Posted on 03/04/2009 8:27:26 PM PST by Lorianne
Pregnant women are being denied epidurals during labour it has emerged. The strong anaesthetic which is injected directly into the spine, is a popular choice with mothers-to-be to help them cope with the extreme pain of childbirth.
And up to 60 per cent of first-time mums opt for an epidural in some regions.
But now new guidelines have categorised the procedure as unnatural in a bid to boost the number of women having traditional births.The aim is to reduce the number of women having epidurals or caesareans by up to 40%.
The recommendations are contained in a guidance document, Making Normal Birth a Reality, supported by the National Childbirth Trust with the backing of the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Many NHS Trusts have signed up to the guidelines. The report states that both mothers and doctors are too keen to resort to medical intervention in what is one of the most natural occurances on earth.
They say by rushing to administer an epidural or a conduct a caesarean they are creating other potential risks to mother and child.
One senior obstetrician condemned the implications of this policy as a disgrace and raised concerns women would be branded abnormal.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I know several relatives who had this happened when they were giving birth would say “that Doctors head is in just the right place for me to kick his brains out.”
My sister-in-law had one of her kids in a public UK hospital. I’m told it was downright medieval. How medieval you ask? She and the baby still had blood on them when they went home - that night. Welcome to socialized medicine.
I had epidurals with my first 2. Had natural with the third. Natural was MUCH better.
I had 5 pregnancies and no epidurals. It can be done. But to have the option taken away from me? I would not have liked that. At all.
Just give me a pair of vise grips and when I’d hurt, he’d hurt where it counts .......
Just a thought, but subsequent children are a bit easier no? I know my wife said she wanted her epidural naturally, our twins could come out then!
Somehow I think telling her there would be no epidural would have been rather dangerous... (We did stop after the 2, 1 of each kind, we did our part!)
headaches are “natural” too, but we still take ibuprofen.
Methinks the UK is less concerned with natural childbirth as they are with the cost of the epidural.
This article should be blown up and posted in every ob/gyn office so american women know what’s coming.
But mommy and baby are doing fine now, thank God.
“I had epidurals with my first 2. Had natural with the third. Natural was MUCH better.”
I’ve had 8 - some natural, some with epi’s.
I prefer the epidural.
A co-worker of mine said that she was semi-forced aka bullied into having an epidural she did not want. She still has back problems that she didn’t have before that.
I have also have five babies and no epidurals. I tell women who have that they are braver than me, as the huge needle always scared me.
Not really. I was 21 and 25 for the first 2. I was 34 for my 3rd. For the first one, the epi wore off before we were done. For the 2nd, it made me vomit and have a crashing headache AND made the baby groggy. I had my 3rd naturally at 2:11 and was in the shower by 4. It was great. No side effects, just a baby. :-)
Wow...!
I had a headache and threwup with an epi.
My son had his cord around his neck 3 times and around his chest twice. The nurses said they had never seen such a long umbilical cord....3 feet stretched out. They also told me that if we hadn’t been in a hospital we both would have not survived the experience. We DO NOT want an NHS here.
As for epidural ...women should always have the option. Some may want to take the natural approach, others may want to have some relief against the pain. Taking away that option is plain insane.
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