To still be angry that I was refused gas & air in labour?

[DigestivesWithCheese]

I gave birth to twins two weeks ago. I was booked for a c-section because I've had two previously (one for failure to progress, one elective) and was not planning to labour naturally for any length of time so I hadn't made a birth plan or discussed pain relief options.

I was 36 weeks & was in hospital being checked because I'd been having regular, 10 minute apart contractions for two days. I had an internal exam and the Dr told me that my cervix was closed, long sand posterior (although it was soft), that labour was not imminent & that I could go home. Ten minutes later, my waters broke. I was on the ante-natal ward, not delivery.

Five minutes after my waters broke, I had an extremely painful contraction. They started coming 4/5 mins apart & after two of them I knew I needed pain relief and asked for gas & air. The midwife said no because I had just been checked & was not in active labour. They knew my waters had just broken. They kept coming and each one was stronger to the point where I felt like I was being tortured & electric shocks in my legs . I started to vomit with every one due to the pain.

With every contraction I made my way to the midwives office & BEGGED for gas & air. They kept saying it was too early & telling me I had to stay on my bed. After about half an hour the anaesthetist arrived to do a pre-op, so I begged him instead! He said that he didn't mind at all if I had gas & air and he went to talk to the midwives. They said I was allowed pethidine instead - this made me dizzy but it didn't touch the pain.

My DH arrived & found me on my own, vomiting & unable to speak, with contractions every 3/4 minutes. I was on a ward with other women who were waiting to he induced so it can't have been pleasant for them! The pain was completely out of control & I can still remember it quite clearly. DH went to speak to the midwives & they agreed to call a Dr.

When the Dr arrived, it was two hours after my waters had broken. She checked me & I was 6/7 cm and then I was told I could have the gas & air while they got me ready for the c-section! By this time, I was so out of my mind with the pain that the gas & air didn't even help. The half hour while waiting to go to theatre was horrendous and I was fighting anyone who tried to touch me . I had gas & air when I was in early labour with my son & it was brilliant. I believe if I'd been given it when I first asked, I could have stopped the fear & pain building up so much and I would have been able to stay on control for much longer.

I know it was only 2 hours that I was refused for but I am still thinking about it every day! Knowing that they had it there but were refusing to give it to me was just horrible and I felt totally helpless. The midwife kept saying that she would get into trouble if she gave it to me "too early" but it was so obvious I was in labour that I find it hard to believe that. They kept telling me that I needed to calm down . It just seems so for patients to be left in pain, in a hospital when they are asking for pain relief that could help.

Congratulations on your twins!
YANBU, I had a similar experience with ds. They offered me 2 paracetamol and told me I wasn't in labour. When they finally checked, I was 6cm dilated and it turned into a mad panic to find a room for me.
I wish I had reported the problems but I didn't. You'll be helping all the other mums that come after you

In our hospital, there is only 4 gas and air canisters so if more than 4 people want it, then tough. I checked and yes, that had happened. Also, people only came to take them over to the main hospital and fill them up at certain times of the day so if you timed it wrong then they could be free, but all empty.

I felt a bit guilty after DC1 as I used 1 and a half canisters. It was a quiet day on the labour ward though, I had a long labour and it helped keep me sane.

I had this. I was on an early labour ward having ds1 at 17 yrs old. (12yrs ago) They thought I was making a fuss and said I was not in labour. They refused me a sick bowl, paracetamol and Gas and air. I was in agony. They took me down to labour ward 10 hrs later to discover I was 8 cm. I had an epidural. I cried with relief.

Please complain, I wish I did.

I think you should arrange a debrief with the hospital before making a complaint. Generally speaking gas and air is only used when you are admitted to delivery suite because you should have one to one care when using it, rather than be on a ward which is why the midwives wouldn't give it to you. They don't at my hospital give it on antenatal ward either. The problem is seems to me was not reassessing you after your waters broke, because they did try to help you with an alternative pain relief to gas and air, so that would be what i would be trying to understand.

Im sorry you feel let down and had a difficult experience. I hope they can give you some answers and if not you should go to PALS.

oh dear. I certainly think you need someone to talk it over with you,or ask to see your notes.

FWIW, I had to give birth without gas and air with my second child,because it was too late!
I had gone in to be induced, and I knew as soon as the gel was put in that it had started me off, but the midwives kept saying no. I was in a lot of pain for about 5 hours, but they kept looking at the machine attached to me and saying, "no nothing yet". Then I suddenly got the urge to push. The midwife looked, looked shocked ,checked the monitor, and went "OH its not working properly!" !! So I was bundled in extreme agony into a wheelchair and they RAN down the corridor to a birthing room. By this time, there was no time for gas and air, and I gave birth within 20 minutes of being in that room!!

I didn't even get time to get out of my everyday clothes!!

I didn't complain, as such, as I worked at that hospital at the time, but they allowed me a copy of my maternity notes to keep.That helped,to go through them,but I felt traumatised at the time. Then I thought,hey, I gave birth without drugs! I still needed it for number 3 though!!

YANBU at all. I agree with all those who have said you should make a complaint. It might stop those uncaring midwives/nurses doing the same to anyone else. Funny how Doctors are always more clued up about a woman's right to pain relief.
Sounds like you were mishandled from stop to finish, the whole point of an Elective C-Section is to avoid all those stress/pain issues. What you are now suffering from is akin to PTSD, finding it hard to come to terms with what they did unnecessarily to you and probably annoyance with yourself for not being more assertive with them.
Sporadic quality of NHS care is the reason it is best when vulnerable in childbirth/labour process to always have a DP alongside to advocate and make a fuss on your behalf.
Hope you get over this soon but please do complain abd do not blame yourself. You were at your most vulnerable.

How awful for you. Absolutely complain.

My midwife refused to re-examine me 40 minutes after establishing I was 2cm dilated. I couldn't speak for the pain. My sister kicked up a fuss and INSISTED she did. I was 9cm having dilated 7cm in 40mins.

Those 40 mins were hell on earth. To leave you 2 hours is simply awful.

My advice to anyone about to go and have a baby is to practice wailing like a banshee before you go into labour. IME unless you outwardly look like you're in pain a lot of midwives won't believe you that you're in labour. Luckily I'm a natural screamer, but others I know who are particularly quiet when in pain have really struggled to get any attention from midwives. Of course MWs should just believe you when you say you're in agony but for some reason a lot of them just won't.

YANBU

I'm at some of the experiences shared above. I'm horrified how many women seem to be treated so badly.

I would complain as this happens way too often and most of the time people intend on complaining but once they get home and their DC is fine and well then people don't bother.

I have no idea why suddenly you can't have g&a in early labour, I was only 2cm dilated when they let me have as much as I wanted!

My SIL had a similar situation, she was refused gas and air and they told her she had to go home, if she wasn't so distraught by the thought of having to go home and they relented she may not have her healthy baby boy here today. They said she wasn't in active labour so couldn't have it - it turned out she was fully dilated but with an undetected breech baby.

It was very distressing and they intended on complaining about that, 24 hrs undetected breech, being sent home after emergency c-sec 24 hours later at 11.15PM amongst many other things. They were very short staffed but at the end of the day her baby could have died if she had not been in the hospital!

If people don't complain then the hospitals get away with it (I work for the NHS too)

I experienced very similar where I was refused any form of pain relief despite literally screaming for help. They afterwards said they thought it was my first baby (it wasn't) and I still had ages to go. They left me without help (just the occasional blood pressure check) until I was actually pushing. No internal exams to check how far along I was or anything. I've drafted a complaint several times but never sent it. Does anyone know how long they keep your notes for?

Generally speaking gas and air is only used when you are admitted to delivery suite because you should have one to one care when using it, rather than be on a ward which is why the midwives wouldn't give it to you. They don't at my hospital give it on antenatal ward either. The problem is seems to me was not reassessing you after your waters broke, because they did try to help you with an alternative pain relief to gas and air This happened to me but because the MW took her time to explain this to me I knew where I stood. I do hate the attitude that some MW's have (Oh do calm down dear - women give birth every day etc etc). This is accurate in the sense that FEMALES give birth every day but a woman gives birth a lot less often than that (sometimes only once in her life if she chooses to have children). I have done it 3 times and each time was very different and just as scary.

Oh my god, nothing really to add but this thread has been really triggering. Just going through the process of trying to request an elcs for number two because of a similar traumatic experience with my first, and I so wish I had complained (never did because of the ensuing pnd which meant just getting through the day was goal enough). Do complain, for your own peace of mind and for every other woman who will labour at that hospital. its threads like this showing how common being treated like shit whilst in labour is that means I often can't sleep at the fear I'll have to go through it again

YADNBU

after my two high risk complicated births I had a shoulder operation involving an overnight stay.I remember being amazed at how nice the nurses were and how much pain relief I was offered.I was treated as an adult and actually cared for rather than infantilised and dismissed.

Of course MWs should just believe you when you say you're in agony but for some reason a lot of them just won't. I hate this. Also I to think some more experienced ones that you're just a room number to them. I watched a documentary programme during my second pregnancy about bad treatment of labouring women. It was filmed at St Mary's in Manchester (a hospital I had already given birth in and was due to again). All the MW's faces were blurred but one had a southern Irish accent and she was so mean to a lady crying in pain. This lady did not speak English and she had been left on a plastic chair in a corridor. The cameralady filming covertly was concerned for this woman who seemed to be deteriorating rapidly. When the CL alerted the MW in charge and told her about the lady in the corridor her response was "Really?! Boo-fucking-hoo! NEXT!" The lady's husband arrived, was able to translate, got his wife examined and she delivered on the bed in triage while wearing her sari and coat. The cord was wrapped twice around baby's neck. The MW involved tried to claim she saw to the woman rapidly but the footage disproved this. The last I heard she faced disciplinary action. After that I'm don't know the outcome. While in labour I listened out for this Irish accent. The only one I heard was my Mothers.

That is absolutely horrendous! YANBU. So sorry you had this experience. Please do complain in writing and soon.

me too. thirty years ago.

This thread is so upsetting to read.

We are so vulnerable while in labour. And women are trained not to make a fuss or be a bother.

I'm really sorry that you had that experience. It confirms everything I think about midwives.

'after my two high risk complicated births I had a shoulder operation involving an overnight stay.I remember being amazed at how nice the nurses were and how much pain relief I was offered.I was treated as an adult and actually cared for rather than infantilised and dismissed.'

^ Exactly.

Please complain - I was in agony when I went to hospital after my waters broke with dd, mw wanted to send me home because I was only 1/2 cm. I was throwing up and in a lot of pain - they eventually gave me pethadine and a bed on the antenatal ward and made me feel like I was a total wimp, I'm not, I used to have such bad periods I would pass out, so was used to pain! An hour later I needed to push and they rushed me on my bed over to a delivery room, it was crazy, I was crowning and being told not to push.

Not all labours are the same!

I work for a department that sees the many complaints that are made against my local hospital.

Please complain and don't be fobbed off by anyone.

We receive more complaints about Midwives and Obstetricians than any other NHS department. The "care" that some women receive is truly appalling.

I'm tired of hearing that "we are underfunded and under-staffed". No excuses. Women in labour should expect to receive a first class level of care with due regard for comfort and dignity.

The Delivery Suites seem to be the only wards that have an issue providing pain relief if required.

My advice to any woman in labour is to have an advocate with you throughout the birth to help you and protect you from the staff who may not have your best interests at heart.

Good luck with your complaint.

I'm not sure I'd go straight in for a complaint. I think you have a right to a birth debrief, so you can talk through any concerns. I'm on it sure if I'm correct about that, but I'm sure it was said on another thread on here. Contact PALS and find out the procedure.

There are two sides to every story, and there may have been a legitimate reason why you weren't given gas and air as soon as you asked for it, but the fact that you weren't told about it if there was indicates that your labour was managed badly. You definitely need to speak to someone at the hospital to talk through what happened.

There seems to be a massive difference between what is getting complained about on MN and what the hospitals say there is a problem with. There biggest defence against change and improvement is "well no one complained".

I think women need to do a lot more complaining rather than settling for second class treatment, believing what they are complaining about is trivial and swallowing the idea that its all down to 'cuts'.

Its not.

There are a bunch of healthcare issues that people feel less inclined to complain about (such as this, and general respect and dignity) as they aren't (in most cases) life threatening. It doesn't mean they aren't important issues though.

Complain.

As a nhs worker I do say complain, management do not listen to its staff but listen to complaints.

When there is enough complaints they do something about it, like employ more staff.