AIBU - to be really pissed off that epidurals are being restricted?

[christmasmum]

Was just reading an article in Mother and Baby magazine saying that epidurals are classed as an 'abnormal birth' and that they should be restricted in the future to avoid women having caesareans.

What is this all about? Why should women not be free to make their own decision on pain relief, while being aware of the risks involved in every form of pain relief? And is it not the case that women having diffcult births in the first place are more likely to BOTH have an epidural AND end up having a c-section anyway??

Before giving birth to my DD I bought into all the information from the NCT, books and magazines etc and was determined to go for a 'natural' birth. I ended up being induced and despite being told by every woman I have ever spoken to who has been induced, that I should have an epidural the midwife advised me that I would not need one. After 10 hours of intense contractions and finding out I was a huge 2cm dilated I decided enough was enough and had an epidural.

I was instantly relaxed and started to actually enjoy the process, 2 1/2 hours later (despite the consultant arriving to prep me for a c-section) I found out I was fully dilated and delivered my wee girl after 5 minutes of pushing to a room that was full of people laughing and singing Christmas carols.

I obviously only have my own experience to go by but I am absolutely convinced that the relaxing effect of being out pain helped me deliver my baby naturally.

What is this pressure on women to be in pain and suffering to be 'real women'. And why is that every new Dad I've spoken to with wives who did not have pain releif seem so proud of them? Is this just another example of male oppression of women? Even subliminally??

AAGGGHHHHH. Rant over.

Scummymummy you're pg? Congratulations if so

Thanks franca. Yes- I'm expecting no 3 in early Aug after 10 year age gap.

I'm impressed SM

sorry for highjack

Thanks.

Sorry for highjack too!

I want to ask a practical question.

How do you limit the number of epidurals given without someone deciding who gets one and who doesn't and what criteria would they use?

How loud you scream?
Only if the midwife likes you?
Postcode lottery?
Toss of coin?
No epidurals on Tuesdays and Thursdays?
Only people with names beginning with letters A - G?

I am being faceituious, but the point I am making is there is no really objective way for anyone to decide whether someone is in real need of pain relief or not. How can anyone know if a woman is in enough pain to warrant an epidural? Only the woman herself surely.

I can see this is just going to be randomly and inconsistently applied across the country like every other NHS rationing system. Women who can afford to pay will do so and private hospitals will make money by offering epidurals on demand. Like they offer cs on demand (in London anyway). Women who cannot afford to pay will be left terrified and traumatised in some cases and in desperate need as many of the stories on this thread have shown.

It is barbaric to limit epidurals for anything but good medical reasons and then only by clinicians who have nothing but the woman's and baby's interest in mind - not whether they wil get a bonus or balance if they balance the Trust budget this year.

Congratulations Scummy!

Len, that does sound negligent. Are you having DC2 in the same hospital?

Wow this has all become very emotional since this morning.

I think a lot of people, Upwind in particular, jumped to an awful lot of conclusions about my earlier posts, and also turned this into a thread about 'smuggery' and people making value judgements about other people's births.

To reiterate: my view is simply that the topic is worthy of debate. Just as if the question is asked: 'Should a woman be given the option of a CSection not on medical grounds but purely through choice', then it's worthy of debate.

There also seemed to be some objection to my assertion that many women choose to have a natural birth.
A few people jumped down my throat saying 'Well no one chooses to have a medicalised birth with lots of interventions'. Maybe, but I still think that the fact that birth has become so medicalised in this country means that a lot of women do approach it with a lack of confidence in their ability to do it naturally. In my NCT class for my first baby, there were 8 of us who had straightforward pregnancies and were given the option to deliver in a midwife-led unit with minimal intervention. Only two of us chose that - the other 6 chose to go for Consultant care in a huge hospital precisely because they thought they wouldn't manage without epidural. Now I'm not making a judgement about that, but I am stating a fact that these women has just as much potential to give birth naturally as I did! The doctors were not inducing them, or recommending medicalised births.

This is the backdrop against which many women are giving birth these days. If we are going to have rational debate about childbirth, it needs to be from a position of knowing what the facts are. So when I said 'Many women choose to go for a natural birth', to clarify, I mean that many women feel very strongly that they don't want interventions which may affect the baby, or lead to greater likelihood of further interventions, and some of these women will go to greater lengths to explore alternative pain relief options because it's an important issue for them. Other women do not feel so strongly about natural childbirth, so may look at various options but be quite ready to accept intervention, and others actively choose epidurals because they don't want to go through the pain. This is the reality. I'm sure no woman wants to have a birth full of interventions, but at the same time, a number of women prefer that option to going through pain - they've said so on this thread.

Gosh leningrad what a traumatic experience

I agree with abetadad's last post

Oh my goodness. I've created a monster. You leave the room for a few hours and look what happens?

Am very scared of KathyBrown and very impressed with ABetaDad though.

Goodnight ladies, enjoy your debate

All good stuff Christmas!!

lenin... you had a bad experience and were clearly let down which is not acceptable.

abetadad.. You are right, Each person's interpretation of pain is their own and should be respected. As an RN who worked many yrs in trauma i have nursed many patients with identical injuries, some needing little pain relief, others needing plenty. It has nothing to do with bravery, but pain threshold, something we are unable to control as individuals. Unfortunately, as the epidural usually has to be performed by an anaethetist if you are in labour during "unsocial" hrs there may not be one available to administer it as they could be in theatre.

ABetaDad - I'm with you.

That didn't really add anything constructive to the discussion I know but I am very tired and I thought he made some excellent points.

I am amazed at the amount of posters who think some sort of restrictions are warranted.

Merci, pw.

Lenin- your first experience sounds horrendous. Rerally hope you'll have a better time with this one.

Gosh, I'm sorry Len That sounds very scary. I imagine DP is all prepared to raise hell if necessary?

Why were you induced Lenin ?

I meant, I imagine your DP is well prepared to raise hell on your behalf this time around if you want an epi? (Or maybe you haven't really got that far, if you're still trying to decide about the VBAC). I think birth partners can be very important advocates when you're too far gone to make an articulate case on your own behalf.

It all sounds very traumatic - I'm sorry it was so awful for both of you.

Lenin Well at least that was with good cause, as you say the epidural should have been put in at themore or less at same time as the drip to get you going, as it was in my case, 40 mins or so later.
My argument is purely that induction is a medical proceedure the whole situation is completely different so yes epidural for that, but then the induction should not be done without damn good reason (mine was that I was 40 weeks and the baby looked big - I was 10lb at birth and am now 5'9", but no that didn't matter she was big - 7lb 6oz as it happend).
I don't know what I'd do in your shoes.

A normal progressing without complication labour needs nothing more than coping techniques and a supportive midwife throughout IMO I believe that will be the norm soon, instead of drugs and medicalization.