to be mightily pissed off with the Royal College of Midwives' patronising attitude towards women?

[lowrib]

There's an article in the Independent today about a report which shows that 1 in 6 women are still giving birth on their backs with their feet up in stirrups, a position rightly described in the article as ""physiologically inappropriate".
(unnecessarily excruciatingly painful might have been another good description).

This is the bit that's got my goat ...

"Mervi Jokinen, practice and standards adviser at the Royal College of Midwives, said the apparent high use of stirrups may have arisen from a misunderstanding by the women responding to the survey. "I am very sceptical how women perceived this. When you are suturing a woman she will have her legs in stirrups and she may see this as part of the birth,""

I'm sorry but we know the difference between giving birth and having a suture done! How patronising She's heard something she doesn't like the sound of but instead of actually listening to the women in the survey she's dismissing their experiences because they must be a little confused, poor dears

It's a good thing though, because it reminds me I still need to get round to complaining about the midwife at my birth, who did insist that I was on my back with my feet in stirrups. She also refused to explain why this was necessary - despite me and DP repeatedly asking her. She made it impossible to fight against in the end by simply refusing to communicate with me if I was in another position. And this was in a labour when the 5 attempts at giving me an epidural all failed, so I was in absolute agony.

What are your experiences?

Have other people found they were encouraged onto their backs and into stirrups unnecessarily? I do hope not, as it was not something I'd wish on anyone but if there are a few I'd like to send this thread to this woman so she can see it does go on, and can perhaps look at what the Royal College of Midwives can do to stop this barbaric practice.

Actually, plasticface your birth experience sounds very similar to mine. I was in labour for a couple of days and after an hour of pushing the MW suggested stirrups, I wasn't keen but they seemed to help. Still ended up with forceps (very grim but had got to the stage of not caring anymore) as it was turning into an emergency situation.

Sorry, forgot to refer to the article in question. How offensive is it to suggest that women don't know the difference between labour and having their stitches done. It really sums up how some professionals view birthing women.

Yes. They think we don't know our own bodies even. I remember saying to the consultant at several appts that I could feel a grating inside and I really feared the baby was too big and would get stuck. She asked me what size shoe I took (6) and said I'd be fine. Ha.

I also asked in the parentcraft class and was told by the midwife that it "can't happen."

I knew. I bloody knew. I told them. I could feel it. Nobody listened.

My sister nearly died because of a ruptured uterus - she specifically asked her consultant about it at her 24 wk check. He said it would never happen. Do they issue these professionals with crystal balls?

Her phrasing was disgraceful. Very patronising.

However, the phrasing of the survey could have been unclear, in a way that would encourage perfectly intelligent, unconfused women with a great understanding of their birth to answer in the affirmative, even if they didn't.

For example, when I gave birth to DD1, I was put in stirrups for an hour by one midwife, until my own midwife arrived at the hospital. My midwife then got me to stay on my back (without stirrups), until I was seen by the consultant who encouraged me to move around.

If asked, I would say that stirrups were involved, and if the questionnaire was poorly put together, then it could be interpreted that the birth all occurred in stirrups.

I was on my back "Just for a minute while we see what the baby's doing" ( throwing a wild party? What did they THINK he was doing??) and then I requested to roll onto my side, but nobody would help me roll, and I couldn't do it myself at this point. Then four people grabbed an arm and a leg each and moved me down the bed :( How come they could do that but not roll me onto my side?

I didn't have stirrups but did have my legs up as remember being told to hold onto my thighs to help me push. I had leg rest things for the stitches. (Bastard stitches, worse than the birth!)

My midwife (midwife led unit) refused to let me get on the bed. She insisted I keep moving, squatting and on all fours. Bless, she really knew her stuff.

I had two gorgeous midwives for the first part of my 24 hour labour but shift change came the next mw then tricked me into getting out of the pool where I was progressing nicely and made me lie on my back with a back to back baby labour,when I naturally gravitated towards a more comfortable position, she came tutting away while physically turning me around all the time
She was horrible and ex was not supportive
I ended up having forceps in stirrups hated it

Do people realise that midwives are no longer as qualified as they used to be? In the past only qualified nurses could undertake midwifery training - I wonder why that changed? Money?

Not true AFAIK gailforce1. Direct entry to midwifery courses has always been available in the UK (since there has been accredited midwifery training, anyway!) but there was a question of whether direct entry courses should be phased out in the 70s - this was not done and the tide turned.