Does this sound like a reasonable "demand"?

[SharedLife]

During my last labour i was forced to basically be on my back immobile for continuous monitoring. The pain it caused in my hips and coccyx (which is always very tender after a previous fracture) was unbearable. I was absolutely delirious with the pain of contractions plus the extra pain of the position I was in.
I felt totally fobbed off for an epidural and it took about two hours for them to get to me. l obviously don't know all the ins and outs of why it took so long and I certainly don't think they delayed it on purpose or anything like that. But, it was so awful. I still have flash backs sometimes to moments during the labour where I really felt like I was going to die from the pain.

Would it be unreasonable for me to only agree to immobile monitoring if I can have an epidural at the same time?

I had continuous monitoring whilst lying on my side, could you ask about that?

The time during which an epidural is needed for pain is a lot shorter than the time during which monitoring may be appropriate and it is likely that there would be risks to you having an epidural for longer than is clinically necessary (I'm not a medical doctor so don't know the details of this) - plus if you have an epidural you need a dedicated anaesthetist on duty looking after you and there aren't necessarily going to be enough on duty for them to allocate one to you the moment you want one. (I had to wait quite a while before there was one available for me)

If the doctors recommend continuous monitoring, it is because there is a clinical need, they don't do it for fun. If you don't consent to it, you are risking your baby's health. If a baby doesn't get sufficient oxygen during labour this can cause lifelong disability (Cerebral Palsy) - continuous monitoring can either prevent this or ensure its impact is minimised. There are probably other risks being checked for and prevented too (see above re not being a medical person) and saying no means more risks. Yes it is unpleasant but there are lots of unpleasant things we have to put up with as part and parcel of protecting and nurtuting our children.

By all means express your concerns, and make as much noise as you like about how uncomfortable you are, but at the end of the day you need to put the health of your baby first.

I'm so sorry that they subjected you to this barbaric behaviour. Obstetric abuse is far more prevalent today than we're lead to believe.
Trust your body. If you don't want to be monitored at all, say thank you but no.
It's your body, you consent to who touches you even during birth.
Research Sara Wickham and see if you have health concerns which you feel more comfortable being monitored and how.
You have the right to a blissful birth.

I think you need to talk to your midwife about this soon and make a plan. The continuous monitoring is for a reason but there may be other options and it is reasonable to want care specific to your needs and to be able to weigh up your options. You need to feel as comfortable and confident as you can. Please listen to the doctors/midwives but also demand they listen to you.

I absolutely will listen to the professionals, I'd never prioritise my comfort over babies wellbeing. But I might prioritise my comfort over convenience for the professionals. So I will make sure that they know I want them to help me achieve monitoring and being in a better position, even if its not as straight forward as plonking me on my back. Once the epidural is in they can have me in any position that suits them but i honestly would rather have a section than go through that pain again.

How did they monitor, with belly straps? I had mine internally attached to babies head and could move around. You need to speak to MW about options.

Yes straps. Will definitely talk to midwife. Although in my experience whatever you've discussed before hand can go out the window depending on the opinions of the docs and midwives who actually treat you during labour

Hi OP. I had a very similar experience to you with DC1. I was induced and told I needed to be monitored throughout. I had a bitch of a mw who wouldn't even let me get up to go to the loo, told me I had to use a bed pan. He was back to back (there were symptoms of this when I had an urge early on to push but she ignored me!) After hours of agony I ended up with EMCS.
With me next two labours I have been monitored throughout (due to VBAC) but insisted I stayed up right. For DC3 I never once got on the bed!! The monitors can work when you are standing! There is also a wireless monitoring called telemetry that many hospitals now have.
It is absolutely not a choice between monitoring and your positional choice! You can be monitored whilst mobile! Don't let anyone tell you that you have to lie down to be monitored!!
I am due to be induced on Wednesday. Will have to be monitored throughout (3rd VBAC) but have absolutely no intention of staying on the bed and have had reassurances from midwives and consultants to say they don't need me to in order to monitor.
Good luck x

Just to add, being upright, the pain was far, far more bearable for me and gas and air where all I needed.

@Grumpy19 thanks for that! All the best for your induction!!

Just sharing my experience. My midwives were very happy to monitor the baby via the thing they stick to her head so that I didn’t have to have the bandages and could move around. I really preferred moving and was dealing well with the pain using a birthing ball. Unfortunately, the baby’s heart rate dropped the more I moved and only stabilised when I lay on my back, so that’s where I ended up! And in the end I had a ventouse delivery so stirrups too. My epidural also failed.
So - no, you’re not unreasonable to ask, but bear in mind your baby may have their own ideas!

Is the monitor they stick to baby's head the thing that looks like a fishing hook and actually cuts the baby? That doesn't sound preferable.

Could you maybe look at the sifferent birth centres/ hospitals around you and pick one that has the most wireless monitors? I remember when looking where to give birth one hospital had none, one two and the other over 5 i think.

@CovidCakeConundrum

Is the monitor they stick to baby's head the thing that looks like a fishing hook and actually cuts the baby? That doesn't sound preferable.

Could you maybe look at the sifferent birth centres/ hospitals around you and pick one that has the most wireless monitors? I remember when looking where to give birth one hospital had none, one two and the other over 5 i think.

It’s a tiny wire they screw into the top of the baby’s scalp. It doesn’t hurt, risks are very low and many babies don’t even bruise.

On the other hand, if they hadn’t had access to that monitoring data (given the bandages weren’t working) they wouldn’t have picked up the deep decelerations in the baby’s heart rate and known to get her out quickly with ventouse. She very possibly wouldn’t have survived without that as she was very tiny (5lbs3).

So this is kind of my point again- it’s never unreasonable to have preferences or to ask, but sometimes you might have to have things against your preferences to save the life of the baby because of the way labour is going, so be emotionally prepared!

You don’t have to be on your back with a CTG. although it’s much easier to be mobile with a scalp clip. Ask for one of those. It’s not a ‘fishing hook that cuts the baby’ . It’s a tiny thin wire that goes under the scalp skin. Tiny nick on the skin

I’m so sorry they messed you around so much in your first delivery OP. Women aren’t design to give birth on their backs.

You can outright refuse any part of interventions or monitoring during labour.

You are completely within your rights to say you will not birth on your back unless the epi dural is working. Or refuse monitoring that stops you from being mobile.

I’d also get your birthing partner on board so that they understand how important it is to you.

Also re ‘fishing hook in babies scalp’ even if it was as described it doesn’t harm baby. Baby wouldn’t remember it. OP on the other hand can very much remember her experience of giving birth. You could argue that something like forceps is much more upsetting for baby than a scalp clip yet forcing women to birth on their backs does lead to more interventions.

Best of look for the birth of your next one OP