I’m a midwife. AMA.

[Clappyhapper]

I’ve been a midwife for 13 years. AMA.

Obviously not personal medical advice. :)

Shadow1986
Back to back labours are often longer and more painful with first babies particularly. This is due to the babies head being a wider diameter moving through the pelvis.
Subsequent labours I think your body knows what it needs to do and it’s less of an issue.
Epidurals don’t always work terribly well and they can be resited to make them more effective. Difficult to say re the fluid without seeing it, sorry.
Grubby hipster beard
Nope. Not at all. Women these days are much more self conscious about it but we see all and everything, id only raise eyebrows at a particularly elaborate vajazzle.
Nope, never been offended but to be honest it’s rare that anger is aimed our way. Usually the partners get it.
Epidurals- nope we aren’t in the business of talking women out of them. I work on a low risk Midwife Led birthing centre so we don’t offer epidurals on the unit and it’s quite rare to transfer someone over for one. As midwives we try to offer enough support and alternatives that hopefully most women don’t feel they need an epidural, but if they do then that’s what we support 100%. Epidurals have side effects on labour, so we like to try less invasive things first if the woman is happy to. Usually if things are straight forward, it’s enough. If things are tough going, epidurals can be amazing miraculous things.

PawsyMcPawFace
Vomit and poo are standard. The most smelly thing is usually an infected wound. Oh and sometimes the husbands feet.
Yes, the man feet, definately the worst.

Missed one! “Does the novelty of delivering a baby ever wear off?”
Never! An actual person with tiny eyebrows and toe nails comes into the room! Mind blown every time!!

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter I’ll give that one some thought haha!

Slightly random question but do you often see side effects of epidurals? I had one epidural, and a spinal for a ceaserian (different births) and both times within a minute of it being in my blood pressure plummeted to dangerous levels (crash trolley thing got brought in with the epidural!) and I felt like I was dying, it was quickly and easily fixed but I'm curious to no if that's common and midwives just don't see it as a big deal so don't mention it? My spinal also wore off before they even managed to cut into me which the doctors were very shocked about, if the surgery hadn't had been delayed by neonatal doctors they'd have been fully in progress, so I always wonder if I just react strangely to these things!

Jenniferturkington

Would you have a planned homebirth?
I planned a homebirth with my first. Lots of midwives have a homebirth. I would happily have one if everything was normal and straightforward with the pregnancy.
I’d want to know the midwives who attend are up to date though. Some community midwives attend very, very few births these days.

Namechange8471

Whats the biggest baby you've delivered? Smallest?
Biggest was 10lb 10. First baby, bit tricky. He was an incredibly handsome and sturdy chap.
Smallest, nothing smaller than about 6lbs. I work in Midwife Led care so the teeny ones don’t come my way.

Peachpebbles

Have you ever told a patient theirs was the best birth you'd ever seen? And if so, was it?

Also I'd like to say thank you to you & all midwives. You are truly wonderful.

I think only the first one. From then on they have all been magical in their own way. But if a midwife said it to you, I would 100% believe it.
Thank you. It’s lovely to hear.

I’m so envious, I’d absolutely love to be a midwife.

In pregnancy, they always say to go in if you experience reduced fetal movement. When you go in and you’re monitored, what are they looking for? Because if the movements have reduced, but not stopped, you’re going to find a heartbeat and that seems to be all they check? Seems a bit pointless to me.

GinaLinetti99

Thank you for the amazing work you do supporting women.

How common are category 1 emergency caesareans? Are these classed as fairly serious?
Thank you.
They are the most urgent. Immediate threat to life for mother and baby, and will be done in the very fewest minutes physically possible. We see them fairly often though, several reasons why they are called including a sudden non resolving drop in baby’s heart rate, cord prolapse, massive blood loss.

I don’t feel I’ve explained myself very well. What I mean is that there will obviously be a heartbeat if baby is still loving albeit not as much... how do you know that baby is actually ok and just having a lazy day?

Do 3rd babies come earlier?

DS1 was 40+10 and DS was 40+15
I’m struggling with pregnancy and would love to meet this one sooner rather than later

My DS wasn't my midwife's first birth, but he was her last. She was retiring and he was born right at the end of her last shift, she said she would always remember him and I've always remembered her.

I don't have a question but just a general thank you to you and all in your profession. It's my dream job really but one that I doubt I will ever pursue. Midwives made such an impact in both my pregnancies, there are some who I will always remember.

I had pre-eclampsia and went on to develop HELLP. I had no symptoms of PE it was picked up during a midwife appointment as I had protein in my urine. My blood pressure was fine so she wasn't too concerned but sent me up to the hospital the following morning as a pre caution. At the hospital I was sent home as my blood pressure and trace was normal. They told me there was no way I had PE due to lack of high BP but within about 40 minutes I was called to go back in and induced as my blood results showed I did have it. By the time of diagnosis and being took to the labour ward (about 15 minutes) my full body had swollen and my blood pressure was sky high and it went down hill from there with me developing HELLP. I have a few questions about this.

I had protein in my urine from around 34 weeks is it likely I started developing PE from then?

Have you ever saw this before PE with a normal blood pressure? Every midwife and doctor that spoke to me was completely baffled and had never heard of this happening before

The appointment I had with my MW that day was an extra one she gave me due to my anxiety I wasn't actually scheduled to be seen until the following week at 38 weeks. At the hospital I was told my sudden symptoms of PE were likely brought on by the stress after being diagnosed and told I had to be induced and that if I had been at home none the wiser I wouldn't have developed my symptoms as quickly and things may not have turned out well for me. Do you agree with this?

How serious and common actually is HELLP in your opinion ? I still can't get my head round the fact this happened to me and it's hard to believe that I was as dangerously ill as I was told I was. I've read a lot on the internet about it and the likelihood of developing it is so low and outcome not so great. I just can't quite believe that it's as uncommon and dangerous as it's made out to be. I'm not disputing it I think I'm in denial about it.

Sorry I know it's a long post and you probably don't have the answer to the first two questions as no one can know for definite but your opinion on it would be really appreciated. It's all the questions I didn't ask in my debrief and have wondered about ever since.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post I think the world of midwives after that birth

So sorry I got carried away please don't feel in any hurry to read and answer.

I had an emcs after baby's heartbeat became erratic and meconium was detected. I'd been having a very slow back to back labour with epidural up to this point. Baby was delivered safely but it was only some time later I noticed in my notes that I'd had a PPH and baby had been given oxygen. I was never told this or given an explanation why.
Are complications likely a second time around?

Not got a question but just want to say what an amazing job you do!

How would you personally give birth, planned c section, epidural or other? Hope you don’t mind me asking
Big question. I’ve had two babies.
If everything is normal and straightforward I would choose midwife led birthing unit, tens machine, pool, aromatherapy. That’s how I had my second.
My first was complicated and needed doctors, epidural, drugs etc. It was not fun. If it’s needed, all those things are medical miracles. But if it’s not, I’d always choose natural birth myself.

I don’t have a question (well I do, I could chat all day to a midwife!) but I just want to say thank you for the amazing work you and all other midwives do. Currently expecting no3 and the care I’ve received over all my pregnancies has been outstanding. So thank you, thank you for caring

TheRealHousewifeofCheshire

Have you delievered breach babies (I was told specialists can but are increasingly losing expertise to do this as its now not common place. I was offered EVC or C Sec. Hospital werent keen on natural breach delivery)
There was a big research study years ago that said breech vaginas birth was dangerous, the doctors immediately swung towards c section. Recently they’ve acknowledged this wasn’t a great quality study and that breech vaginas birth should be offered and supported where otherwise normal. Sadly we have lost a lot of skills. I’ve never seen a breech vaginal birth. Midwives who were working 20 + years ago will have more experience with them before it changed so markedly. Having a midwife/doctor who is confident and competent is probably the biggest impact on safe outcome.
Moxibustion is worth investigating for anyone with a breech baby.

Dying to know the answer to this...

How do you quantify time in labour? Is it from when first contractions are felt, or from when you consider it "established".

Technically I gave birth 21 hours after first mild contractions started, but I wouldn't say I was "in labour" until after my waters broke 8 hours before he arrived and the contractions really ramped up.

Drogosnextwife
The sad parts of the job are far, far outweighed by the happy parts. It’s infrequent to be caring for stillbirths and sad situations. We all pull together and support each other, and it’s okay to be upset. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t. I’ve cried in the car park many a time at the injustice of Mother Nature.
The child protection stuff is very, very difficult at times. But again you are supported, the baby is number one priority at all times and lots of processes are in place to try to keep them safe. Sadly it doesn’t mean they will necessary get the love and care we would want for every baby, sad reality of life that you just have to come to terms with.

What’s your advice re anxiety about movements? I know the advice generally is if in doubt get checked but do you subscribe to the drink something cold and sugary and then lie down and see how much baby moves? Presumably it is normal to have quieter days? My issue is I KNOW I am v anxious about this pregnancy and currently the anxiety is focussed on movement. I think about it several times a day and feel anxious until I feel significant mkvement... so even I know not to seek help constantly as I usually feel baby move after some time (usually particularly when I sit down after a while or when I’m in bed etc). Once I didn’t and went to the hospital but don’t want to do that every day out of worry...

LupinsNotBluebells

On the internet it says that tongue ties are relatively rare, about 4% of babies but I've met more babies affected than this in my social group. Do you think that they're becoming more common?

Definately! More have than haven’t in my social group. There is some thought that they could be linked (more research needed) to folic acid use, and as we are better at taking it perhaps that could be a link? The folic acid prevents such awful abnormalities that it’s essential, but if we confirm it that may improve services to identify, support and treat restrictive tongue ties. Some areas have amazing services, some quite poor. And having a tongue tied baby who can’t feed effectively is awful. (Speaking from experience! )

I will come back to answer more soon, I have a poorly little one who has just woken up.