Midwives - The paracetamol thing is just a test isn't it?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

It must be!

And if the woman swears at you for suggesting it then she can be allowed to make her way into hospital right!?

The air was blue when mine said just turn up your tens machine dear.

They don't really think it is an option do they? When they say it is "quite good" I always think they are ripping the piss.

I'm convinced it is just a way of checking for labour rather than, say BH or just gas!?

Maybe they think it is more effective as a psychological crutch than an actual painkiller, mind over matter sort of thing to keep you at home that bit longer.

Sure didn't do anything for the pain with me, but then neither did TENs it just provided distraction and something else to concentrate on during contractions.

Paracetamol.doesnt get rid.of.a headache for me so I.didnt even bother trying it for labour.

I remember being told to take some paracetamol and have a bath. I ignore them went straight to hospital and had him 40 minutes later.
I now take such things with a pinch of salt

When the MW said that to me I enquired "if someone saws their leg off do you offer them an Elastoplast?"

I have never understood why they bother suggesting this - does it actually have ANY effect for anyone? Ever?

Has any mw ever had a positive response to this too?

I laughed at the mw when she suggested paracetamol when I said I felt like pushing.

I still took the stupid things though (desperate)...was offered nothing else until 10 mins later when they examined me and said I was 10cm....then she said 'oh maybe you may like some g&a'

Seems like the fastest way to begin a poor relationship!

They suggest Paracetamol, because Paracetamol is CHEAP!

Yes, but is there any point? Does it actually achieve ANYthing at all?

Of course it doesnt! But, if they give it to you, then you really have to give it a certain amount of time to take effect, so a small number of people will deliver in that time, without having expensive drugs, thus saving the NHS valuable money!

'would you like some pain relief?' 'YES!' 'Here's some paracetamol'

I threw it back up. That showed 'em what I thought of it.

I think that my response was somewhere along the lines of "Stick those where the sun doesnt shine"!

I thought they only suggested paracetamol
and a bath for the latent stage? I took some and had a soak in early labour and it relaxed me a lot and got things going

No. It's because it's cheap.

I told her to stick it up her arse. Imagine my surprise when she stuck it up mine.

Still, got an emcs and the proper painkillers so all was good in the end.

Its a psychological control thing. The woman is doing something pro-active. And stops women coming in at 1cm and getting demorslised.

But paracetamol is shit. Ok for a niggly headache but labour??????

Like trying to stop a charging rinocerous with a badminton racquet.

I thought it was given in the latent phase when contractions are more like period cramps? I asked for and was given some at that stage and it did help.

Wouldn't have thought it would do anything for later stages in labour though.

blacktea my point exactly. It's just ridiculous for a MW to offer paracetamol at any other stage than the "early, crampy" stage. I'm not surprised mums get pissed off!

But surely once you call the labour ward, you're well passed any paracetamol stage, 1cm or not!?

I don't know starlight. I would have thought that people call the labour ward for all sorts of reasons in early labour.