annoyed

[tequilacream]

have given birth to a lovely baby boy last night at 33+6 and instead of enjoying him being relatively OK (he's in special care unit due to slightly lower temp and slower feeding, but otherwise OK), all I can think of is how annoyed I'm that non one bothered to look at the birth plan and they cut the umbilical cord too soon, delivered placenta with injection and did not tell me I could get up when the monitoring clip was attached to baby's head - it's effin hard to push lying on your back... Sorry, rant over.

Congratulations, Tequila.

I suspect they were more concerned with keeping your baby safe and alive than checking your birth plan as it was a premature delivery. Give it time - you are still in shock. Later, (much later) you can ask for a debrief and you will be able to process it better.

Hope he is strong enough to go home soon. Scbu is a strange world, but they will look after you both. The type of birth is really not that important in the grand scheme of things, honestly. X

thanks well I'm annoyed as his life was not in danger and by letting the cord stop pulsating he might have had less of a problem with body temp and feeding (and not because I did simply not get what I wanted...)

Hi tequila, firstly congrats and I hope your boy is thriving and you both get to go home soon.
I think it's understandable you feel angry - you've been through a traumatic early delivery where you had no control over what was happening. However, I think that at the time of delivery they probably had certain priorities, especially as he was early. Eg, it was likely more of a priority to get him out quickly and make sure he was breathing, rather than to get that extra cord blood, if that make sense? There may also have been a reason why they needed you to be lying down rather than mobile although I'd be guessing to suggest what that may have been.
If I were you I'd ask them! Next time the consultant or midwife comes in, just say you're confused as to why certain things happened and can they help explains to you? It may be helpful for you to accept what happened and prevent resentment and anger building about the birth. Or, or course, you could ask for a debrief later down the line.
Either way..I'm glad DS arrived safely and sure it won't be long until you're enjoying newborn cuddles!

I agree with the others. I think, given the early arrival of your baby their first priority was the safe delivery of the baby, not your birth plan.

Congratulations BTW.

Obviously am sure that no one would disagree that sticking to a birth plan is sometimes not safe or possible. Congratulations!

I would be angry if the reasoning behind ignoring a birth plan had not been set out, explained and crucially, consented to as things unfolded.

And yeah, I'd be angry had nobody supported me into finding a helpful position to birth in. Any midwife worth their salt should be doing this without even having to think about it, for heavens sake!

I'm sorry but Cord Clamping without informed consent in my book amounts to assault. Denying the babe their own blood and cutting off oxygen- I have no clue as to why this is still common practice at all. Can cause so many problems. I m annoyed on your behalf.

It's one thing for events to not go as planned, quite another to not be informed and supported throughout. And I would be livid if anyone stuck a needle into me without my informed consent being given. Talk to the supervisor? Make a complaint? AIMS will help you do this if you Need support. Hopefully staff will learn from their mistakes.

All the very best and congratulations again on the safe arrival of your little one!

Congratulations :)

I understood delayed cord clamping to be preferable for term babies only - I think guidelines still say immediate clamping for premature babies (but am not medical).

Take care of yourself and in a week or two, when you are both home and recovering, think about what to do re complaining. I would certainly write something about the injection, I think.

Sure - and like I said, you can ask for a debrief later once you are both safely over the shock of an early delivery. It's very common to do so, and I'm sure the obs will explain why they thought it necessary. (And apologise if they unwittingly went against your birth plan). You can of course have a read through the NICE guidelines concerning premature delivery, which might help you work out whether any actual procedures were ignored or misinterpreted. I found it very helpful. I found my official debrief at 3 mos post partum less helpful, hence the clinical negligence claim.

It's great that you are both fine. Hope you get over the shock quickly, are able to get home soon. X

Congratulations on the birth of your baby.

I am sorry your birth plan was ignored. In my experience, HCPs do not even look at them. Complete waste of energy and paper. It gives you an illusion of control over your birth that the midwives etc have no intention of giving you. Again, in my experience they will do whatever they want to you without consent and mumble a pathetic apology at a birth debrief.

Complain, complain, complain.

New research shows its better for prem babies if they leave the cord to stop pulsating before clamping.

Sorry you weren't listened to op, was the birth particularly quick or were they concerned about baby during lab our?

Really it only takes a minute to ask re injection, cord clamping etc and they can do that at any point assuming it wasn't an emergency situation.

Do ask to speak to someone and maybe they can explain or apologize if appropriate.

Congratulations on your little one, does he have a name yet? :)

Hope you can get some skin to skin and his feeding improves and you are home soon xxx

sorry to read that tequila

Congratulations on the safe arrival of your baby.

and yes i too would be annoyed when "hospital policy" over rides the "official guidelines" which you have also specified in your birth plan, when there is no apparent medical reason not to follow the actual guidelines as per your instructions

Enjoy your lovely new born baby

have lots of skin to skin and i hope your baby gets feeding nicely soon