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Original poster

Please can I object to the following sentence on the homepage ...

19 replies

morningpaper · 15/12/2006 21:00

"women who have an epidural may find it harder to breastfeed than those who give birth naturally"

NATURALLY

now then

This is not a very HELPFUL phrase. I think the phrase "... those who do not." would be sufficient.

Nothing "UNnatural" about wanting some pain relief during labour.

OP posts:
bobsmum · 15/12/2006 21:04

I agree.

As big sticks to bite down on are also not part of the human anatomy then there are many many millions of unnatural births out there. Are there fossil remains of all those natural birthing balls from the past?

a misprint surely?

PanicPressiePants · 15/12/2006 21:16

I agree totally.

spewedsatsumas · 15/12/2006 23:27

Christ on a bike, surely there are more things to get upset about than this? The home page is linking to the parenting news round up which, in turn, is reporting verbatim what was written in The Times. Yes, it's an unfortunate turn of phrase but if we're going to get all pedantic about this sort of thing a natural birth is officially one where there has been no intervention at all. No gas and air, no epidural, nada.

hertsnessex · 15/12/2006 23:30

"natural" is a vaginal birth. c/sections dont happen in any other species than the human race!

i agree its not the best turn of phase, but it is the case, and for many the best way to describe.

"vaginal delivery" may be more 'pc' but its jsut softening the blow a bit really.

hertsnessex · 15/12/2006 23:31

SHIT! ignore my post, i read it quicly and though we were talknig c/sections.

very few briths are all natural now.

hertsnessex · 15/12/2006 23:32

i typed that so fast i have 1000 spelling mistakes!

CouldEquallyHaveBeenAnAardvark · 15/12/2006 23:32

Women who have an epidural may find it harder to breastfeed than those who give birth properly - that's more what you want it to say, isn't it?

CouldEquallyHaveBeenAnAardvark · 15/12/2006 23:34

h, God, I'm going to get killed for that - I apologise, retract and didn't mean it in the first place. Sorry!

[cowardly lion]

spewedsatsumas · 15/12/2006 23:35

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

hertsnessex · 15/12/2006 23:38

epidural does cross the placenta though, and if you have one very soon into labour, and ltos of top ups, the baby will be drowsy, sometimes for a cpl of days, so b/feeding will take longer to establish.

nearlythree · 16/12/2006 00:03

I agree. I think if I hadn't got my epidural I'd have thrown myself out of the hospital window.

TwinkleInSantasEye · 16/12/2006 00:06

God yeah! Read it and that never occurred to me! That's pretty insulting isn't it? I think I also read a possible "explanation" that went along the lines of "those who have an epidural probably have a lower pain threshold/can't be bothered so are more likely not to perservere with bf". Must stress I do not endorse this opinion!! (I didn't have an epidural btw because I was too scared of the needle in my back!)

CliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 16/12/2006 00:07

I love you Twinkle!

TwinkleInSantasEye · 16/12/2006 00:10

()

EniDeepMidwinter · 16/12/2006 00:10

I agree

it should have said

"women who have an epidural are pussies"

QuootiepiesChristmasName · 16/12/2006 00:17

I had an epidural, but vaginal delivery so im mid-range there.

And a big pussy, yes

Monkeytrousers · 16/12/2006 01:20

agree in context explained

CouldEquallyHaveBeenAnAardvark · 16/12/2006 01:33

PMSL at "big pussy" coming after "vaginal delivery"

happybebe · 16/12/2006 20:08

i had a 'natural no pain relief' birth first time round and an epidural second time round, hell yeah i was chicken. the phrase doesnt bother me, in fact a natural birth summons up images of cave women perched over a nest and hanging off a branch above, with a twig in her teeth really....

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