DO I HAVE TO SEE A MIDWIFE LEGALLY?

[JL1]

I am 9 weeks pregnant and do not wish to see a lecturing midwife. Do I have the right to refuse treatment until the birth? If not, why?

I disagree JL1. Seeing a mw CAN ensure a healthy baby in many circumstances.

It's your decision? AIMS are good and will advise you if you have any issues with regard to declining antenatal care. You probably eon't get any - especially if you live in an understaffed area.

www.aims.org.uk

Will you go for a home birth? If so can recommend

www.homebirth.org.uk - lots of supportive research.

btw - Practice Nurse is unlikely to want to do BP or test urine as part of a pregnancy check because she may consider herself untrained to interpret results. Might do it as a pre GP check thing though.

Are your other children healthy?

What were your previous births like?

so you are freebirthing?

i feel very strongly it is the wrong thing to do, but it is your baby and your choice

as i posted earlier, how will you feel if your baby is compromised by something that would hvae been picked up in routine antenatal care?

if you have had a bad experience and lost faith in the medical profession, then i am sorry, and i can understand your motivation, but surely there is a middle ground,

antenatal checks at the GP or an indie midwife

seeing a MW does not guarantee a healthy baby, but never seeing one is not going to increase your cahnces of a healthy baby, in fact, quite the opposite

Second lulumama's post

Women have as you say given birth without midwives for generations (and still do in developing countries) but both mother and baby pay a high price in terms of mortality and disability.

my wife wants a natural birth with no stress and no medicines that could prove less risky with some business claims of how much risk factor. who remembers the drug thalidemide?

freebirthing.org/ is a freebirthing page worth looking at.

As an ex midwife can I just say I think freebirthing is concerning - I'd be equally critical of a brain surgeon planning to perform surgery on him/herself.

Have been at births (natural and normal ones) where everything has gone pear-shaped. In one or two cases only prompt and timely intervention saved the lives of mother and baby. - and these were "normal" spontaneous onset and uninterfered with labours too. I am well aware of the "cascade of intervention" - (a main reason for leaving midwifery - too much intervention).

I am VERY pro - homebirth just think it makes sense to have a midwife there to pick up any problems should they occur to ensure you and baby are both healthy and safe.

Why would a midwife give you any medicines you don't want?

I don't really understand the objection to seeing a MW - I'm on my second baby and since my booking in appt have seen the MW's once (am 25 weeks). They asked me if I wanted to come more often, and I said no, so they just said to call them if I had any concerns. Really don't see how that is such an onerous schedule of appts.

Besides, if you're independent and free spirited, why would a lecturing MW worry you? You could just ignore them, couldn't you?

Why not just go along, make sure the baby's getting on ok, nod and smile and leave again?

"People have been giving birth long before midwives even existed "

midwifery is one of the oldest professions in the world. Pretty much every culture, except perhaps modern America, has experienced women to help with birth.

I had my third baby not so long ago, at home. The mws were great, very hands off, and had I asked them to leave the room I have no doubt they would have done. Could that be a compromise? A mw there but in another part of the house?

I'd speak to the local head of midwifery, explain your concerns, make an arrangement with her. tbh they won't want you freebirthing and I suspect wil try to help, eg by giving you a good, nonlecturing mw

And noone can give you medicines against your consent, or pain relief.

Is there a history here? How did the other labours go, were there problems you're worried about repeating?

JL1 Please answer my questions:

Are your other children healthy?

How were your previous births?

-----

I'm having trouble taking your thread seriously whilst your continue to ignore these.

Thanks

Why would getting your blood pressure checked or having the protein/sugar in urine monitored constitute an additional risk to the baby? Hardly in the same league as thalidomide is it?

JL1 I had a no stress birth, at home, with only gas and air because I asked for it-my mw was excellent at supporting me in trying to avoid drugs but...my babies are big!

It sounds as though the OP has had bad experiences in the past. But honestly, the community mws are a world away from some hospital mws. I have never had a bad experience with a community mw. They are well trained, empathatic, and generally really really good. I never considered a doula because, tbh, my local community mws are so good.

Oh legally, iirc what you need to watch out for is that you are not suspected of having planned for someone who is not qualified to help at the birth in the absence of a mw.

I could be wrong but I am sure I read somewhere that it is illegal for anybody other than a medical professional to deliver a baby unless it is an emergency. I just mention this, JL1, as you say you'll attend a labour ward if you feel you need to.

Supposing you don't, what do you plan to do with the placenta? or if you end up with tearing and need stitches?!

I went through a stage of being determined to not see a MW and for my husband to deliver our baby but common sense kicked in when I realised that it was a bit mad. If you stick to it then good luck to you but as another poster has said, there's a time and a place to be non-conformist - and believe me, husband and I find enough of them - but not when the life or health of our child is involved.

JL1, whos disision is it? something asbout this worries me.

Previous 2 births and children totally 100% healthy. No hiccups. Smooth pregnancy smooth birth.

and my quiestions too please, re how you would feel if the baby was compromised

no-one can and should give you any medication without your consent

also, thalidomide was indeed a tragedy. it has not been used for pregnant women for decades. there is other medication for morning sickness that does not cause terrible side effects.

if your pregnancy is normal, you won;t need any medication and you can refuse to take anything you do not wish to ingest

you can refuse pain relief in labour

you can use water or TENS and gas& air ,massage aromatherapy and homeopthy, none of which are hardcore drugs like opiates that stay in your system for hours

it seems such a hard line to take, with no apparent good reason, when there is so much compromise to be had

we don;t strap women to the bed, put them in twilight sleep , give them a shave and enema and pull babies out any more surely a planned homebirth with no drugs would be perfectly ok?

Hmm,I see above that you say you are 9 weeks pregnant
Then you talk about your wife's wishes for the birth.

What's the story here?

Okay

Association of Radical Midwives

site

for Improvements in Maternity Services

Horn's Homebirth site

Check out all for any information you haven't already gathered. It would also be worth reading about the mechanics of labour and what the potential risks are.

The liklihood is though that having gone through this you will labour quickly and normally and your baby will be fine.

But don't assume this and be prepared that's all........

and if you are determined to freebirth, make sure you know neonatal resus, just in case