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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Is anyone else watching the Midwives programme on BBC?

48 replies

ItsMyLastOne · 14/08/2012 21:53

The MW dealing with this 18 year old girl is really annoying me. She's being so patronising to this girl. So what if she came in to be checked when she was 3cm, and so what if she asked for an epidural at 6cm. Loads of woman have an epidural earlier than that. Grrr!

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backwardpossom · 14/08/2012 21:59

Yes I'm blubbing away at it. The girl you're talking about (Rachel?), my heart went out for her so much. Am so glad she seems to be bonding with her daughter!

Original poster

ItsMyLastOne · 14/08/2012 22:02

Me too. I think a lot of much older women, let alone 18 year olds, worry about bonding etc so it was lovely to see her at the end.

And I bet that woman who had a home birth has another. She didn't seem like she was done to me!

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MrsPaynie · 14/08/2012 22:10

Yep I watched it too, I had a year in my eye when she had that loving look on her face when she first saw her daughter. I guess at 18 it can be quite daunting and worrying if you will bond or not.

I didn't find the midwife patronising though, maybe a little old school though. She knew the girl could do it without epidural and she did, looked like she did a good job of it just on the gas too I thought (though I guess it's well edited)

backwardpossom · 14/08/2012 22:10

Haha, totally agree!

Cookiesandcream06 · 14/08/2012 22:14

Everyone's babies seemed to just pop out with minimal fuss/pain?! I hope my 2nd labour goes that smoothly ..

Original poster

ItsMyLastOne · 14/08/2012 22:18

I just thought it seemed pretty rude to be laughing at her on tv for finding it painful. She did do really well and I hope she realised afterwards how well she'd done only needing gas and air. It was lovely to see her see her baby for the first time. It brought a tear to my eye too.

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Original poster

ItsMyLastOne · 14/08/2012 22:19

Haha cookies me too! I like how the woman in the pool popped a baby out while the mw was having a cup of tea! And the young girl who had it in the ambulance!

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WutheringTights · 14/08/2012 22:33

I've had to stop watching it because it's where I'm currently booked in (the midwife-led unit though, not the high-risk ward). Thinking of changing hospitals though because I've heard from a midwife friend that they don't do "normal" births every well because they're so geared up to the high-risk, complex cases.

Heavensmells · 14/08/2012 22:56

I thought that midwife was a bit of a bitch. The idea of someone laughing at you in such a patronising when you are in so much pain is horrible. I hope she is ashamed at how she came across.

I had some of the same issues that Rachel had and the sheer shock of the pain and feeling out of control made it worse

Original poster

ItsMyLastOne · 14/08/2012 23:00

Oh no wuthering I hope you can find somewhere you're happier with.

Totally agree Heaven, yes she coped but she IMO her feelings weren't respected much. Maybe I'm a bit bitter because I was sent home when I was 5cm and told to come back when it hurt more. I never wanted anything more than G&A but I bet I would've had a similar response to what she had if I'd asked!

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TheCrackFox · 14/08/2012 23:10

I thought the mid wife came across badly. Hopefully she might actually have watched the programme and will re-adjust her attitude.

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 14/08/2012 23:16

I don't understand why they sent her home, or should I say how they knew to send her home (given that she was still 3cm for another day or so) I was only 1 cm dilated when I went in with both DS1 and DD, but they didn't send me away.

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 14/08/2012 23:18

Oh and I spent most of the programme wanting to hug Rachel.

sjcoxy · 14/08/2012 23:32

No wuthering the midwives there are great And really good for normal births. The pools are fab and the support for that type of birth amazing!! Community are great with home births too!

Spice17 · 15/08/2012 10:05

Oh I missed it! Think it's brilliant and makes me feel less scared strangely. Will watch on catch up later, thanks for reminder :)

pokeypants · 15/08/2012 10:07

Hi when is this on and whats it called? can i catch up on i player? many thanks although probly shouldn't watch I have my own horrible memories from first birth to forget but its so hard to stop yourself watching isn't it? Anyway I'm gna be fine this time lovely smooth labour like last time :)

Original poster

ItsMyLastOne · 15/08/2012 10:18

MrsD I sometimes wonder though whether things like that, like being told you're only 3cm and you're not in established labour, set some women back.

It's called Midwives here. This episode was mainly about women from different backgrounds and how the manage etc, not quite so much about the actual birth.

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pokeypants · 15/08/2012 10:23

thanks just watching :)

stowsettler · 15/08/2012 10:48

I was surprised that they wanted to 'watch' Rachel because of her attitude towards her baby whilst still unborn. She seemed an eminently sensible young girl to me, with real concerns about whether she was up to the job. Not everyone can bond with someone they've never met, and those gooey feelings just aren't there for quite some time for a lot of people.

Original poster

ItsMyLastOne · 15/08/2012 10:52

I bet a lot of women have those same feelings, but she was sensible and intelligent enough to actually voice her concerns.

Did anyone else find the man, who was with the woman in that not so nice house with no oven and 2 older children, was a bit strange in his attitudes to, well, everything? I couldn't believe when he said he was "gutted" to not have had a girl.

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EnglishGirlApproximately · 15/08/2012 10:56

Just watched this and had to comment. I really think that Rachel will be a great mum. The fact that she was so concerned about her inability to engage with the pregnancy said a lot. She knew it was a problem and the midwife seemed to get somewhere when she asked if she was judging herself.

To see her kiss her baby was lovely. I really wish them well.

BagofHolly · 15/08/2012 11:25

Ugh that dad playing tunes on his mobile phone!!! I bet if the cameras hadn't been there, the midwives would have told him to SWITCH IT OFF!!!

Original poster

ItsMyLastOne · 15/08/2012 11:30

I don't know how he didn't get hit by her. She must have very high tolerance levels. My DP was annoying me enough by looking tired let alone if he'd tried making a load of noise!

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MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 15/08/2012 11:51

It must be very easy, as any healthcare worker, to become a bit blasé. If you've seen hundreds of labouring women and you know what's going on and what's about to happen and the odds on labours lasting another hour/day/whatever then sometimes it must be hard not to be a bit dismissive sometimes. I had very good midwives most of the time who treated me as an individual and explained things, but there were odd times (when there was a rush in the ward) and the odd person (particularly after the birth) who were horribly brusque and impatient - maybe forgetting that for the mothers this is only the first time they've done this.

I thought the Midwives on the programme last night were pretty good on the whole but I agree that the one being dismissive of Rachel, even though she wasn't deliberately being horrible, maybe needs to remember that until you've done it once you have no idea what labour feels like - it's so individual, and even levels of pain and pain tolerance vary so much between women. I've now completely lost my train of thought...

whatsoever · 15/08/2012 12:01

I'm booked into this hospital, so I'm not watching the programme in case something in it upsets me and freaks me out but the midwife running my ante-natal classes is currently plugging it about 5 times in each 90 minute session!

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