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Original poster

I’m a midwife, ask me anything

275 replies

CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 18:27

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)

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Original poster
CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 19:46

@efferlunt yes that is possible. With regards to pubic hair most people tend to be natural, I can’t inagine it’s easy to shave down their when you’re heavily pregnant! The younger girls definitely tend to have less, I think that’s more a generation thing. We advise women not to shave right before labour / caesarean as the micro cuts you make on your skin shaving actually increase your risk of infection. And I promise you we don’t really notice it and we don’t care at all!

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CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 19:49

@brutusmcdogface night shifts are non-negotiable unless you have a medical reason for not doing them. Night shifts can be lovely however, something very magical about a beautiful delivery in the middle of the night.

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RubyGrace17 · 30/06/2018 19:50

With my first DD they couldn’t find her heartbeat when I went in and when they did find it, it was low. The midwife did keep
Asking me ‘Where do they usually find this baby’s heartbeat?’ Confused. A doctor came with (I think) a portable ultrasound machine and scanned me and the next thing the alarm was going and the crash team came in. I had a section under GA and DD was delivered within 30 mins of entering the hospital. Is this rare? For a while after she was born I replayed it all in my head and felt I had some form of PTSD, is that likely? I couldn’t get past the fact nobody was there when she was born and often convinced myself there was a real chance they had swapped her with another baby and we would never know (DH wast allowed in). I don’t know if I’m being a drama queen but I still suffer in various ways emotionally with it all Blush.
Thank you for all you do. I can’t praise the staff enough for what they did that day for me and my DD.

Tabathatwitchett · 30/06/2018 19:50

What is your honest opinion on home births?

Original poster
CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 19:51

@kraggle your waters can break and then baby moves into a position blocking the hole in the waters so effectively resealing them. Or forewaters and hind waters can break separately. When you felt the pop I’m guessing baby came much lower as the waters were blocking him before and him lowering and putting more pressure on everything will be why the pain suddenly ramped up.

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Tabathatwitchett · 30/06/2018 19:52

ruby I had a cord prolapse with DD2 and a very similar response (GA v fast delivery without dh allowed in the room). My DD2 has a really close relationship with her dad now and I always put it down to those first couple of hours they spent together whilst I was in recovery.

Original poster
CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 19:53

@awwlookatmybabyspider the biggest baby I have personally delivered was 11lb 5, we’ve recently had a 12lb baby delivered at our hospital however although not by me.

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Brown76 · 30/06/2018 19:53

Why do midwives so often not believe women who say they are in labour about how advanced it is? I've heard lots of mums I know say they were told to go home/nothing's happening/you can't possibly be in established labour only for the baby to arrive suddenly and dramatically a few minutes later.

letsallhaveanap · 30/06/2018 19:54

I reacted very badly to an induction with my first baby (developed post partum psychosis as a result which was terrifying)... im reaching the stage of overdueness with my second where I think they may start talking about doing it again....
Do you think if I asked for a planned section instead (if there were any concerns with the baby being late) that that would be a good idea/taken seriously?

Im hoping to go into labour naturally and have a home birth booked....
Im not sure I could handle another induction... I know it might not go like last time but theres no guarentee and I was so ill....

Should I just say to my midwives id prefer a section if they are thinking of inducing?

Original poster
CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 19:54

@namechange30 birthing position has a massive impact on shoulder dystopia. One of the first things we do to resolve it is change the mothers position. Some positions allow your pelvis to be wider than others. Sometimes no matter what position you are in it would have occurred anyway however.

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CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 19:55

@lulu12345 Hire more midwives and make sure they are all trained and regularly updated in breastfeeding management. Support those want to breastfeed but don’t demonise those who don’t.

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QuilliamCakespeare · 30/06/2018 19:56

@Brown76 I just asked the same thing although you put it more eloquently Smile

Kraggle · 30/06/2018 19:57

Thank you so much for answering Catchingbabies it was all a bit quick in the end and the pain after that pop was immense so I never got the chance to ask!

Original poster
CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 19:58

Quilliamcakesspeare It isn’t that we don’t trust women’s body’s or instincts but we know that first time labours are likely to take much longer than subsequent and research tells us that if you stay at home in early labour where you can relax, eat, drink and mobilise that you are more likely to progress quicker and have a vaginal delivery. We send you home to benefit you also. Some people will always be the exception to the rule.

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CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 20:00

@clockworknightingale it will be amplified on those forums but most midwives try and ensure a relaxed and ‘natural’ delivery for those who want that. That’s what we are trained in after all, midwives are the experts in normal, once it’s not normal the medical team become involved.

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ToadsforJustice · 30/06/2018 20:00

Do you believe that women have real pain during labour? It's not sensations or pressure. It hurts. Why are there so many stories about MW rolling their eyes and telling women that they are not in labour when the women themselves are struggling with what they believe is pain. What are your views.

cornishmumtobe · 30/06/2018 20:01

I have a question if you don't mind!

When I had my baby I was kept in for 5 days due to preeclampsia. After days of getting no sleep I begged for a side room, just for a few hours, so I could get some. I was told this wasn't allowed and I had to share a room due to my risk of fitting so couldn't be left alone. Is this true? I was in a 2 bed room and both myself and the other lady kept our curtains closed..... and I just can't believe if I genuinely had to be monitored like that, that it could be left to another patient who had just had a baby....

RubyGrace17 · 30/06/2018 20:01

Tabatha, that’s interesting. It’s lovely as mine are so close too but I admit to feeling a bit jealous initially that he got to have those firsts (and there are no photos Sad). Did you have similar feelings?

Original poster
CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 20:01

@Jozxyqk yes that is true, how you can reduce the risk depends on why it happened and what factors led to it, impossible to answer without knowing your history. If it happened before they will be prepared for it next time however.

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CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 20:03

@mummycuddlessolveeverything most people who have a breech baby go on to have babies that are head down afterwards. Sometimes the shape of your uterus or pelvis means the baby can’t fit head down and so they will always go into a breech position, this is rarer however.

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Charolais · 30/06/2018 20:04

When I moved to the U.S. over 45 yrs ago I was lucky enough to have a midwife at the hospital I went to. She had trained in the U.K. and she told me they were desperate for more midwives in the U.S.

i know that was a long time ago and maybe things have changed, but have you or your colleges ever thought about moving to the U.S. to practice?

letsallhaveanap · 30/06/2018 20:04

Toadsforjustice some women are helped by thinking of it as pressure rather than pain... just wanted to point that out... I surprisingly found that really psychologically helpful when I was in labour and wished id done more hypnobirthing... so have looked at that more this time around.
Obviously having your experience of pain negated is not a good thing.... but dont say 'its not sensations or pressure' because for some women it can be and/or that is how they want to think of it in order to get through it

QuilliamCakespeare · 30/06/2018 20:05

Thanks @CatchingBabies. You do an amazing job by the way. I wish I'd thought to train as a midwife when I was younger now but I'm mid-thirties with two children now so not sure how I'd fit it around family life. I adored my community midwife with my second pregnancy and was genuinely sad when I realised I wouldn't see her anymore.

When you get a sec can you answer my other one about labours getting progressively faster. Just in case... Grin though I think a third baby would definitely cause me to die of sleep deprivation

Original poster
CatchingBabies · 30/06/2018 20:06

@badgerthebodger Contact your local MP and highlight to them that funding isn’t good enough, for the whole NHS. Hopefully the new proposals make things better but it remains to be seen. Follow the RCM on Facebook and get involved in their campaigns and encourage women who have poor care from midwives to not only complain but also to let their MP know that this is the kind of thing that happens when you underfund a service.

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Lauraisdiamond · 30/06/2018 20:06

My son was born 6 weeks early due to placenta abruption. How worried would you be? Would,you be concerned about woman having another baby in that situation?

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