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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Would you think it was unprofessional if your midwife recommended Mumsnet to you?

45 replies

Snaf · 16/04/2007 08:43

Just musing on this Monday morning...

I'm not talking about passing the buck completely, of course! But if, say, after your booking interview you got given written information with web addresses of various good-quality sites like Mumsnet, kellymom, NCT, La Leche League etc? Plus relevant phone nos. etc.

I often see women who I think would benefit from somewhere like MN but so far I have not pointed anyone in this direction for fear of seeming 'unprofessional'. Would you think that was strange or would you find it useful?

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booradley · 16/04/2007 08:45

I think it would have been very useful - particularly for first time mums. I wished I'd knon about it sooner.

Nbg · 16/04/2007 08:45

No, my HV has said that she uses MN and actually suggested it to me.
I did tell her that I dabbled a little

kittypants · 16/04/2007 08:46

id love it if my midwife had told me as i could have got advice from people going through same things as me.i told my hv about it and said i feel it was has been big help.

MrsBadger · 16/04/2007 08:48

No, absolutely not.
I asked mine advice on which (if any) pg books to read, and MN is infinitely better than most of the books out there (have just got rid of 'What to expect' in utter disgust)

Actually MIL, who's a research nurse and used to be a HV and MW, has just recommended one of her colleagues write a paper on the role of 'non-traditional support networks' (ie MN) in parenting after I sent her the link.

Fillyjonk · 16/04/2007 08:50

yes

but what would then happen if you "saw" a client on here?

littleducks · 16/04/2007 08:51

hmm, maybe it depend what was on the boards when you first logged on and checked it out, useful info or flouncing and rows over breast/bottle, fruit shoots and leaving the kids in the car at petrol stations!

if you gave me the address and it was the latter i would think you were mad.

oranges · 16/04/2007 08:51

MrsBadger - why didn't you like what to expect? It made me furious but I could never pinpoint why.

Fillyjonk · 16/04/2007 08:51

i mean yes do it not yes unprofessional, sorry

chirpygirl · 16/04/2007 08:54

Definately do it, I would have loved to have found MN earlier than I did. I had to go through cluster feeding all alone [sob]!

lulumama · 16/04/2007 08:56

it would have been a godsend for me, to support me when i was planning my VBAC, would have been such a valuable resource

i have a link to it on my own website!

you get real,honest and personal stories and advice, not just 'oh that sound normal,...'

it should be compulsory to join mumsnet when you get pregnant !

sandcastles · 16/04/2007 08:58

I would love to have found MN during my pg. There was so much I could have asked & had my mind put at ease over.

I don't think it would be unprofessional at all, very good resource IMO.

AnAngelWithin · 16/04/2007 09:00

My midwife did recommend MN to me. She is a MNer herself! Not sure who though! lol

MrsBadger · 16/04/2007 09:01

oranges - it's because it's American
Although they've made token concessions (switching to 'nappy' and 'mummy' etc) there's still things like a whole chapter on 'Choosing Your Pediatrician'.
I mean, WTF?
Admittedly it was secondhand and an oldish edition (2000 I think) but there was so little relevance to women giving birth in an NHS Britain.
Also perpetuated myths about breastfeeding (eg you need to be drinking two pints of milk a day, you know), didn't mention homebirths at all, or even the role of midwives in a hospital birth...

Worse than useless.

lizziemun · 16/04/2007 09:05

I wish my midwife had recommended mumsnet to me, then perhaps i wouldn't have fail at breast feeding at 5weeks and at weaning.

Hopefully this time around i will be able to get advice if and when i need it.

Wotzsaname · 16/04/2007 09:06

Yes, but not for those with addictive personalities. Sometimes I find difficult to get off here, because I work at home (is that a WAHM?) and have computer on.

Tommy · 16/04/2007 09:06

not at all - I think any extra support a MW can give would be helpful.

My MW is a friend of mine so I tell her about Mumsnet all the time. She has told me (without giving anything away) that another of her "ladies" is a Mumsnetter and since our babies were due in the same month and the other one was on the due in Feb thread then I must have chatted to her - don't know who she is though!

I wish I had MN when DS1 was born - would have got much better breastfeeding advice from here than my useless HV who just said "give him a bottle" (which I did because I didn't know any better )

Taylormama · 16/04/2007 09:09

wish mine had - i was desperate to know that wanting to give DS back was "ok" - i had a really tough start with him - undiagnosed reflux (which meant he screamed all the time and never slept), 3 hospital admissions for him in 10 weeks, no help with BF - MN would have been a godsend.

Olihan · 16/04/2007 09:10

I really wish I'd known anout MN when I had ds1 and dd, then I might have managed to bf them too, something I have only managed to do with ds2 because of MN and MN alone.

My mw tried hard to help me with it when I had dd but didn't really have the knowledge or expertise, unlike folks on here.

Do it, it's the first thing I tell my friends about when they get pg!

Nightynight · 16/04/2007 09:19

I would be a bit alarmed if a midwife recommended mumsnet for medical care!

But for psychological wellbeing, yes.

lazyemma · 16/04/2007 09:43

wouldn't think it unprofessional at all - I think mumsnet is an excellent resource in all sorts of ways - information, support, etc.

Marina · 16/04/2007 09:44

I think it would be incredibly useful and I'd really appreciate it!
Not everyone does NCT classes, where I think the teachers do often provide a list like this.
So to get one off a MW or HV would be ace.

cathcart · 16/04/2007 09:47

i would like to have known when pg, i only found by accident when l;ooking for summat else - i think it was destiny!

Marina · 16/04/2007 09:47

Ooh, that's an interesting one Nightynight.
I think I'd wonder about a consultant recommending Mumsnet, as they are to me the medical big guns in pregnancy, but I always had the expectation that the midwives would have a more holistic approach. So would see the support aspect of Mn etc as really important. They do all the routine checking and question-answering as a rule and you are supposed to be able to build up a relationship with the team responsible for your care.

InTheHouse · 16/04/2007 09:49

This reply has been withdrawn

This post has been withdrawn due to privacy concerns

MerlinsBeard · 16/04/2007 09:56

they give all that other crap that gets thrown away so why not have a MN leaflet in tehre too? (by crap i mean advertising from cow and gate, tear off strip for emmas dull diary etc etc - obviously your maternity notes aren't crap lol!)

I know if i had known about MN with my forst oi would have gone against what i was told on postnatal ward and actually breastfed ds1 , i also know that i would have asked for help to feed ds2 for longer and would posibly have tried proper nappies

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