to say that I am really glad not to be in labour today

[var123]

and to feel really sorry for anyone who is. Its stressful enough without worrying about not getting help if things start to go wrong.

I'd love to be giving birth today! (I'm 39w+5 and so uncomfortable). I'll be just as happy to give birth tomorrow or the day after. The strikes will not affect maternity care in terms of labour/emergency care.

Ffs. Yabu. Everyone is saying yabu. It's all been explained to you about WHY yabu. Just admit yabu! and stop reading tabloid tat and actually research information yourself

I've been on MN since 2008 so i think that rules out troll.

I' don't know what you mean by a Tory mole so I can't tell you, but it sounds insulting! You mean like a spy??!

You can't be askign me about my political beliefs because 1. I always read that MN cannot be classified in anyway as such a wide range of people post on here and 2. I've already said that I'm not so passionately interested in po9ltics to have bothered following every word of this story about the junior drs strike.

FWIW I have the impression that the govt wants a 7 day NHS on the cheap. It can't magic up any kind of doctors out of thin air - they take several years training (5 at uni for a start) and so they are trying to do a smoke and mirrors thing with reorganising contracts then leaving it to hospital trusts to meet targets by putting pressure on individual junior doctors to work longer hours than is reasonable. then at the next election, we'll be told they've revolutionised the NHS. (I didn't write this before because I've spent no more than 10 mins thinking about it over four months. Its not the product of some deep research!)

I am not a journalist, nor in the media. (I think my writing would be a lot better if I did it for a living).

I've only skim read the last couple of posts so I've probably missed some questions as to my motivation of identity. If you want to know what/ who I am, then read the post I wrote about 11:30am further down the thread. Or take it from me, that i am just a regular poster who appears to be very out of step with MN perceived wisdom today!.

and please don't start trying to rip that last post to shreds too. If you find lots of evidence that I'm mistaken about the govts intentions to the nhs, then that's fine. I doubt I've figured it all out whilst listening to the TV news in the background whilst I do the ironing or something.

Pretty obviously, a 7 days a week NHS only works if the government is also prepared to impose full time contracts on lab workers, admin people, people who run X ray machines etc, and all other backup staff. So far as I know they have no plans to do so. So what on earth is to be gained by these proposals? People receiving non-urgent care from doctors at weekends are still going to have to wait before any sort of follow-up happens.

I believe you OP.

You must be a mole to be writing such an OP! Or a troll. Or a journo.
Or maybe are you a doctor doing a kind of 'reverse' thread. That would be slightly more 'Malcolm Tucker' and less obvious.
Sigh.

Apologies Op. This wasn't me calling you a troll. This was me exasperated by the fact that any concerns raised (legitimately in my opinion) get shouted down or ridiculed. People can be concerned about the care they are receiving on strike days. It doesn't make them idiots, or Tory moles.
I'm sorry I wasn't clear.

OP you are being v unreasonable to think that.

Care will not be affected by the junior doctors striking.

Consultants & other very senior specialists are covering the wards, A&E and maternity today.

In fact, today or tomorrow would not be a bad time to go in to have a baby!

You'll be looked after by a consultant- that would never happen on a normal day.

Normally it'd be a junior doctor...you'd seen & assessed by one of the SHO (senior house officer) for obs & gynae

This SHO could be a perfectly competent GP trainee, who rotated into the job earlier this month.

Instead, today or tomorrow you'd get a consultant...OP this is not a bad thing, believe me!

I had DD1 in the US. The junior doctors were very busy. DD1 was delivered by the consultant helping out on his way past. It was a normal delivery and I had no complications or even tearing of any sort. He even popped back later to check on us both.

DD2 and DD3 were born in the UK. DD3 was under consultant led care. I did not see a doctor of any sort during either delivery or until discharge paperwork for either of them. I did not have a named midwife with me throughout active labour. I think today would be a better day to have a baby in NHS England.

By "mole" I mean someone from Tory HQ/ the Tory network of activists encouraged by Tory HQ to post online in order to undermine the junior doctors' case.

Why might I suspect this? It is very clear from polls that public support is behind the doctors. It is also clear that nothing Jeremy Hunt says or does is changing that. MN is seen as politically influential and used by all political parties for various ends. It therefore isn't unreasonable to assume that subtle "I'm so concerned about x issue [which just so happens is directly related to the strike]" posts are planted. This was a good one at least; the issue the OP is concerned about may be a non-issue but it is a subtle post - the various rants on other sites are less obvious and often offensive.

If you are concerned about your fellow women, OP, the strike shouldn't worry you (any gaps are being covered by senior doctors - see DaveMinion's post above) but the new contract should: the Department of Health has formally admitted that the changes will "disadvantage women". If you're interested why, this articles sets the issues out neatly.

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/the-new-junior-doctors-contract-is--blatantly-sexist---so-why-do/

LaPharisienne - no I have not been sent here by the Tory party, or any other person or entity.

(I am really beginning to wish I'd not bothered posting this morning, by the way. I was supposed to be working and now I am way behind. So, crap experience on a thread and crap evening ahead. Great! I'll think twice next time.)

Yabu and clearly read the daily mail too much. There are more senior staff and consultants on today to cover the gaps so you're probably safer than you've ever been today. Maybe you should be sad you're not in labour and being treated by top doctors.

Yabu

Okey dokey.

In that case, YABU.

I don't read the daily mail.

No, but I think you probably read the Telegraph. www.telegraph.co.uk/women/health/my-pregnancy-has-suffered-because-of-the-junior-doctors-strike/

I'm surprised you took this stupid article seriously, though - I mean...

"At 25 weeks, babies are too big and wriggly for the doctors to accurately judge when your due date might be." Yes, because earlier on when they are small and less, er, wriggly (?! presume this is a medical term) doctors CAN accurately judge a due date. FFS

LonnyVonny - exactly. I don't know why that's not been made more of. DH has just started consultant post (finally, woohoo) so has been a 'junior' up to his late 30's as a specialist registrar... earning less than my sister who is a teacher!

But glad to see so many sensible and supportive stuff here - apparently consultants contract negotiations are going to take place sometime, and I guess all other areas of NHS too. It just happened to be that the junior doctor contracts was the first to happen. Its going to be a long tough time for the NHS..

The Daily Express then?

"At 25 weeks, babies are too big and wriggly for the doctors to accurately judge when your due date might be."

That's a very strange article, isn't it. Due dates are normally assigned at 12 weeks.

howabout, not seeing a doctor in an uncomplicated delivery is completely normal. There is no need to be seen by a doctor unless something is going wrong. In the USA (or in private medicine here), doctors are far more involved because they are being specifically paid by that patient. That doesn't actually lead to better care and might (saying this as a doctor!) lead to worse outcomes in terms of increased unnecessary intervention in some cases.

That woman in the telegraph is a moron. Her due date would have been estimated at her booking appointment on her last period and then confirmed/changed at the 12 week scan.

Just the daily star and those celeb mags that they sell by the check outs .... oh and match of the day magazine (its very important to keep up with football gossip!)

I'm having a c section tomorrow and am quite ok about it all. Mine needs to be done by a set date as there are slight issues and it's being kept to. Apparently some non-urgent sections might be moved and they're drafting in an extra consultant so I feel totally comfortable I'll get good care.

Erm, I'd be far more worried about the rota gaps which exist in the current system and how much worse they will be if the contract imposition goes ahead.

In my department (O&G) we're short by 5 registrars and 2 SHOs. Locums are used to plug the gaps and their clinical acumen can range from excellent to 'do you really have a medical degree?' And when locums are on, they don't always want to take the burden of responsibility of training trainees like myself. We'll be tomorrow's consultants. By that time it'll be your children having children.

It wouldnt be a problem! I gave birth an hour into the midwife strike it was fine, I just kept crying and apologising saying " I'm so sorry I do support your strike but I don't think I can stop it coming out"
Midwife was killing herself laughing at me!

The other 363 days in the year people moan because they were fobbed off with seeing a "junior" doctor instead of a consultant, so it's good to mix it all up a bit.