Thank your lucky stars you live in Britain...

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

my sister in law is about to have her baby in Morocco. Unless you pay through the nose for private (and you still have to pay in public hospitals if you want to get proper treatment) the usual is -
No birth partners in the delivery room, not even your mum
Syntocinon injections as a matter of course if labour isn't going as fast as they want
Mums must deliver flat on back on the bed
Mums get held down if they are making too much noise/trying to get up and walk around. One of her friends was held down by three women as she pushed. Another woman was apparently slapped for making too much noise.

I tried to encourage her to have a homebirth but as they don't have ambulances on call she was too scared to. Just try to imagine

[warthog]

that's barbaric.

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

horrible isn't it

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

Horrible. It's like they've said 'let's take the worst aspects of medicalised hospital birth and inflict them on the women with no money.'

[BoffinMum]

Why do they go into hospital if it's like that?

And I thought Morocco was civilised and relatively modern as far as healthcare is concerned ...

[SOLOveMeTenderLoveMeDo]

Can she not go elsewhere in the world to give birth?

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

because there are no ambulances to get to you in a hurry incase you need to get to hospital at any point...and no, unfortunately she's moroccan so can't really get anywhere.

[Bucharest]

That's Italy too.
At least, that was my daughter's birth you just described....(except I was private and still got all of those things and the obligatory episiotomy-without being asked or told first)

(t'is why I always laugh wryly when people complain that their birthplan wasn't adhered to.)

(actually, in my bit of Italy, vaginal birth only counts for about 40% in the first place, so much easier for the doc, dontcha know, to do a bit of slicing and dicing instead of, oooh, boring, have to wait it out naturally with his patient.)

[EverSOLOlolololoLonely]

That's terrible. I'm sorry she'll have to endure that.

[susie100]

Bucharest - so true, my friends in Italy have all had a nightmare trying to get a halfway decent natural birth. Still very much on yer back, stirups, every intervention going apart from a few birth centres that are sprinign up (all private though). I have also heard that you basically have to bribe the doctor to get an epidural (shudder).

[Bucharest]

You pay about 200 euro for an epidural here...(south) more so in the north I believe.....

A (woman) health minister has proposed that all hospitals should at least offer epidurals, and possibly free, but I can't see it happening any time soon.

[Bucharest]

...apologies to OP for hijack!....

I do feel sorry for your SIL- wishing her a podding pea type of labour...

[susie100]

Yes indeed fingers crossed, is there any way she go privately?

[Soph73]

kat2907 - I feel for your SIL I really do as this is what it was like over here (Gran Canaria) 6 years ago when I had DS1. Although I hasten to add you weren't held down and there have never been any reports about physical violence towards anyone during delivery I had DS2 here last April & fortunately things have moved on quite a bit although the episiotomy was a bit of a surprise! I was also told to try not to make too much noise as that energy could be better used to push, which in one way I can see there point, but it was bloody difficult to do! If I had the money I'd send it to you so she could go private. Let's hope it's a quick birth.

[Soph73]

their point!

[EverSOLOlolololoLonely]

Soph73, I was told that in England in 98. I wasn't told it in 06 though and I made loadsa noise.

[Rosa]

Bucharest epidural here if you give birth between 8-8 mon - Fri and only at weekends if the emergency doc is free .... I must say it has moved on in 2 years since dd1 was born I was encouraged to give birth in any position I felt comfortable ( no gas / air etc etc )... Sending Vibes to Morocco that they move on as well!

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

I was told in Dec 06 in England not to make a noise because it was a waste of energy! Surely there is no scientific truth in that? My body knew what it was doing and that included screaming.

[OrmIrian]

I remember hearing that channeling that scream into breathing hard was helpful. However I can't quite see how anyone can stop you screaming if that's what you want to do

[EverSOLOlolololoLonely]

I found screaming very channeling. Kathyis, you must have a Dc the same age as mine too Lots of screaming going on in December 06!!!

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

Oh yes episiotomies are routine as well. I hope she pops it out quickly, no chance of going private unfortunately. Poor girl

[Slickbird]

OMG! That is so barbaric! I read some of a book which was about pregnancy and birth through the ages and those sort of practices were common in Britain in medieval times!!!

I take it your brother is British? Is there anyway they can come over here at all for the birth?