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Childbirth

shoulder dystocia/distress not included in ds2's birth details?

13 replies

mumandlovingit · 06/08/2009 18:30

hi

can anyone please tell me whether this is right or not. when my son was born a few years ago he came very quickly at home unplanned at 39 weeks and the midwife had to get me into the mcroberts manouvre and also had to turn him internally to get him out as he was stuck and very blue. when he was born she was stimulating his chest with her hands rubbing him and using oxygen on his face. he came round and started breathing and without her i kow that he would not be here today. the ambulance men didn't have a clue, they're only trained for normal deliverys apparently.

we are going to be trying for our 3rd child and it worries me that this will happen again. i want to ask for an elective c-section but done know whether they would agree to one.im so scared of another baby being stuck and them not being able to deliver it or get it out quick enough and revive it.

ive looked at the noted in the red book i was given after ds2s birth and it doesnt have anything circled under the distress section on the discharge summary and also method of delivery is normal. on the notification of birth sheet there is nothing about him being stuck or distress or anything.is this right?

surely there should be something on it to say she had to manually turn him as his shoulders hadn't/weren't turning? im now wondering if anything was ever written in the notes of the birth or not.

ive written to the midwife and asked her what her recommendations would be for another pregnancy and about if she wrote up about the problems that occurred but i dont know how long it will be before i get a reply.

has anyone got any knowledge of this or whether it should say something on those sheets?

any advice/help is appreciated.

thank you

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Disenchanted3 · 06/08/2009 18:34

You can request your 'proper' official birth notes.

I find those red books aren't really good for much and only about an eigth of mine is filled in

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mumandlovingit · 06/08/2009 18:36

ive just checked my first sons sheets and one says distress 2nd stage ticked and the other hasnt got distress under the special factors section even though there is a code for it on the back.

when i am pregnant again will the midwife have the birth notes form my previous pregnancies or just the maternity notes of the pregnancy? someone said that they wont be in my notes, but will be in my childs?

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mumandlovingit · 06/08/2009 18:37

how do i do that? do i have to request it to the hospital?

its the sheets that they gave my on my discharge from hospital that i got the info from. ive just filed them at the back of the red books

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lynniep · 06/08/2009 18:40

yeah, nothing specific on DS's birth sheet apart from 'assisted breech' or in red book either - other than what I've written, however I suspect theres a whole sheaf of paperwork for him at the hospital somewhere. Well there should be. Considering how traumatic his birth and his first week were.

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GrapefruitMoon · 06/08/2009 18:41

In my area (don't know if it's the same everywhere) the hospital has to keep your notes for several years. You can ask to see them - you would have to go into the anti-natal unit at the hospital to read them and can't take them home.

They should have very detailed information on them so yes the problem at the birth should be covered.

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mumandlovingit · 06/08/2009 18:44

thank you. im probably panicking over nothing but it was really traumatic for us, ds1's birth didnt go very well and then to have ds2 come so quick and get stuck etc it really scares me that it will happen again and we will lose the baby. i couldnt bear that to happen. id much rather insist on a c-section and hope that they agree and do it on time. i was in labour on and off from before 30 weeks and because i wasnt dilating wouldnt do anything except drug me up. when eventually it was the real thing and dilating it happened so quick. im just thankful that i had a great midwife and she came quickly to our house.

im hoing she responds to my letter telling me that yes its all written up etc and that they will take more care with me this time

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LuluMaman · 06/08/2009 18:46

the red book only has the barest bones of what happened, whetehr c.s or VB etc
you need your notes has has been said and you need to discuss them with a MW

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mumandlovingit · 06/08/2009 18:50

i went into the hospital to view the notes of my pregnancy of my first but im sure the birth notes werent in there.i will maybe ask the hospital to arrange an appointment to view them. i think they charge though.i will see what the midwife puts in her letter. i just wasnt sure wherther it was supposed to be on the sheets i have at home.

because she was the only midwife there and things didnt go wonderfully well i just hope that things havent been skimmed over incase i tried to say she did something wrong, she didn't at all, she did everything right but ive just got a horrible feeling in my stomach that the notes wont be right and that the hospital wont take me seriously over my fears for the next one.

we are trying at the end of the month onwards and i knowi will panic throughout the whole pregnancy unless the birth is discussed/planned. i know nothing goes to plan but im so scared of delivering naturally again.all the shoulder dystocia websites etc say that painrelief/assisted delivery/on back position/hospital monitoring etc can all lead to shoulder dystocia but i was at home on all fours most of the time with no pain relief whatsoever even when she manually turned him inside me. she didnt even have the time to cut me as he was so blue.she even told me she didnt have time to and i just shouted at her to get him out no matter what it took and she did.

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mumandlovingit · 06/08/2009 18:54

sorry, im going on now a bit.im really looking forward to being pregnant again, just the labour bit and things going wrong again that im scared of. i hope that whatever midwife i get will go over everything with me well and discuss all my options and hope that things will work out well. im older and more stubborn now and wont just accept whatever they say like i did before.if im not happy with it i will say and stand my ground!

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GrapefruitMoon · 06/08/2009 19:02

I think they only charge if you want copies of the notes?

I would think you will see the consultant at some stage to go over the previous births and discuss your plan for the next one.

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cathcat · 06/08/2009 19:12

I had shoulder dystocia and the MacRoberts manouvre with my DS1. It was mainly due to his large size. I was offered a planned c-section for DS2 as they realised he was big too and that the same could happen. I had a not-so-great delivery (did not realise at the time due to the calm way the staff handled it, but looking back on
it,) and complications after it.
They suggested, at 34 weeks, the c-section for the second delivery which actually came as a shock for me but we went with it and it was great.
I think you have a good case for a c-section especially as you are already feeling stressed and tense about this. Good luck.

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mumandlovingit · 06/08/2009 19:17

thank you all of you for your replies.im hoping that they will c-section me. i know it is a major operation but i know i will cope better emotionally knowing what is happening and that the baby will be out in a few minutes and it is just my healing which will take time which i will be planned for.

i weighed 7.5stone when i fell pregnant and was 12stone when i had him. no idea how i weighed that much as i ate healthily etc.he was 8lb3oz.not huge but the midwife said he was big for my size.

im hoping that if i stress my feelings to tem and previous births that they will allow me to plan for a c-section.im just hoping i dont go into labout before then as ds1 was 6 days early and ds2 8 days early.i will camp on the doorstep of the delivery suite i think!

thanks again
xx

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GrapefruitMoon · 06/08/2009 19:23

I think they often do planned c-sections a few weeks early to ensure you don't go into labour naturally

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