What gives a midwife the right to say

[finallypregnant]

You are doing fine without an Epidural?

I don't mean that in a horrible way but it appears that my hospital are not really that responsive when you ask for an epidural.

When my time comes, I'd rather not have one but I have read threads on here where the girls have been turned down an epidural because the midwife says they are doing fine!

Surely, it is not the midwife who makes that call but the mum screaming in agony when TENS, G&S and Pethidine are not working?

Obviously if you are at 8-9 cm and they say it is too late then fair enough.

I hear you, MinnietheMoocher, that was my 1st delivery. I posted earlier about how haunted I was by that.

Had the unexpected pleasure of an apology from the same mw though when booking in for my elective cs for my 2nd. She went through my case notes and was distressed to read the problems I had afterwards, starting from that point. I didn't expect her to say sorry - especially in this litigious day and age - but it actually helped tremendously and made her not the dragon I remembered her. But the unit had undergone a sea-change in attitude in the two intervening years after much bad local comment.

Spillage "no-one would send home an obviously distressed woman." That's not true.

"How can any medical professional involved with childbirth not know about these studies. They aren't even new"

With respect though MsDemenour, there is a mass of research on this subject and a lot of it is conflicting. My understanding is that recent meta analysis of the research into birth outcomes after epidural concludes that it IS strongly linked to higher rates of instrumental birth for first time mums.

Personally I'm very sceptical about a lot of research into epidurals that comes out of the US. You have to remember that their birth culture there is VERY different from ours. Routine monitoring and augmentation is the norm, even for low risk mums and these things alone will impact on outcomes.

Agree with you though on midwives (sometimes) not listening to women.

Sorry - should have added that there is also evidence linking early use of epidural to higher rates of c-section.

I was going to try for a home birth with my second, felt a few twinges and immediately declared EPIDURAL! The MW that came out to check me out at home, told me oh no dear you wont have time for one of those. I had been warned they could be resistant so phoned the hospital whom said, yes you can have one as long at the guy is available, come down right now though. I got there at 11am, had my epidural at 2pm, it was perfect, i could still move and feel my legs, i could feel pressure with contractions and no pain, i had a beautiful birth that i have many lovely memories of.

My first is a jumble of pethidine fueled images and pain.

I am due my third in october and trust me if there is no reason for me not to have an epidural and the MW tells me i cant have one, i will kick up the biggest stink possible.

Thats bad denying a woman an epidural.....i managed on G&A with my first 3 labours, but my 4th was horrendous..G&A, pethidine and finally epidural...it was sooooo much more painful than the first 3.

Don't some midwives no not all labours are the same!

fuzzywuzzy I managed to get over mine to self inject Heparin daily and have monthly blood tests. I saw my haematologist when I was quite early on and he said I needed to take my Heparin in the morning (rather than the night because it made my leg ache so I didn't notice if I did it before sleep) in case I went into labour over night, as you can't have an epidural within 12 hours of Heparin. I did what he said, even though I had no intention of ever letting a needle near my back. Went into labour at 31 weeks, had the odd pain over night, took my needle, more pain going to my scan, sent home as I wasn't getting contractions. Returned in the afternoon because the contractions were coming more often (1.5 minutes on 30 secs off) and had to have a GA because I'd taken my Heparin. Now have to have an elective because of the complications of the last section and will need an epidural, unless I have prem labour and an EMCS needing a GA or they haven't sorted my back out by then. I'm terrified of that needle in my back!!!

StarlightMcKenzie, I'm sorry about what happened to you. The woman I saw wasn't anywhere near that stage, she was walking around fine. I actually find her insulting to someone like you who really did suffer at that stage.

Agree with sabire about the US. I still can't get over The Business of Being Born.

This thread is very interesting but ultimately really depressing. I know there are some star midwives out there, and sorry to them, but there are, as people pointed out, a lot of sadists with a lot of baggage. It's a obstetrician and a cs for me. Begging for pain relief??? In this day and age??? Medieval!

tinkerbellesmum, I would have accepted the needle if I had had to, but there was no reason for it at that time. I was so relieved ot get a humane midwife after that witch. Funnily my second labour the midwives listened to exactly what I asked for and did not force me to change my mind, perhaps because it was my second and they felt I was making an informed decision ?

I think that's why I can give myself an injection every day - I've seen pregnancy without it - and the blood tests because I know they're making sure the baby is safe. I wouldn't have had an epidural for a vaginal birth because the thought of it scares me (on top of my fear of needles, I know too many horror stories of them going wrong) and I wouldn't ever want a section so didn't see that being a problem. I was kind of glad I had to have a GA, but it is harder when you come round because you don't have the pain relief of the epidural for a long time and missing the birth can mess your head up. I'm rather torn about this one, although hoping I can convince them to let me do a trial of labour

Just to really give you the shudders! I woke up one morning in hospital to see a MW looming over me with a needle in her hand aimed at my arm. I very quickly took it out her hand and said "I do my own needles thank you and they don't go in my arm!" (Heparin in anywhere not fatty hurts, not that I'm saying I'm slim but there's not enough fat on most peoples arms to not hurt, it also hurts more when someone else does it, unless it's an understanding OH who you trust to inject your bum when your legs are too sore)