Midwives say women should pay for epidurals

[TheDullWitch]

At least £500 a baby it says here

By "pretty awful" is relative I mean it is relative in many ways. I think pain, the pain threshold, someone's age, preparation for labour, support in labour, feeling around pregnancy, experiences in earlier pregnancies...etc etc is all relative.

I can't believe you don't think women should have scans. Jeez. Having had 2 missed abortions previous to my third pregnancy, the scans kept me sane. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night hyperventilating after nightmare after nightmare that you baby had died inside you? Or dreamt that you were drowning in blood from your dead baby? You keep your psychic link with your baby, but you obviously don't have a clue about what is best for others.

Hip operations? Well, I think fat people should pay for their own hip operations. Would save the NHS a lot of money too! Grmf!

Obviously ahve not read all the replies but I don't think this is right... I WISH women would be better supported throughout labour and far less epdiurals would be needed.
I read once that women often ask for an epidural when they are scared... I think this is often true... and they are often left to their own device and of course at that point the epidural sounds like heaven.
And at the risk of repeating stuff I have said before, in 2004 Doula UK did a survey and only 15% of all the women supported by a doula had an epidural (and this includes those who had an epidural for a section).
I have only seen an epidural used once in all of the 35 births I have been at (and it was the one that ended in section)... .

Fairy, two of my babies died inside me. Scans could not have saved them/

By the way, calm down.

Is this descending in a good or bad scans debate ?

I have to say I have always wondered about women who buy their own doppler... what is the point ? If you don't hear a heart beat it's too late... if you can't find a hreat beat how stressful!

Pupuce that's very interesting.

FRairy you asked me why I don't have scans. I told you honestly. I think you're nasty to take the piss out of my answer about a psychic link. You've no need to lash out at me.

Haven't read the whole thread and haven't had an epidural so whaddoiknow but....

What kind of weird message is something like this going to send out to first time expectant mothers?

Making an epidural something that can be requested on demand (as long as it is paid for) is going to make it sound like some sort of panacea which could thus make it all the more desirable.

Not put women off.

Good point FK.

Spidermama - have read a bit more of the stuff said below... I agree with you actually.... but I suspect we're in a minority.

Pupuce tell me about it.
Nice to know there's a doula on MN.

Didn't you know I was a doula? I've been on mumsnet for donkey's years

Hey, well at least 3 of us agree then...

Frayedknot, don't you think that is already the way things have become? Expectant mothers thinking its the norm to plan in advance for an epidural before even feeling the first contraction.

More of a concern is that those women who really need an epidural won't say yes to one for fear of a big bill at the end. Which is why i think effective policies need to be in place with Midwives given the authority to say when a woman needs the epidural - and that resulting in no cost.

I seriously think this would decrease the number of unnecessary epidurals following on to unnecessary interventions.

Epidural in a way would no longer become the mothers 'choice' and be left for the professionals to decide. Which is pretty contradictory to the way i feel about most nhs procedures, but the 'choice' i feel is what has led to too many epidurals and at the end of the day its a serious medical procedure so should be left to the experts to decide upon.

Doh! No I've missed that. Good to 'meet' you though.

Exactly, putting it bluntly,alot of women think they know what theyre on about/that they know best, but you dont train for 3-4 yrs to be a midwife for nothing, otherwise everyone would be doing it. they should be giving the say as to who has one and who doesnt end of.

Snort. To be honest some of them give the impression that really anyone could be doing it.

Hattie - the problemn would be that some midwives are genuinely uncomfortable with women in pain! So might be keen to recommend an epidural. And for the MW who did it herself without one - she might think that "you can do it without one"

And what makes one decide that you need an epidural?????
I was at a homebirth 2 weeks ago and the MW said to the mum: do you want some gas and air... and the mum said no and looked at her like "what do you mean... I don't need G&A"
After the birth I asked the mum how she ahd found the pain - to ME she did not look in significant pain - and she said that indeed it wasn't very paibful... so why the MW felt the need for the G&A??? (And it isn't the 1st time that my "clients" are offered G&A and refuse it).

I dont think thats fair

It's nice to have some company on this subject for a change.

My MW friend says mw's are trained to ask, on the first meeting with a pg woman, 'so what do you plan to do about the pain' which sends out a message, 'you won't be able to handle it by the way.'
Most newly pg women with no experience of labour will think, 'Oh. OK. Well she knows best. She's the expert'.

Pupuce, i do agree with you, and also on the otherhand there will be midwives who don't care and give out to anyone who asks, and they'll be midwives who refuse anyone.

BUT - thorough training, procedures and policies should eliminate that as much as possible. Because if the same excuses were made for GP's not trusting that a patient really does feel that ill and need - antibiotics, referral to specialist etc. then where would anyone stand?

It isn't fair, I merely commented that some midwives give the impression that they are making it up as they go along (see: Health Visitors, who seem to be midwives who are less skilled at blagging it in labour?).

OMG! No way would I want to be in the position of being in so much pain in labour that I wanted an epidural only to have the midwife say "no you don't need one".

It's touching that some people have such total faith in the ability of every midwife to be able to make that decision on their behalf but I really think I'd rather decide myself thank you very much.