I’m a midwife, ask me anything

[CatchingBabies]

Seeing as this has become a theme recently I’m jumping on the bandwagon because I need a distraction from my new house that is slowly becoming the worst decision I ever made.

Soooo I’m a midwife ask me anything! (Dons hard hat)

@catchingbabies

Thank you for your reply. I have my fingers crossed it will be okay. He's head down.

Ah that reminds me of another question I wanted to ask.

Do you have any training on tongue tie? Do you think it should be part of the training for all midwives? Do you think it should be included in the routine newborn checks? If tongue tie division is recommended, do you think it should be done on the NHS, and promptly?

@morgan12

I tend to say vaginal birth rather than natural as no matter how your baby arrives there’s nothing unnatural about it.

I would have a vaginal birth, a) because I’ve had vaginal births before and I know my chance of another successful vaginal birth is high.

b) because I’ve seen how quick the recovery from a vaginal birth is compared to an elective caesarean and

c) because I’ve seen some horrific complications from Caesarean section and it makes you wary. The worst case I saw was a mother than had an elective caesarean with her first child, she haemorrhaged and they were forced to perform a hysterectomy to save her life. Her baby developed respiratory distress syndrome and had to be ventilated. He was transferred to a speacialist hospital. I later heard he sadly died.

Obviously that’s an extreme example and very rare and complications from vaginal births happen but I see more dreadful outcomes from caesareans so it makes you think differently. A lot depends on your chance of achieving an uncomplicated vaginal birth in my opinion.

After a bad first birth and and complications from a second degree tear (think stitches bursting very slow recovery) do you think they will grant me a Caesarean section next time round?
Have you seen anyone be refused by the consultant if they ask?

Fuck! I shouldn't have read this! Currently facing the prospect of my first c-section after three vaginal births. That last post has just made my heart skip a beat.

I was going to ask if you'd recommend it as a career?

Hello! What would you advise for reducing stress in pregnancy? Am so so anxious when pregnant, never when not, and worried about impact on baby. Eating and drinking (not alcohol) well, sleep mixed but ok, partner supportive, exercising and husband and work super supportive, doing CBT but keep just breaking down with general fear and particularly around impact on bub. Was excatly same last time and 2.5 year old son seems super unaffected but am nervous all the same... Any ideas?! Thank you!

I've had 3 babies and for each one the pattern has been roughly the same (though each subsequent labour shorter and less pain relief):

quick to getting fully dilated and then lots of pushing with not much progress, meaning each one has been an assisted delivery (forceps). I just wondered if this is a coincidence or is there likely to be a reason? I've never felt that 'urge to push' other women speak of. I'm not planning to have any more DC, but curious about why I can't seem to push babies out! (I'm otherwise fit, slim and healthy if relevant).

21 years ago I had a forceps delivery and ended up with 38 stitches.

I can remember much as I was on gas & air but I still remember the pain of each stitch. It was excruciating painful and a male staff member did the stitches.

3 years later I gave birth to my son and had 3 stitches. Again I can't remember everthing but I think she numbed the area. The pain was ok.

I told her about the 38 stitches and she said that shouldn't have happened and I should have got numbed.

Was it OK to have 38 stitches on gas and air only?

@CatchingBabies I don't have a question but I just wanted to thank you for the job that you do!

What you said about going from delivering a still born to going to a family happy to meet their baby really resonated with me. When DD2 was born, the birth was straight forward. My midwife disappeared to get something and we suddenly heard a lot of noise outside our room. My DP peeked out the door window and saw a lot of staff huddled round the small bed (I don't know what it was, it sort of looked like an incubator?) and there was a lot of talking and beeping that lasted quite a while.

It lasted for what seemed like ages and then suddenly all the noise stopped. When DP peeked again everyone was gone, and then I heard the sound of a woman wailing in one of the rooms next door when my midwife returned to our room she apologised for us waiting and looked quite upset, I can only imagine how she was feeling. I think about that poor family that lost their baby that day, especially when I'm struggling with DD, I try and remind myself how lucky I am.

And I wish I could see my midwife again, to thank her for how fabulous she was to me and DD!

Thanks. Would you say the risk of a pph is higher with an elective section if you have had a previous pph (2 litres and reason was epistonmeny and 2nd degree tear with forceps delivery)

Sorry for more questions, I'm struggling trying to make this decision right now. Feel like whatever option I choose will go wrong.

My daughter is 17, and considering midwifery after school. Would you recommend it as a career? If yes, why, and if no, why not?

@namechange30

We need more midwives first of all, when midwives are overworked and stressed they are not always nice people to be around. It tends to be those that have worked for 20-40 years and are so fed up I wonder why they are even still practising.

Secondly we need to stop seeing labour and birth as something women should just put up with, the whole at least you have a healthy baby stance drives me insane! People think that as long as Mum and baby are alive that’s all that maters and it’s so far from the truth. A lot of this is because of how medicalised childbirth has become and policies that say we should be “encouraging” women to accept vagina examinations etc. In actual fact no we shouldn’t encourage women to do anything! We should give them options, educate them about the reasons and let them choose with no suggestion or encouragement to do something against their will at all!

Thirdly women need to stand up and say no this isn’t good enough, not so much to the midwives as they are powerless to do anything about the short staffing etc. although if a midwife was dismissive you can request a different one, but to those at the top that can make a difference. Midwifery is a loss leader, it makes no money at all but people tend to stay at the same hospital they have their baby at and bring that child to the same hospital etc. so it loses money to make money. Because it loses money budgets are stripped right back. It’s also an emergency service so demand can’t be predicated like it can be on medical wards, we have no clue who or what will walk through the door most days. Despite that is isn’t funded like an emergency service.

Hi have you ever seen a sucessful foley catherter induction before.

Im booked in for one at the end of next week so curious as not many have heard about them :) im a vbac patient so no persarry is a option.

@bellinisurge

Blame baby friendly iniative for that! We are now told we teach all women about the benefits of breastfeeding even if they don’t want to breastfeed. If they want formula they have to supply their own and we will give them no guidance at all on how to safely make or store it. We offer no feeding help at all. If a woman starts off breastfeeding and then struggles we have to wait until the baby is literally starving before we are allowed to suggest a formula top up, if she asks for one we have to first of all read her a script about all the dangers that formula can lead to before we can give it to her. We don’t like doing this but baby friendly initiative means we have to and we are audited on it also. And then we are so busy and overworked that we don’t have the time to help those that are struggling with positioning or attachment and have to rely on students or volunteers to do that when their knowledge can be sketchy and inconsistent. It’s a real bug bear with many of us right now!

I/baby had this. Lots of scans. Little limbs supposedly. Baby came out good size. But apart from the consultant at the hospital not one single midwife or HV knew about this. Not even the upsetting horror stories. So just wondered if you knew. And I'm glad you do because it can be horrible. Can I ask you to possibly PM if not to busy. I have some other questions but it's a bit outting. Thank you in advance

Op, that sounds absolutely ghastly. No better than I endured 11 years ago. I struggled. I was given no help. I was given a photocopied sheet on formula which I didn't want. I was taken back into hospital very ill and the midwife told my mil she wasn't allowed to advise her on formula as an , in desperation, alternative. Disgusting.

@namechange30

I am trained to recognise tongue tie as I am also NIPE trained (the baby check that the paediatricians do) not all midwives are trained on this but yes they should be. The paediatricians doing the NIPE are usually junior and mag have only watched one or two before doing it on their own, whereas midwives need to have 20 observed before they can do it alone, so they may miss it also. If it’s spotted which it isn’t always the guidelines say it should only be cut if it affects feeding, not all do. This is done on the NHS but I know from other mums it can be a long wait and when you have a baby struggling to feed and bleeding nipples a few weeks is far too long to wait. Like all NHS services supply doesn’t meet demand:

Oooh do alot of women scream during childbirth? I was a real screamer but pretty much everyone I know that has had a baby has said that they didn't really scream. I really couldn't help it but I am a bit paranoid that I'm just a drama queen

What do you think about the advice that 3 caesareans is the sensible limit?
I was told this when I had my third. Was sterilised under extreme pressure with my fourth (eventually had it reversed and had a fifth).
Is the advice outdated ? Given the advances and if there’s a big enough gap between babies to give the uterus time to heal properly?
Have you ever looked after anyone who has had more than 5 ?

@skydiving you have the right to request a caesarean, if the consultant that sees you won’t do it they should refer you to another one. Maternal request is a valid reason for an elective caesarean as long as you have been fully counselled on the choice.

@brutusmcdogface remember that’s an extreme example of very rare complaictions. The vast majority are complication free. I would recommend it as a career yes because I love it but you really need to know what you are getting into.

@cheerfullysleepless Ask to be referred to the perinatal mental health team. Their are specialist midwives trained in this that can give you coping strategies and adjust your care to help you etc. it’s very common x

What does it mean when a woman is in labour and her baby is 'in distress'? I was told this during my second labour (which was very fast and my DS was a big baby). I was told he needed to be delivered quickly, so he was and he was fine (for which I am eternally grateful!), but I was left with a birth injury as a result.

@motherofpearl That’s difficult to answer without knowing your history etc. Did you have an epidural? What position were you in? How big were your babies? What position were they in? That can all have an effect on pushing.

Have you always wanted to go into midwifery.
What made you chose it as a career.
What did it feel like like to deliver your first baby