Epidural questions - Why the stigma attached

[horseshoe]

I had one with DD1, G&A with DD2, desperately trying for a home birth for DC3.

I have said to the MW that if I end up going to hospital I am just gonna ask for epidural if I feel I want one to which she replied "Oh you dont want one of those".

With DD1 I did have vontouse delivery but I had epi after 18 hours of labour when I was 8cm dialated and before they realised that baby was back to back and getting stuck in birth canal.

Everyone I speak to especially "angellic "i've had 3 natural no drugs birth sis" appears to look down their noses at this decision.

So can anyone tell me why they are so wrong and what is the best time to have one - nearer birth or early labour. I seem to remeber that they wait until at least 4cm dialated.

'Yes - I did say that to a certain extent it is down to who you get on the night, but if a mums does have the choice of MLU, homebirth and CLU and they don't want an elective epidural - and the evidence supports the safety of birth at home/MLU - why do so many actively choose a CLU where they won't get one to one care and are LESS LIKELY to get good midwifery care focused on supporting physiological birth?'

That's a really interesting question. I am completely in favour of women having the choice. In terms of MLUs, I think the problem can stem from simple geography. An example: the MLU where I wanted to give birth is attached to a hospital with no maternity services! Therefore you know that if there are complications, you will have to be moved to nearest hospital which can take anything from 20 mins to an hour if there's an event on at Wembley. (It's taken me two hours to do a 15 minute drive when the football's on, and I imagine that an ambulance would still be held up.)

I can understand why women are nervous about this and in fact they are now consulting as to whether to close the unit as it's not being used enough. This is a huge shame. I would be very happy to give birth in a MLU where I knew if there was a problem I could be moved quickly, knowing as I do now how quickly the pain can go from being manageable to agony with no space at all between contractions. Sadly, a lot of birth centres do seem to have been built with little or no consideration as to the feelings of women about having to be moved.

"Sadly, a lot of birth centres do seem to have been built with little or no consideration as to the feelings of women about having to be moved."

There's an ongoing debate in midwifery circles about MLU - whether they should be integrated or stand-alone. The issues are quite complex. I haven't quite got my head around it all yet.

Personally I think all women - high or low risk, at home, in birth centres or in CLU's should be given every chance to labour as instinctively as safety allows - freedom of movement, one to one care, birth environments which are set up to promote active birth etc. I wish that telemetry was on offer for all women who need monitoring and that it wasn't only low risk women in birth centres that were offered the option of staying with their partners after birth..... we've got such a long way to go before birth is truly 'civilised' in this country (I do understand the irony of using that term in relation to childbirth by the way!). I honestly think that all these things improve birth for mothers and babies.

As an aside, it absolutely amazes me at the disparity between Trusts and hospitals in UK. I had C section and DH stayed with me all day and overnight. I did not realise this is not normally the case.
My God if they said he had to leave I would have cried and kicked up such a fuss, all their training in dealing with difficult patients would have been needed!!!!

LOL Starlight! I think I would have run away...once my catheter was removed of course!!!! Or maybe not...??