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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To refuse this.

114 replies

Stripedtights · 02/08/2018 10:27

I have my 12 week scan today and at my booking appointment I had a carbon monoxide test at my booking appointment which was all fine think my reading came back at around 2 or 3 which the midwife explained would be down to environmental factors, fair enough I thought. Midwife then went on to tell me that they do this again at the 12 week scan. I didn't like how I told her I'm a non smoker yet still still made me do the test like I was some sort of teenager telling lies I never had to go through this when pregnant with Dd.

What makes me angry is when I was last in having my dd I saw quite a few ladies in because their babies had been born early addicted to drugs or wirh fetal alcohol syndrome.

I've got nothing to hide with regards to the cm test I haven't touched a ciggarette since I was 16 and I thought it was big and clever but the idea of being forced to test is making me quite cross. Wibu to refuse the test I was under the impression this test was mandatory I could be wrong though but I feel like asking why the hell aren't they testing for drugs and alcohol? Yes smoking whether you're pregnant or not is a very bad choice for your health but I happen to think drugs and alcohol are far worse I just think if they are going to shame women who smoke they should be doing the same wirh the other 2 categories.

Basically if I smoke a ciggarette before i go in il get a telling off but if I sniff a line of coke nobody will know. How the hell is that right? (Obviously I wouldn't do either of these things)

What the hell is it with healthcare professional's not believing their paitents?

OP posts:
kenandbarbie · 02/08/2018 12:58

You should be grateful you're getting the test, it's standard. It sounds like the fuss is all in your head.

purpledreamcatching · 02/08/2018 12:59

@OhDearMavis yep, carbon dioxide and monoxide are very different things. I honestly can't see a reason to be so bothered by the test.

Baffy · 02/08/2018 13:02

Sounds to me like it wasn't handled very well and you ended up leaving the appointment feeling accused and not understanding all of the (good/supportive/helpful) reasons that this test is worthwhile.

Hopefully it will be handled better next time and you'll feel better about it all.

SpottingTheZebras · 02/08/2018 13:02

we all know the test is for smoking even though the rest of us actually know it is not just for smoking.

glintandglide · 02/08/2018 13:03

What? They don’t test your blood for drugs Hmm

Just refuse the test OP, you don’t have to have any you don’t want

Pengggwn · 02/08/2018 13:04

SpottingTheZebras

Well, fair enough: in my opinion, it clearly is to detect smoking.

NotBuiltForThisWorld · 02/08/2018 13:04

If you had a slow leak in your house you wouldn't know - you might feel sleepier than usual, your lips may be a little pinker - nothing untoward - but then if the levels increase you basically won't wake up one day. By taking a reading they can check that your measurements are within the expected amounts for a normal environment - it's to keep you and your baby safe and so I have no idea why you'd refuse the test.

Quartz2208 · 02/08/2018 13:08

Have you name changed OP but kept the first bit - if so the environmental factors make sense

Original poster
Stripedtights · 02/08/2018 13:10

Im seeing someone different today so hopefully it will be done in a better way it's not so much the test I'm against I just really didn't appricate the attitude that came with. Today is supposed to be a nice day seeing our lo for the first time Im not going to let some little test ruin that but just like all other tests done a bit of clarity would be nice i suspect it will be elevated anyway given that you have to walk through a thick cloud of ciggarette smoke as you enter the building that always makes me so cross im not anti smoking people are free to make their own choices but why they have to do it right outside a hospital entrance I will never know but that's an entirely seperate discussion!

OP posts:
Original poster
Stripedtights · 02/08/2018 13:11

No name change!

OP posts:
SiolGhoraidh · 02/08/2018 13:12

@Penggwn

It's not just for smoking though, as others have said. I gave up 10 years ago, but my test at my booking appointment was a lot higher than expected for a non-smoker. The midwife was happy to take my word for it about not being a smoker and being a non-smoking house, but concerned at what else might be causing the higher levels.

2 weeks later our elderly boiler started playing up and we decided to replace it. Turns out it was leaking fumes up a chimney cavity into our bedroom Shock. Next appointment my CO results were back down to normal.

Pengggwn · 02/08/2018 13:15

SiolGhoraidh

I know it doesn't just detect smoking, Siol. I am not saying that. I am saying that I believe its primary purpose is to detect smoking.

Obviously there are lots of tiny risks during pregnancy - I could have a tumour I am unaware of, or any other health condition - but the NHS chooses to test for this particular thing, when the odds of a boiler leaking are minuscule (if they were higher there would be compulsory checks).

Anyway, I am not asking for agreement.

birdonawire1 · 02/08/2018 13:17

I would do it once just in case a problem needed to be highlighted, but refuse after that. My word as a non smoker should be good enough. They cannot instist you take a test.

anon138 · 02/08/2018 13:20

If the carbon monoxide test comes back at a high level, it doesn't necessarily mean you're smoking. It can mean that you are passive smoking in your home, or that you work in an environment that raises your levels. I have never been a smoker in my life, yet my partner smokes and my levels were shown to be higher than they'd like. Now my partner always makes sure he leaves the house altogether for a cigarette. The test has helped us make changes to ensure our baby isn't at risk. The test is there to highlight to pregnant women that if the levels are high then you may need to look at factors that may be making it high and help to reduce them. I'm not sure why you have such as issue with helping make sure your unborn child is safe.

Guest6565 · 02/08/2018 13:23

i suspect it will be elevated anyway given that you have to walk through a thick cloud of ciggarette smoke as you enter the building that always makes me so cross im not anti smoking people are free to make their own choices but why they have to do it right outside a hospital entrance I will never know but that's an entirely seperate discussion

That's all I could think reading this. LOL

StaySafe · 02/08/2018 13:25

Just say "No" nothing is compulsory.

poshme · 02/08/2018 13:28

YABU

CO kills people. I had a relative die of it. Faulty boiler. Just went to bed & never woke up.

If anything in your home is leaking CO your baby could be dying inside you because you are breathing it in.
It doesn't smell. You won't know.

That is why they test. It's not just to check if you're smoking.

Unless you have no gas/ open fire/ wood burner etc- it's always a risk.

ahnow · 02/08/2018 13:29

Mine was 5- also a lifelong non-smoker. Turned out that my walk to work which had 15mins along the side of a dual carriageway at rush hour twice a day what putting it up. I changed my route and it came down. Do it, don't do.... it's your choice, but for me I was able to make a change to improve my baby's health because of it.

m0therofdragons · 02/08/2018 13:33

What the hell is it with healthcare professional's not believing their paitents?

Majority of patients lie! It makes treating them really hard. The carbon monoxide test is about getting the truth so the Mum gets best advice and support and baby gets care it needs. I spent yesterday looking at the difference between a placenta of a Mum who smokes and a healthy one. It's significant!

Deadringer · 02/08/2018 13:33

Bloody health professionals checking their patients' health, whatever next.

Pengggwn · 02/08/2018 13:35

The carbon monoxide test is about getting the truth so the Mum gets best advice and support and baby gets care it needs. I spent yesterday looking at the difference between a placenta of a Mum who smokes and a healthy one. It's significant!

And there we have it. The test is about whether or not I am a liar.

Nah. I know I am honest, and if I'm not, it's nobody else's risk but mine and nobody's place to police me.

Original poster
Stripedtights · 02/08/2018 13:39

Im not complaining about them checking anyone's health I think you've missed the point sweetie... What I am feeling pissed off about is a snotty midwife looking down her nose and making assumptions and then when she's proven wrong it still isn't good enough.

OP posts:
Racecardriver · 02/08/2018 13:41

You are taking this too personally. If you CM is raised it could be for factors other than smoking so it us good to know about it especially since it can affect your baby. They are just doing their jobs. Calm down.

anon138 · 02/08/2018 13:47

Then i think your issue is more with the midwife's bedside manner as opposed to the test itself. I had a snotty midwife that gave me a lecture on wastage when i was surprised that she returned my urine sample to me and expected me to wash it out and reuse it for the next time. I was just unaware that i would be expected to do that! I'm all for recycling so didn't feel like a lecture was necessary. Just feel like you are aiming your anger at the wrong thing.

ShumpaLumpa · 02/08/2018 13:51

Your OP said nothing about the midwife being snotty or looking down at you so you're clearly lying now.

Pp have said the CM test helped them to see they were getting too much CM in other ways (e.g. traffic on the route they walked)