Aurgh, friend is currently being mismanaged in labour...

[PrincessPlumPuddingHead]

well I think so anyway. Not due until 25th, but yesterday went in for check and they said "hmmm, baby not moving as much as we'd like, we think we will induce you". I immed said to dh "bollocks, they just want to clear her out of the way because they have a midwife shortage - they will try and induce her for days and caesar her in the end."

Anyway, 24 hrs after the 1st pessary she is still in hospital, still hasn't had a twinge, and they are still trying to induce her. WHY??? If there was any danger to the baby presumeably they would have caesared her by now. I just want to tell them to go home, go to bed and wait for the baby to come naturally. It makes me so angry. She must be very confused and a bit scared, it is her first.

Do you think there is anything I can tell them? I told them yesterday not to do ANYTHING unless a consultant looked them in the eye and told them him/herself, is there any other advice I can give without freaking them out? I just feel that this is spiralling in a sadly predictable way....

OH mY God that is disgusting!!!!!!!!!

i really really hope he complains!

yes, I thought about him! I don't know if they want to pursue it - but I've told them that whatever they think now they should leave the hospital with a copy of the notes because they will be "lost" later. Of course, they aren't leaving until wednesday, because of the caesar

Bloody hell.
I just had a conversation with some american friends about the nhs and how I'd heard this kind of thing can happen with private medicine. They seemed so unconvinced and I felt like I sounded like a ranting loon.
Very good advice about getting a copy of the notes.

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wanky consultant said to them "never mind, because it turned out to be an emergency cs your private medical insurance will pick up the bill" - like that was meant to be a great result...

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I don't know if the consultant would have made more money, as a surgeon would have been paid for the delivery. Not sure if the obstetrician gets involved or paid for a CS. It would have made sure his days were clear though, and that is truly terrible and utterly unethical.

I went private when I was expecting DD (International Bupa, big stroke of luck), but I refused the delivery at the Portland/St John & Elizabeth hospital as I wasn't sure that a private hospital could cope in the event of an emergency.

I'm not entirely convinced about private healthcare tbh. When DD was referred privately for frequent bouts of gastroenteritis, the doctor we saw (for 10 minutes, £150 charge) was a) wearing a terrible syrup and b) was only in it for the money. He barely looked at us during the few minutes we were with him.

I'm starting to have quite a bit of respect for the dedicated doctors and nurses in the NHS after several experiences in the private sector.

I've just read this with my mouth open in shock PPh, that's disgusting, how bloody awful, the way pregnant women are treated makes me mad as hell. I wonder if AIMS or the RCM would be interested in pursuing this for them? The comment is terrible too. It def is CD's dh who is a clinical negligence lawyer.

My god, just seen this and am finding it really hard to put into words just how disgusted and appalled I am. But sadly, not altogether surprised. After all, pregnant women are such a terrible inconvenience, especially when they disrupt Christmas, aren't they?

Agree that your friend should pursue this, although I would imagine she's just pretty much in shock right now. Am sure AIMS would be very interested to hear about it.

well my ind midwife is heavily involved in AIMS and the Assoc of Radical Midwives - don't think I won't be telling her all about it when I see her on THursday!!!

It is awful isn't it, I can hardly believe it myself.

Major abdominal surgery is so much more preferable to letting nature take its course. NOT.

Grrrrrrrrrrr

there could, of course, be another side to all of this. If the baby wasn't moving much, the consultant may have been happy to go with the flow, but it may be that your friend had mild histrionics at the thought of non-moving baby. The consultant, in the notoriously litiginous world of O&G, perhaps then felt emotionally pressurised into delivering ASAP. Perhaps everything on the surface looked fine, but the consultant had a sixth sense feeling that delivery was preferable to allowing gestation to continue. I have lost count of the number of times over the years that DH has come home after seeing a patient in clinic with totally normal bloods etc but has kept them in due to a 'feeling' that everything wasn't as it seems. It comes with the 10 years of medicine that precedes a consultant post None of us were there, and we only have your friend's side of the story.

If the consultant was off over Crimbo, this would have been booked well in advance. It's dead easy to arrange a cover swap.

Yes, 'the consultant is a wanker' is a possibility - but come on - aren't we all jumping on the bandwagon a teeny bit?

Haven't read all the thread so don't know whats been said but I was induced 10 days early with DS1 because he was not moving much and he had stopped growing. Turned out my placenta was beginning to give up but didn't get to know that until after he was delivered. So although I had an awful labour etc, I am glad the consultant made that decision or I might not have DS1!

Daisie, my dearest cousin lost a full term baby to placental insuficiency, it is a horrible thing to happen. Her own dd was induced a few weeks ago and cousin was just relived when the whole thing was over, she was so terrified history was going to repeat itself.

this baby was a 9lb girl, so not much concern about her not growing!

dingdong, that is one possible construction. however it feels to me like the only way one can possibly come to a good conclusion about all of this, and from what I've heard from the father etc it just doesn't fit, sadly.

9lbs before her due date is big. A recent, retrospective study in the BMJ concluded that 80% of stillbirths over 37 weeks could be attributed to big babies.

martianbishop. Ah that is so sad. Its when I hear stories like that I feel truely blessed.

She then went on to have two children, by c section. But over 30 years on she is still affected by it.

blimey pph have just read this. I can guess which hospital this was!

They should demand an enquiry, I agree it is appalling. However I don't know that they can prove that this was the case.

Sorry don't have much time at the mo but can mention to dh if you like

It is big, but she is very tall and big boned, she was never going to have a 6lber.
A hospital you know well, CD! I don't think they are going to take it any further at the moment (they are too busy arguing about the name for starters - a week on and still no compromise in sight!!!!)

It was only 2 days before her due date though so counts as full term. DS2 was 8lb 4oz 2 weeks before his due date...