some questions for midwives pls answer.....

[lilsmum]

do all maternity hospitals give paracetamol when woman in labour???

when pushing if the midwife doesnt mention panting and lets you carry on pushing...in your opinion would this cause a 3rd degree tear???

what reasons would iv antibiotics be given?

should a woman in labour with severe pain and 4cm dilated be able to have gas and air if they ask???

should a woman who had 3rd degree tear.. and given a spinal block be "repaired" in the delivery room on the same bed and bed linen she just give birth on???

should a woman about to deliver be given 2 student midwives ONLY to deliver the baby??? no qualified midwife....!!!

PLEASE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS TO TRY AND PUT MY MIND AT EASE BEFORE I AM DROVE TO INSANITY THINKING ABOUT IT LOL

lilsmum, I really don't know the answers to many of your questions, but am just bumping this up so people see it.

I hope you're ok? And how is your child?:

hi jj, thanks.... yeh i not bad just as u can tell from thread i had a bit of a tough time giving birth to my dd.... i ok now though just got too many questions lol. dd is fine she 7 mth now and makes me laugh everyday dont know what i did without her now

and u?

lilsmum - not a midwife and don't know the answers to all of your questions but sounsd like you had a really rough deal. have you seen the recent thread on childbirth here:-

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1365&threadid=33472&stamp=040901011137

you might find it useful.

You may also find it useful to look at this website:

www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk

Have you asked to go through your notes with a senior midwife at the hospital where you gave birth? You may find this helpful.

bump

lilsmum - just seen your post and will answer your questions as you asked them.

Paracetamol is a great medication when women are in early labour. Combined with a bath it can help backache and cramp. Is especially good when contractions are not really dilating the cervix but are causing a lot of discomfort so it is regularly advised when women phone into the unit initially. I offer it to women who are not well established in labour. Sometimes it works well, other times it does not help at all.

3rd degree tears are caused for a number of reasons. I have seen third degree tears even when a woman has panted the head out. Depends on the stretchability of the tissues of the birth canal. Also depends what position the woman is in when delivering. However, breathing the head out is much better than pushing. It was something I couldn't do with my first 2 babies - they shot out like bullets but I did not have third degree tears.

IV antibiotics are given in labour if the woman's temperature rises, usually over 38 degrees. If there is a history of group B strep. IV antibiotics are given, even if there is no temperature. Sometimes they are given if the woman's white cell count on a blood tes is raised which can be a sign of an ongoing infection, prior to a temperature rise.

Usually when any tear is repaired, fresh sterile towels are used to drape the area and cover the legs. That may take place over the sheets on the delivery bed. In my unit, a woman receiving a spinal anaesthetic is transferred to theatre first so they move from their own bed to the theatre bed. As long as sterile drapes are put down though, it does not matter too much about the bedding.

No to student midwives delivering on their own. There should always be a trained midwife present.

What has struck me is that you have a lot of unanswered questions about your birth experience which makes me think you would benefit meeting the senior midwife of the unit to discuss your concerns. If you did not have a skilled midwife present at delivery, you have grounds for complaint. You need to discuss your concerns so that you can get closure on what sounds a dreadful experience.

Yes to gas and air question, missed it.

thanks mears for answering my questions.... it has helped alot who would i need to speak to, to go through my notes? and how do i go about discussing with a senior midwife? am i not too late for this ? dd is 7 mth old.... thanks again

No it is not too late Lilsmum. If you contact your hospital you will be able to get the name and address of the Head of Midwifery. You could write to her and ask that you be able to have a discussion about your delivery. Alternatively you could ask the hospital to send you a copy of the complaints procedure. All hospitals have one. Usually a letter of complaint goes to the Chief Executive and then is passed down to the Head of Midwifery to deal with. They will then make arrangements to meet you. By making a formal complaint, the hospital has to stick to deadlines when getting back to you. That might be the better way to go.
I really do feel you have grounds for complaint and complaints are taken seriously.

just to say lilsmum it's really worth sticking to it and doing this - i went through my notes with a midwife too and it really helped.
best wishes