OBEM 29/02

[LetsKateWin]

Have you got your tissues ready?

I couldn't find a thread so I thought I'd start one.

But you can't really have a caesarean when the baby's halfway down can you? Or can you?? (again, genuine question - I've not had children (still trying!) so don't know how things work yet!)

I did prefer the first two series, but can't really pinpoint why. All I know is that I end up as a snotty, weepy mess at 10pm regardless!

The forceps used for Vicky were Keillands forceps - used to turn the baby, rather than the Neville Barnes forceps which are used to control the baby's descent down through the vagina.

I think the concerns over Keillands forceps are greater as the risk of damage is higher than with Neville Barnes. I consented to NB but I'd not consent to Keillands unless refusing meant my baby would die before I got to theatre for a CS.

I don't know if they're used when the baby is higher up, if they are then it would make the option of a CS easier as baby wouldn't have to be pushed back up the vagina in order to carry out the CS.

I agree with the others upthread who said that OBEM depicts women powerless baby-making pieces of flesh. It really does. I wonder if Leeds is in reality that type of hospital but I would not want to go there after watching this series. What a shame in this day in age! And no, they could have easily pulled Olga's husband even through the do to do the translating if they did want to obtain a genuine consent. And the forceps - words just fail me, what a total disregard for what the patient actually consented!

Regarding Olga - she is from Lithuania but she is an ethnic Russian as is her DH (I wonder why they translated his name as Victor when the women address him Vitaly, a completely different name). In Russia it is only recently men were allowed to attend births in some hospitals, not all, and it is not viewed as progressive in all sections of society. Her reluctance to allow Vitaly/Victor to attend may just represent the cultural view of what is "normal" and "embarassing". Shame, because clearly is a nice person, her heart seems to be in the right place and she is only doing what she thinks is right. Perception is that husbands will "go off" their wives seeing the degree their vaginas stretch, child upbringing, especially babyhood, seen as a woman's business... you get the gist.

I don't know tbh. I've read the ragged bits thread on here and it would have to literally be an immediate life of death situation before i'd consent to a forceps delivery.

From what I saw with Vickys' delivery the baby was still very high and facing the wrong way. In that scenario I'd want a section.

"through the do" = "through the door"...

Methe
But in vicky's baby was born vaginally with just episiotomy, I think forceps weren't needed. Obs dr probably had an idea that her presence would be enough to get vicky to push that baby out herself.
Having been in a similar situation ( but without epidural) where they started talking about episiotomy/ ventouse it was enough for me to summon the strength to push ds1 out.

I think that obs dr is fab!!

( btw criticisms up thread for her saying 1st time mum to woman who lost baby previously are unfair IMO. The mum in question had lost baby at 22 weeks- technically still a miscarriage rather than stillbirth. Not that it would feel any less upsetting for the woman in question )