Declining antenatal care

[Casuallydresseddeepinconversation]

I've declined midwife appts,I had a call last week to try and change my mind and another today,I feel coerced and bullied,patronised and ignored,I'm 20 weeks today and just want to be left alone, considering not going to my 20 week scan now too, the 13 week one wasn't a pleasant experience either and I feel very anti NHS,tho I don't have funds for complete private care, just feeling very emotional atm

@snufflypuss What other monitoring was given to the "overdue" women? Can't see that in the article?

I hope you did not go to work! You might be ok with covid, others are not and could catch it from you.

@Grammarnut You are now expected to go to work with Covid. I'm a teacher and absolutely still would be expected in.

Probably nothing, while the control group, who were induced at 41+0, had no expenses spared, all in the interest of gaining a bit more evidence to justify unnecessarily inducing at 41 weeks, to satisfy the medical professionals' perverse need to control women🙄

Do you really think that a study of this magnitude and calibre would not have controlled for potential intervening variables like level of care? Do you really think they would help one group of women to prevent baby deaths, but not the other? They had to abandon the experiment early because it was ethically unjustifiable to carry on as six babies died in the experimental group! You can't even claim it's a case of statistics here! As the academic at the end says, we will likely never know the exact risks of going beyond a certain date, because when did try to find out, the results were so horrendous the experiment had to be called off before there was enough data to draw statistically robust conclusions.

Some trusts now do recognise that having no scans between 20w and the end of pregnancy is not a good idea. My trust offers all women a 36w scan, for example, and saw really positive results.

https://www.sgul.ac.uk/news/extra-pregnancy-scan-slashes-number-of-breech-births-and-risk-to-babies

I disagree with your views on antenatal care, but obviously if you did decide to go your private / home monitoring route, I think it would be a really good idea to book another private scan around 36w. At least you would be able to make informed decisions about the type of birth you want.

To be fair though, this isn't just about you is it?

@Notparticularlywealthy Exactly. No extra monitoring. Which is offered in the UK to women who make the choice not to be induced/c-section when "overdue."
These women in the study were just left.

It still demonstrates though that the risk is there. Quite possibly they were trying to be realistic because if every woman in the uk wasn't induced for being overdue until 43 weeks could the hospitals have capacity to provide extra monitoring? I don't know....maybe they would because they'd be doing less inductions. Though the issue remains that extra monitoring isn't infallible. My local hospital I think its a ctg twice a week....and I've certainly known women have a ctg in the morning for being overdue and then went to have another in the evening and baby had died. No other risk factors (was an induction for maternal request/social reasons at 40 weeks). So it's possible for a baby to deteriorate/die in between monitoring.

I'm reading the actual research, and it doesn't mention the women "just being left". It doesn't mention what monitoring or not happened.

You might not want the appointments, but infant mortality stats suggest good maternity care is essential.

Ateotd though is the mother's absolute right - and her right alone - to choose whether or not to be induced or have a C-Section. She is entitled to weigh up the pros and cons for herself; informed choice. Providing she has capacity of course.
Knowing what I know, I believe the risks of induction from going "overdue" outweigh the benefits so would choose not to be induced.
Whether anyone else agrees with that decision is ultimately irrelevant.

Apparently in France they count dates differently so 43 weeks there is 42 weeks here, so you may still have been induced.

Sorry that you had a horrid time. Childbirth is hardwork, dangerous and generally quite messy all round, whatever happens.

Haha I bet you don't refuse medical care to save other people's money yourself so why are you trying to say others should?
And I earn minimum wage and agree with that other poster btw

Why are people snarky…but you told the actual poster to stop posting on her own thread. Pot kettle

@30percent I most definitely do decline. For example, I declined a blood test for a condition I was incredibly unlikely to carry unless mixed race/of a different heritage to that of my own. That saved the NHS a few quid right there.

What blood test was this for?

If it was sickle cell then white people can be carriers of it which I didn’t realise myself.

There was a poster not long ago saying how she’s a carrier and it was from generations ago.

It must be given to everyone now that we know other races can be carriers.

@Wonderi I weighed up the likelihood of being a carrier. Incredibly remote. I'd rather the NHS used the money they saved on that and put it to better use.

How did you come to that conclusion?

Im not having a go but blood tests are one of the cheapest things the nhs offer and can save hundreds/thousands of £s in the long run and can obviously save a baby’s life.

So just wondering how you were so confident taking that risk.

@Wonderi Waste of money. Just like men don't get routinely tested for breast cancer, to give but one example. They can get it, but a far lower risk than women.
And what happens if that particular blood test, in the very unlikely event, shows up as positive? You tell me what happens then.

Your partner is then tested to see if he’s a carrier and if so you have the knowledge that your baby may be affected. I believe some people in this position may choose to terminate but even if that’s not a choice you’d choose I guess being able to support and put things in place for a young child with a sickle cell crisis is important, you’d educate yourself on the signs of a crisis.

I don’t really think though that not having specific blood tests is comparable to declining all antenatal care. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Look it's up to you op. You came and asked for advice and got a pretty overwhelming response that refusing pre natal care and combining this with a home birth is reckless. Ultimately you will do what you've decided to do anyway.

I would keep in mind this tends to be seen as a red flag and may incur you a social services referral. That's not my desire, it's just a fact and it's a useful piece of information for you to have.

I hope for you and your baby's sake that your pregnancy goes smoothly. Had I followed the same route my daughter would be dead.

@Anothernamechane I agree with you in the main. The only thing I don't agree with you on is the homebirth as a "blanket" statement. I had a homebirth with an Independent Midwife at the height of Covid. Was far, far safer than going into hospital. For a start, I had two midwives personally attending to me.
Even at the best of times, NHS maternity care is often not as safe as it should be. Not a criticism of the staff at all; but like lots of public services, severely underfunded and short-staffed.

Yeah apologies if it came across that home births are a negative thing. A well managed home birth when you have no complications can be a beautiful thing. I meant the combination of refusing antinatal treatment, along with a home birth where you have no idea if you are going to need any intervention, is dangerous.

@Anothernamechane Totally agree.

I mean that's a bit different from a pregnant woman declining all blood and urine tests but ok