Royals being put to sleep to give birth? *MNHQ edited the title for some sort of clarity*

[Butterandsugar]

Posting in here for traffic, and also in case my lack of experience is at play here.

I have just been advised that when the royal family are due to deliver their babies they are put to sleep and someone else does the "work" for them because it is deemed too traumatic an experience.

Note, apparently this isn't a long winded and not really accurate attempt at saying they have caesarians.

I have scoffed at this, but an being told that this truly is the case. AIBU to not see how this is physically possible? And why on earth something like giving birth is deemed below the royals if so?

Queen Victoria gave birth to some of her babies u see general anaesthetic (they used chloroform). But it was the later babies - she had loads - so they probably slid out easily.

In the 1930’s they used a drug called scopolamine, or ‘twilight sleep’.
www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/twilight-sleep/

Reminds me of American Horror Story.

“to keep c section rates down at any costs“

C-s rates have gone up hugely in the last decade and are nearing US levels in parts of the U.K.

"I remember George having forceps marks on him. The midwives at work all commented on it."

I've gone back and studied the photos and he really doesn't! He looks like a perfectly average baby!

SDT, i have been reading about this very thing wile i was learning about the history of hypnobirth. i think this technique was used as late as the 50s is the USA (not sure about other countries) as a result of birth being so medicalised. Thank god we have had a resurgence of natural birthing techniques and autonomy/respect for mothers in recent years. Even my mother in the late 80s got a 'husband stich' . How far we have come.

I was born by Caesarian section, in the early seventies and my mother was asleep for it.

My mother always told me that she had a general when I was due to be born - my father was a doctor though so she probably had preferential treatment! Didn't do her or me any harm!

The mil gave birth to DH like this in the 70's, no royals but a private hospital.

Betty Draper in Mad Men is put into a 'twilight sleep' to deliver her third child Gene.

www.amc.com/shows/mad-men/video-extras/season-03/episode-05/inside-episode-305-mad-men-the-fog

I, too, thought that this was going to be an extreme Rupublican thread. I was going to say that I'm all for getting rid of them (after the Queen) but wouldn't go quite that far!

Melb interesting what you say about your friend being a midwife at the birth of princess Charlotte.
When there are cuts everywhere in the nhs and some women and babies aren’t getting safe, dignified care, it fascinates me that people and the press are so accepting that Kate and her baby should have more staff available. At the cost of the tax payer ultimately who keep the royal family.
Why is Kate’s baby any more precious than our babies?
At the birth of Prince George and princess Charlotte apparently there were two obstetricians, and several midwives on Hand.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/24/doctor-reveals-23-strong-team-behind-birth-of-princess-charlotte/amp/

In 2013, the same year Prince George was born, the cqc published research that said 25% of women were left alone in labour at a time that worried them
www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/womens-views-on-nhs-maternity-care-published/

It just amazes me that people don’t feel angered about this inequality.

Oh I left out the four paediatricians and three anaesthetists aswell as the consultant obstetricians.....

Why is Kate's baby any more precious than our babies?

It isn't! All babies are equally precious and their parents equally important. That is why the institution of monarchy is so wrong and unfitting in the modern age. You will never erase financial inequalities in society but the unique, undeserved status of royalty (which of course includes huge wealth and privilege as part of the deal) is totally inconsistent with the ideal of democracy.

I know better.
I get that she is royalty and will get a better service than the rest of us and Give birth under private healthcare. But surely a couple of experienced midwives and a respected obstetrician close to hand would be enough.
Then the usual access to theatres/anaesthetists that the rest of the women at the Lindo wing would have.
But 23 staff having meetings for months before, when there have been still births because of underfunded nhs hospitals, literally makes me feel sick.

Yes, these priorities and values are all wrong.

My poor mum was injected with something when she had my brother, she was totally knocked out and then not allowed to leave the bed or see her baby until the next day! She was beside herself. They fed him formula against her wishes. That was in the late sixties.
With me, she refused all drugs and insisted on keeping me with her.
Thank goodness things are different now!

Strangely I thought Putin was at it again, this time at a higher level.

My manager is hardly a twat for saying this is a thing, when it was indeed a thing - and very widespread it seems.

She is an idiot for believing it and saying it. People who spread stories that are based on no evidence at all are idiots.

If your manager knew anything at all, she would know that this wasn't a luxury option for anyone, sparing women the pain of childbirth as you suggest in your OP. It wasn't a case of being spared trauma, or 'someone else' doing the work for them. It was a horrible trauma to inflict on any human being, and it had devastating medical and psychological consequences.

I wish someone had 'put me to sleep' whilst DS was born, it would have been much more bareable .

I was given a shot of pethidine with DC1 it knocked me out and I was woken up 3hours later by midwife telling me "your baby is about to born"!!
10 minutes later he was out! I promptly fell asleep again and so did DC1!!

Is this not in an episode of the crown? I think when the queen gives birth to Andrew or Edward she was put to sleep?

Definitely thought this was euthanise the royals thread

Sylvia Plath wrote about this in The Bell Jar, didn't she? They used to sedate women in labour so they had no real awareness, and didn't remember the pain at all. Plath was appalled because the women were clearly experiencing the pain and she felt it was a trap they would re-enter when they had another baby. Though it's literally more than 20 years since I read it, so perhaps I'm misremembering?

At any rate, they don't do it now. Your colleague is taking what she saw on the Crown and applying it to medical care 60 years on!

It was in the crown? But Liz decided I wasn't for her and squeezed one of them out the standard way.

Is this the source your Manager is referencing?

If it is the twilight thing I had that when I got my wisdom tooth out and I literally have no memory of it 🙈🙈 but I wasn't unconscious

mathanxiety You may want to go over the thread and reread the parts about Queen Victoria choosing this with her later children. Or just click this link: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/jul/23/royal-births-protracted-painful-public

Oh, and wind your neck in.