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Original poster

Now I'm not a midwife but maybe sending a woman home 39 weeks pregnant, contracting and expecting her fourth baby was a bit of a dodgy decision?

19 replies

Northernlurker · 22/01/2010 11:26

story here

Fair enough labour is unpredictable but she was contracting, at term and with three births behind her. I would have expected them to hang on to her for a bit. Poor lass must have been in agony. I have to say as well that this is a trust fairly local to me and they are generally dreadful. No surprise they haven't apologised.

OP posts:

nickytwotimes · 22/01/2010 11:28

Jeezo!
Why were they surprised it went so fast - it was number 4!

Incompetent fools.

morningpaper · 22/01/2010 11:30

It said they examined her and she wasn't in active labour - I'm not sure what else they could have done?

MarineIguana · 22/01/2010 11:35

This is such a non-story though - hosp failed to accurately predict the exact course of a birth (no news there), baby born safely at home (like lots of babies are...) so what?

Meh

nickytwotimes · 22/01/2010 11:38

They could have taken her wishes into consideration?

Perhaps I am indulging in a little projection here - I begged to go in to hospital but was fobbed off. When I went in, pain was totally unmanagable and ds was on his way out. It was 'orrible.

Tamarto · 22/01/2010 11:43

Same thing very nearly happened to me, told me i wasn't in active labour because the machine said so LOL Was lucky to get back to the hospital in time and even then MW wasn't ready for DS2 being born.

MarineIguana · 22/01/2010 11:59

I think if I'd 3 kids and thought the 4th was on the way, I wouldn't go home. I'd just sit in the waiting room, have a sandwich and then when it popped out I'd call the MW over and say "told you so".

Original poster

Northernlurker · 22/01/2010 12:05

MP - I assume not in active labour meant not more than three cm dilated. We don't know what history she gave but I would have expected her gestation, number of children and the fact that she had felt she should get to hospital to have been indicators to hang on to her. Especially as her way home was by taxi - obviously no family car available - so if she did need to come back in a hurry it would have meant calling and waiting for an ambulance. That's a risk that lot of people run of course but not so often 4th time mums!

OP posts:

GothDetective · 22/01/2010 12:20

Chances are they probably didn't have space for her. Where I work we don't even have beds on the antenatal/postnatal ward for women in these situations never mind o nthe labour ward.

If she was examined and wasn't in labour then she could have carried on tightening/Braxton Hicks for another 2 weeks. Hospitals can't keep everyone in for days/weeks who comes in contracting at 39 weeks. Most of the time you see them again in another 2 or 3 weeks. Sometimes as in this case things speed up and it happens fast. No crystal balls in life though, shame.

Peachy · 22/01/2010 12:40

Well my experience was from nothing to 4th baby born in 35 minutes so they should know toexpect that I think.It was a great part of my argument for my HB in fact (which I did get).

Not a new mistake though: Mum had similar with my sister, it was Mum's 8th birth (only 3 of us made it to Ft sadly) and she was told off for turning in and put on an ward as there was a transport strike; she delviered on an ward a few minutes after. Ditto a lady when I was in with ds1 (I ws only 7 weeks LOL,bit of a wild induction!)- she was in the next bed, accepted tea at 11, baby out by 11.05.

sb6699 · 22/01/2010 12:54

When I had DD2 I went straight to hospital (after DD1 being a "rush job" and was told I was only 3 cm dilated. Even when I insisted I could feel the baby coming, the midwife said it wasnt and left us.

A minute or two later DD2 popped out straight into the hands of unsuspecting DH.

I think after your 3rd pregnancy you "know" what is happening and the mw should have accept what the mum is telling them.

I do sympathise with the fact that maternity wards are understaffed with not enough beds though and with DS (DC1) I was in established labour for 20 hours before he was born and would probably have insisted on a bed just because I was so scared rather than the fact that his birth was imminent

DaisymooSteiner · 22/01/2010 12:58

We don't know what else was going on in the hospital at the time. If the unit was full and there were very few beds or available staff then sending her home might have been the most sensible decision under the circumstances.

It could also have been a stoopid clinical cock-up, but it's just impossible to judge tbh.

dilemma456 · 23/01/2010 09:03

Message withdrawn

GothDetective · 23/01/2010 12:56

Its true. Where I work we don't count labour as being active until caervix is 4cm dilated and effaced/effacing and there are regular contractions. Anything less than this and we are meant to send home.

We often do keep women in who aren't 4cm though if its their 2nd or more baby or they're just not coping. But its not active labour.

edam · 23/01/2010 15:54

Goth - sounds a bit arbitrary to me. In my NCT and NHS ante-natal classes, 3cm was the magic number. In your trust it's 4cm.

Hospital press officer sounds a bit smug - yes, dear, that's the point, labour is unpredictable so how about actually listening to the person who is giving birth?

MerlinsBeard · 23/01/2010 16:02

4 cm is the magic number here too. Although they take into consideration the mother, previous labours and more.

GothDetective · 23/01/2010 16:04

It used to be 3cm here but we were having to keep too many women in and didn't have enough rooms/midwives.

shanks313 · 23/01/2010 16:24

I had it with DD2...was examined and told I was only 1cm dilated ...10 minutes later DD2 was born...my DH missed the birth by 10 minutes as the midwife called him and said not to rush as baby was not on the way.

Scotia · 23/01/2010 17:11

Similar thing happened to me.

I was sent home, regular contractions and 3-4cm dilated. I had only gone in for a check up because my waters had broken. It was my SIXTH baby and I was due for induction at 8am the following morning. My mum told me to go straight back (still doing what I am told by my mum, lol) and I got there in the nick of time - didn't even get my tousers off or anywhere near the bed before he was born! We were back home on our own bed 3 hours later. They nicknamed him 'Speedy' at the hospital.

Community midwife was furious I had been sent home, but I reckon I was just so calm I fooled the midwife at the hospital

fernie3 · 24/01/2010 00:10

I have had three labours like this - I tell them I am in labour they put me on the monitor and tell me I am not. I have the baby. Luckily I have already been in hospital all three times as I had high blood pressure (my last two were induced and they still didnt think I was in labour at the time!). My first was born as I was rushed through the hospital to the labour ward with the midwife saying over and over again "NO! dont push in the lift". The last one I was told about 15 minutes before she was born that there was "no evidence" I was in labour. Three labours, all STARTED in a hospital and only one born in a proper labour room lol.

My fourth is due in August so Im guessing the same will happen again - this time I am going to scream and moan until they believe me!.

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