Regarding the details of the royal birth

[MrsLyman]

I know I'm being unreasonable in even reading about it but I've come across two seperate newspaper articles both stating that the baby will be 'delivered by the Queen's gynaecologist' who of course is male.

AIBU to find this turn of phrase incredibly annoying.

It is so weird that all these news stories just make everyone think of this really uptight-looking woman's fanjo. At any given moment, all these people thinking about her fanjo. Must feel weird.

Personally, I was not thinking of her fanjo until you said that curry.

I was thinking how I cannot possibly get this worked up about the way having a baby is described.

I wasn't thinking about her fanjo at all - but the whole tone of the bbc report (only one i saw) made it seem like the two men featured would be 'entrusted with the important bit' and kate would be polite and passive and as immaculate as always.... they went to great lengths not to give any impression of hard work (or sweat or pain) on her part.. which i think is disempowering, she should be celebrated as a strong woman who will be called on (as we all are) to use that strength in childbirth.

I read they want drama to surround the Royal Birth of the little HRH.

They want drama so I guess its more interesting to say this man will deliver the baby rather than....

This is the man who may have a role but also may be sat in the corner barely glancing up from his crossword...

However I do agree that the language we use is ultra important about expression and expressing ourselves as a society.

Point well made.

I have to say the phrase ''the Queen's gynaecologist'' conjured up an image of our aging monarch that i'd rather not have in my head.

I suppose it could be one of those cases where it shapes how we think of women's roles in something - I do normally bang the feminist drum on language framing issues, but I'm just not getting worked up over this. I don't have very strong feelings about it as I have not given birth yet - so perhaps I don't have a dog in this race, so to speak? I don't see 'delivering a baby' as automatically being a grander thing than 'giving birth' iyswim? If anything it's the other way round for me.

But we do say that midwives deliver babies too and I don't really have a problem with that - even if you have a mostly unassisted birth they do have a role to play - so I wonder if it's mainly the fact that these are male consultants that is pushing buttons here?

I think mostly what this is about is that the papers want to make a meal out of any tiny scrap of information they get about William and Kate.

YANBU for subjecting another Royal baby thread on us.

Actually the only thing I can possibly get annoyed about is the whole too posh to push thing. If the poor woman ends up with an emergency intervention you can guarantee that some keyboard obstetrician getting a cheque from the Daily Mail a newspaper will start banging on about how she should have given birth naturally or some such shite, which is the type of story that ends up with a dissection of how dreadful women are at giving birth and needing to get back into their size 8 jeans within 12 hours of having the baby...
Fwiw, my consultant was a man. I saw him once... He patted me on the head, told me I looked strong then buggered off. The next time I saw him was when I left the hospital. He was having a smoke outside!

When I was a student, we were told in no uncertain terms (by the late, great Tricia Anderson) that 'pizzas are delivered, babies are born'. I've kept to that for the past 12 years (occasionally I slip and use the 'd' word- let's face it, it's the default term). Mary Cronk said to me once that doctors deliver babies, but women give birth.
Of course the baby will be birthed by an obstetrician- the slightest blip in blood pressure, or dip in the baby's heart and the knives will be out. Nobody's going to take a risk with the future monarch. I wouldn't be surprised if she gave birth in a labour room next to a fully prepared theatre with team on standby.

What bugged me most about this is the lack of any reference to a midwife. IMO the gynaecologists only get involved when things aren't going to plan, and doctors are far more likely to push for a medicalised birth (because their greatest experience of birth is of complicated births or ones where intervention is needed, rather than births that need little or no intervention).

Yes, but midwives are ill educated fools who push natural birth above all else to the point of putting women and babies in danger. We deny them pain relief and force them to breastfeed. Surely a senior obstetrician is by far the safest option?

It is so weird that all these news stories just make everyone think of this really uptight-looking woman's fanjo. At any given moment, all these people thinking about her fanjo. Must feel weird.

I always think the same curry.

Fwiw, my consultant was a man. I saw him once... He patted me on the head, told me I looked strong then buggered off. The next time I saw him was when I left the hospital. He was having a smoke outside!
I'll tread carefully here as I haven't yet had the experience of giving birth. But was he so very wrong (apart from the smoking)?
He assessed you as a probable routine birth and so left you in the capable hands of the midwife. Doubtless he or a colleague were on hand if intervention was needed. Good result?

How do they know where she will give birth and who will be there, what happens if she has a fast labour and gives birth in the back of an ambulance or royal vehicle, will she be kept in hospital from 38 weeks until birth to ensures she gives birth in the royal suite with the royal gynie?

That's the easiest bit. She will be staying within easy reach of the chosen hospital and is accompanied at all times by her personal detective and other staff. At the very first indication, the detective will be on his phone to the standby ambulance and police escort. She'll be there within a few minutes.

My PFB was born pre 30 wks.

Consultant came to see me to asked if I smoked or drank-no to both & then said-well, you won't be having any more, will you??

Nowadays people say the baby is "delivered" like it's a package or something, but this isn't how the word used to be used in the childbirth context.

Traditionally, the doctor or midwife delivered the mother -- the mother was delivered from the danger of childbirth. When Prince Charles was born, Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Elizabeth 'was safely delivered of a prince'.

Sallyingforth just seen your post, sorry!
Yes, excellent result, said result is a healthy strong mouthy 12 year old now and he was right, it actually made me laugh at the time (although it didn't come across in my post). The way he did it was rather funny, almost with relief!

Good for you Flobbadobs. I still have that pain pleasure to come.