very little choice in the matter (Birthing Methods in general)

Member Name: cacalala1971

Product:	Birthing Methods in general
Date:	06/12/02 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a beautiful boy at the end

Disadvantages: bossy midwife, lack of evidence based practise in the unit, wasnt the experience I had hoped for

This is my very first opinion as a new member of dooyou, so please be patient. My youngest child was born almost three years ago, I had a fairly normal pregnancy but eventually went into labour at 38 weeks pregnant. I didnt realise I was in labour and it was discovered at a rountine antenatal check that I was already 5cm dilated.

I was taken to the delivery suite and immediately hooked up to a monitor (which I can understand the midwives needed to record some baseline observations, however it didnt feel it was necessary to be hooked up for over an hour.

My community midwife had stressed to me that an active birth would be much more beneficial, it would ease my pain and make labour smoother and I would feel in contorl. I had also read various research on this subject and agreed that this would be the route I wanted to take.

After laying hooked up to this monitor I called in the midwife and asked it to be removed, she did so reluctantly and left me to it - for half an hour, then came in and insisted that I go back on the monitor, I tried to argue this with her but she was adamant making out it would be for the benefit of the baby, totally contradicting the advice I had had from other health care professionals.

So, because of the 'guilt factor' i.e. i wasnt doing what was best for my baby she hooked me up again and i laid there in agony for the next two hours.

After this I insisted that it be taken off again and she sighed and again reluctantly agreed. No sooner had I stood up, my waters had broken and I subsequently had my beautiful son in less than 8 minutes.

What makes me wonder is if I had have been able to have a 'natural birth' instead of going along with the wishes of the midwife the birth would have been less traumatic for both myself and my baby.

What I am trying to say is that although we make birth plans and the community midwives encourage us to go with what we as the expec
tant mother wants, in reality it is very different, and looking back I just wished I had been a little more assertive to get the type of labour I wanted. It is one of the most important times in a woman's life and it should be a pleasureable (im not saying its not painful) experience.

Woman as a whole should be able to give birth in any way they wish, and should not be swayed by midwives who do things coz thats the way theyve always done them.

I am now happy to report that I am due my next baby in june next year and this time I am determined to have the birthing experience I owe to myself and my newborn baby.

Summary: