Yet another maternity scandal in the NHS

Shrewsbury was always known as having high rates of vaginal breech birth when the rest of the country had moved to CS so perhaps not terribly surprising (nothing wrong with vaginal breech birth if chosen by the mother, risk assessed and well planned but not as an only option )

I think monitoring maternity services by their CS rates is contributing to a culture not of ‘normal birth’ but of ‘anything but CS’ and not recognising that non CS births can be and often are more dangerous and traumatic than a CS.

I wanted a normal birth but I had in my own birth plan that if I wanted a CS at any point then I wanted one without quibbling. I was happy to have a vaginal birth I accepted forceps etc might even be necessary in some situations but I didn’t want the long dragged out labour, try everything, push fetal distress as far as possible and then do forceps. That is what is dangerous.

Birth isn’t a place for ideologies among professionals in a government funded health service. It’s a place for as safe as possible care for mothers and babies and listening to what women want as individuals.

Also, hearing from friends who have had babies this year how much they have felt abandoned both during labour and by health visitors once home, I'm worried we have yet another scandal brewing.

I think you are right. There is already evidence that this is happening, it' being reported in the media and it is sickening that nobody is listening. My own DD had a very problematic pregnancy and birth. She had to sit in A&E, 3 times, during the second trimester, whilst bleeding heavily, then go for scans, all on her own. Luckily the pregnancy continued. But then a major issue was not spotted during any of the 10 scans she had throughout pregnancy, which resulted in a crash CSection. Luckily baby is here and all is well. DD and SIL are traumatised. I cannot believe this negligence of women is still going on in 2020. I don't Covid can excuse the incompetence.

How dare they blame mothers for the deaths of their babies The absolute monsters.

I'm not at all surprised by any of this tragic mess. Everyone knows there aren't enough resources and our figures are a disgrace for a rich, medically advanced nation.

I had a planned C section partly because I didn't trust the midwives to find a doctor in a timely fashion and it was August-worst time to have anything done in a hospital anyway as consultants are away and junior doctors are fresh in (women were giving birth in foyers turned into delivery rooms). I think they take planned surgeri more seriously than vaginal birth-you can't be left to have a c section on your own.

These are truly shocking reports. This has been going on for longer in different places. The NHS appears to have been more worried about pronouns than training and recruiting staff . From the report on woman’s hour it sounded as though women were demanding Caesarian sections on a whim and being refused even in cases where they might be necessary.. 40 plus years ago I was not happy about the use of forceps but realised they were necessary to save my daughter.