice of immediate xrays next time.

Do know, that when you ask any nurse what to do, he/she will almost always tell you to go to the doctor/hospital. A normal person may say "wait and see" but a nurse can lose her license for saying "probably nothing--wait and see". So a nurse will send you to hospital, which is what I am doing.
Look at it this way. Baby on swing falls off. Seems fine. Parents ask a nurse "what should I do". Nurse will likely say "go to hospital". Because if that baby doesn't wake up that night because of a bleed in the brain? Just not worth a risk. The nurse will say "get thee to medical care".

Going from a possibly broken arm to being shot in the face is a pretty big leap in logic.

IMO, the ER would have checked the injured arm and if the baby was okay.

At any age, a fall with injuries can render the patient temporarily unable to make wise choices. A sort of "shock", due to pain, or whatever reason.

It is important to understand why she fell in the first place. imo.

Now, send your daughter off to the ER as instructed. Have a friend take her?

I doubt that a women's center would have an orthopedic doctor on staff. She could have gone to a general hospital ER and the baby could have been checked out there as well. ER usually have board certified people trained in many aspects of emergency medicine covering both fractures and OB. Can you bring your daughter there this evening.

I understand you are worried and upset .

BUT obviously they are not equipped to take care of a broken arm at the women’s center at the hospital , that is why she was directed to go to the ER about her arm . She was already at the hospital . Your daughter should have gone to the ER as directed. I’m sure your daughter’s vital signs were checked and they felt she was able to get to the ER on her own . Had she been in shock they would have gotten help to get her wherever they felt she needed to be .

Obviously if your daughter was shot in the face she wouldn’t go to the women’s center for that . She would go to the ER. That’s a ridiculous comparison by the way . Get used to it , medical care is very specialized . If you go to a cardiologist he/she won’t address the fungus on your toenail , broken arm or whatever else you happen to have .

Your daughter is an adult , she chose not to follow directions to go to the ER . If she’s adult enough to be pregnant she doesn’t need her Mommy calling up the women’s center to complain .

She got checked out at the women's center and that's all?

First, take your daughter to the ER, get her checked by an ER doc.

Protocol, pregnant or not, if someone falls at work, that could very well be deemed a 'Worker's Comp' complaint.

Going to the ER (like, right now) and keeping all the records (and any video surveillance!) and make a case for her bills to be paid.

I'm glad the baby is OK. They really are pretty well-protected in utero.

Your daughter could well have a broken arm that needs to be set and watched. She may need time off from work.

So--IMHO, what they did was the opposite of protocol. It was lazy and sloppy and possibly dangerous.

Support your daughter, but let her be her own mouthpiece. At 19, and almost a parent herself, she needs to learn how to 'adult' and this is a good time.