C section Question-Are Your Arms Strapped Down During A C Section In The UK?

[Buffyjo]

I am from the USA but am at the moment in the UK. One of my friends who is also from the US but recently moved to the UK is due to have a C Section In London. And she is very worried that her arms will be restrained or strapped down to the operating table during her surgery.

Over in the USA it is standard or routine practise in a lot of American Hospitals to strap down the mothers arms to the operating table during caesarean Sections, (C Sections) that are done while the patient is awake under a Spinal or Epidural.The mums arms are actual strapped down to the arm boards on the OR table.

And my friend who has Claustrophobia is very worried about this as she does not want to her arms strapped down.

As I am not familiar with UK hospitals having only been over here for a short time I really don't know what to tell my friend. So I just want to ask is it standard practise or do they strap your arms to the OR table during C Sections in the UK hospital. And if so what can my friend do to avoid it? Can she refuse this?

I agree. That video I saw on You tube from some jerk American Doctor going on about how that strap is okay I find offensive.
See where he say in 2 minutes 15 seconds of the video-
I keep telling You tube to remove it as I find it offensive as what that Doc in the video says is misleading as not all hospitals do it.

Not that bit in the video where the American Doc says that but It seems they don't use it in the Uk.

It would be challenged under the Human Rights Act. Restraint of any form is only used to protect a persons safety and only used as a last resort

Just want to add I'm irish and it's NOT common practise here, I would like to know what county your friend is in wham bam? I've had one in 2010 and am due another next month and can assure anyone it is as illegal here as it would be in the UK to strap someone down against their will

Youtube are never going to remove it as I can't see how it breaks any of their guidelines. Perhaps you should stop watching and linking to it if you find it offensive!

Neither is it known in Belgium or the Netherlands in both of which countries I have given birth. I am horrified that this is still routine in any country.

I certainly remember reading about it in American novels with CS scenes. Thank Christ it's not done here. It would be very grim for women who gave birth via CS not to be able to hold their babies immediately, assuming no complications. That's what I remember most about my CS - my boy being handed over the curtain looking very cross and DH holding him against my face and putting him inside my gown as soon as he cut the cord.

@Cherriesandapples,
Agree, I think You tube should take that video down as it's is wrong of that doctor to advocate using straps on patients.Doesn't matter what surgery it is.

I know that if the surgical field is contaminated at all it is a Very Big Deal so that's probably why...in case the mother reaches down etc. But still, it's not widely done AFAIK.

Of course YouTube won't take it down, it's not illegal or anything.

If the surgical field is contaminated during any operation - which does happen occasionally - there are ways of getting around it, replace stuff, cover stuff, clean stuff, antibiotic cover. Bowel surgery is fraught with the possibility of poo-contamination but thousands of people have bowel ops and have no problems every day around the country. A hand in the wrong place - get a sterile drape and cover that bit. I've had to quickly replace all of my instruments a couple of times mid-operation (in a 10 year theatre career) and it's all handled calmly.

But in the UK, in multiple hospitals I've done obstetrics in, the drape forms quite a tall, wide barrier that it would be quite difficult to accidentally interfere with anything on the sterile side. There's usually just enough room to tuck a baby right under the mother's nose on the chest, though the birth partner can hold the baby to the side of the face for a cuddle. It is a bit snug on that side for an extra person, no matter how small.

OP I've had 2 CS in Ireland & arms were definitely not strapped down. Your post is the very first I've heard of this happening!

*Elfycat If the surgical field is contaminated during any operation - which does happen occasionally - there are ways of getting around it, replace stuff, cover stuff, clean stuff, antibiotic cover. Bowel surgery is fraught with the possibility of poo-contamination but thousands of people have bowel ops and have no problems every day around the country. A hand in the wrong place - get a sterile drape and cover that bit. I've had to quickly replace all of my instruments a couple of times mid-operation (in a 10 year theatre career) and it's all handled calmly.

But in the UK, in multiple hospitals I've done obstetrics in, the drape forms quite a tall, wide barrier that it would be quite difficult to accidentally interfere with anything on the sterile side.*

That's what I thought. If the curtain is there plus the mother is numb from the Spinal so she cannot sit up, it would be very difficult for her to reach down or touch her stomach when they are delivering the baby.

And even if she did the nurse could just tell her not to or hold her hand. As they do in the more mother and baby friendly USA hospitals. We are slowly making progress with the birth centres that are springing up more in different parts of the US also more home births are taking place in the US than what there was 10 years ago. So I think we are getting there but america still has a long way to go before things really change and from what I saw of the natural childbirth videos in UK hospital. It does seem to be more natural, than here in the US hospital. Where they nearly always use the fetal monitor and IV, even for normal birth.

It wasn't so long ago that back in the 70's they used to strap mums down for vaginal delivery but thankfully don't now. So we are getting there!!

My arms were strapped down for two ELCS in Greece, but that makes it sound a lot more severe than it was. It was explained to me that it was to preserve the sterile field, I had a tiny screen in front of me and could easily have reached my tummy especially with the arm without the IV and the strap was a tiny bit of velcro - if I had pulled it would have come off very easily.

I do appreciate that some people may be terrified of even this level of constraint and there should be discussion with the medical team and adjustment to suit individual requirements, but as a general thing it's hardly a human rights abuse.

Booboostoo

I agree with you. Not sure why is it being presented here as hard-core abuse. No one is forcing anyone to have section.

In general from my experience with both health-care systems in both US and UK I must say the US is way more patient-friendly and treats patient with way more respect than the UK one. If I would have a choice I would definitelly be more confident to have my baby in US as opposed to UK.

My arms were strapped down for two ELCS in Greece, but that makes it sound a lot more severe than it was. It was explained to me that it was to preserve the sterile field, I had a tiny screen in front of me and could easily have reached my tummy especially with the arm without the IV and the strap was a tiny bit of velcro - if I had pulled it would have come off very easily.

It's standard practise in a lot of counties it seems except for the UK and Australia and maybe most of Europe where childbirth is more women centred.

I suppose there is the possibility that you might move but I don't see how you can as you are numb from the Spinal. When I asked one US friend who had worked at several US hospitals, she said you can refuse to be strapped down(in the US hospital that is) they cannot do it without your say so, or they are not supposed to. But maybe a lot of woman don't know that they can say no, or they are talked into things by their doctors.

I think it's far better to have your arms free and have the nurse holding your hand than to be strapped down. And I am sure if you did try to reach down the nurse could just hold your hand.
But then here in the US they used to strap the arms down for vaginal birth 40 years ago. Or so I read, so maybe that's why we are still so far behind with maternity care.
Okay the medical care in the US is good but a lot of hospitals don't cater for the woman's emotional needs regarding childbirth. I think that's one of the problems.

Booboostoo
I agree with you. Not sure why is it being presented here as hard-core abuse. No one is forcing anyone to have section.
True that is right, they cannot force you to have a C Section but at the same time it would be wrong of an OB to say " if you don't want your arms restrained we won't do the section."
And it is absolutely wrong to force treatment and that includes strap someone down against their will when they have said NO.

no one is forcing anyone to have a section

yes, we all take them so lightly.

Don't really understand the forcing comment either.

As it's women's choice to have a section (sometimes?) then they should say OK to be restrained unnecessarily? And it in unnecessary obviously, given that not restraining is standard practice in plenty of places with no trouble at all.

And what of the people who need a section or they / the baby will be seriously damaged or dead? Does that count as a "choice"? Or are they sections being "forced" (peculiar terminology) and so for those ones women shouldn't be restrained, unlike the choice women who really ought to be tied down as maybe they're a bit flighty? Or something?

Having trouble following that argument TBH.

As it's women's choice to have a section (sometimes?) then they should say OK to be restrained unnecessarily? And it in unnecessary obviously, given that not restraining is standard practice in plenty of places with no trouble at all.
What I meant to say was they can only do a C section with your consent, and No women shouldn't be restrained.
But at least that's something my friend won't have to worry about here in the UK.

If I had wanted to it would have been very easy for me to touch my tummy with my left hand. I can't imagine why I would have done it on purpose, but if something had startled me or hurt me or I had been inattentive I cannot swear it would not have happened, so it did not seem that unreasonable to have my arm strapped down at the time. It was released when the DCs were born and placed on my chest so that I used that arm to cuddle them. Right arm remained strapped through-out but it was full of lines and stuff so it would not have been easy to move around anyway.

If someone found this uncomfortable, upsetting, triggering or for whatever reason objectionable I would expect the medical team to respect her refusal to consent and to find an alternative solution.

In one of my cs I had my left arm strapped down, presumably because there were so many needles in it. And I was lying in a sort of T shape; I can't remember if my right arm was strapped down or not. In my case it didn't feel like being restrained, it felt comfortable because it stopped me moving my arm and causing myself pain. If my arm hadn't already been sore from all the needles I would have viewed it very differently.

My other cs was less of an emergency and things were much calmer, and my arms were free.

@Booboostoo
@ treaclesoda
I suppose it could happen that you might move.
When I was at my sisters C section in the USA her arms were laid on the arm boards bot not strapped. But when she moved the nurse just put her arm back on the board but she just held it that's all. But the hospital my sister was was in the centre of NY and also has the birth centre so I think they are more liberal than most hospitals.

Booboostoo, treaclesoda, you sound like you are also from America, which part of the US are you from?

No, not from America, from UK. .

Yeah I just looked on your profile it says Co Antrim. I think that somewhere in Ireland and the other lady was from France. One of my neighbors said ireland and scotland is not part of the UK as they got their own parliament. Don't know if that's true or not ,but it would explain the sightly different medical practices.

Ireland is definitely not part of the UK!!!!

And from other posts, and talking to people who have recently had C Sections here, arm restraint is not standard medical practice in Ireland.