Posted on 08/31/2012 6:03:33 AM PDT by C19fan
Family doctors are being told to try to talk women out of having Caesareans and very strong painkillers during birth to save the NHS money. New guidelines drawn up for GPs urge them to encourage women to have natural labours with as little medical help as possible. But for many women the prospect of giving birth without the painkillers is unthinkable. And critics have said the move has been made without any thought for the women themselves. The guidelines also remind doctors to tell women to consider having their babies outside hospital in midwife-run units or in their own homes.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
My frugal mother turned one down back in the day to save $35. Fee for service works.
“I am sure that the NHS also has “guidelines” for the treatment of high risk newborns ....neonatal intensive care is expensive you know... and many infants that would be in a NICU in the US and survive are likely simply allowed to die in the UK because treating them would be too expensive.”
I worked over 14+ years in NICU. I have a nephew that was in an NICU in another city. When I read his chart, I had virtually no hope and had to try to say encouraging things to my sister. He’s a Cornell University graduate with honors, and married now. Yeah, they had a really expensive medical bill, but I truly shudder at the thought of what Obamacare will do to NICU care. The U.S. was the world leader in treatment and care. Socialized medicine is not a spark for seeking breakthroughs in care or new forms of treatment. I was blessed to work in the top hospital in the world and saw many, many breakthroughs and changes. That can be kissed good-bye with Obamacare.
Epidurals ARE more expensive, and take more skill to administer. However, they have big advantages: in childbirth, an epidural does not anesthetize the newborn, who is born lively, and usually starts breathing on his own. The mother also recovers more rapidly.
I (a male) had an epidural for major surgery, because my doctor recommended it. Even then, I had to make arrangements for it beforehand: I had to call the chief or surgery at the hospital, and ask for an epidural. I explained why I wanted it, and he emphatically agreed, but in that hospital the anesthesiologist is assigned only at the last minute, and not all of them do epidurals. Usually only the Board-certified can do it. The chief promised me that he would appoint one of the qualified anesthesiologists, or else he would step in and take my case himself. And so it was that I had an epidural, and awoke from surgery with no nausea, feeling weak, but very hungry (which is to be expected, because they generally make the patient fast beforehand). I got out of the hospital in the shortest possible time.
I am not sure that I would want an epidural in England, because their healthcare system is rickety. Improperly administered, an epidural can be dangerous.
Actually, if I were in England and needed medical care, I would get back to the States as quickly as possible!
I try to talk women out of epidurals because every woman I know who ever had one during delivery was complaining about back pain ten, twenty and thirty years later.
Personally I found that the dilation period from about 6 to 10 centimeters was worse than the pushing phase.
Ah, come on, EVERYONE KNOWS that this is all just Anti-Obama lying propaganda! Yeah, everyone who has drank his cool-aide.
Sarc-off.
Back pain happens for a number of reasons. I had an epidural once, but I'm pretty certain the back pain is from osteoarthritis exacerbated by scoliosis. The only way to control the pain is to exercise.
except the baby and I both lived by some grace of God
Army medicine- Gotta love it - good preview of obamacare
The chief at the army hospital then didn't believe in epidurals - so they weren't offered
They didn't even give me a bullet to bite- no firearms training card in my pocket (ha ha)
The women I know (wife, mother, aunts, coworkers) all complain about specific pain at the point of the injection.
“I try to talk women out of epidurals because every woman I know who ever had one during delivery was complaining about back pain ten, twenty and thirty years later.”
Have you ever been through labor and delivery personally? My first child was an emergency C-section after 33 hours of labor. My second was an attempted, failed V-Back. For my third, my doctor offered the option of a V-Back and my response was unequivocally, “no!” The minimal back pain I’ve experienced over the years was nothing compared to what I went through during labor and delivery. I’d take the back pain any day, because I could take an aspirin or an ibuprofen and get relief.
Beats the heck out of hours in labor so painful you think you’re in a Nazi prison camp being treated by Dr. Mengele. My 2 cents as an RN who’s worked closely with L&D.
Obviously I can never walk in your shoes. All I’m saying is that all the women in my life who have had them tell me they had ongoing pain at the site for years, and they would never have one again.
I’ve had two children with epidurals, and I could kiss the anesthesiologists who gave them to me. They didn’t hurt going in, the kids didn’t hurt coming out, and I’ve had no side effects at all. For modesty’s sake, I won’t go into some of the complications from the birth of the first, but I’ll just say it would have been unbearable without that epidural.
Now the old-fashioned caudal blocks from my mother’s day did cause lingering back pain.
“Obviously I can never walk in your shoes. All I’m saying is that all the women in my life who have had them tell me they had ongoing pain at the site for years, and they would never have one again.”
They may be the exception, but not necessarily the rule. I wouldn’t trade the couple years of occasional, intermittent pain I endured for the alternative. I ended up during my first delivery being told that because I’d chosen natural child birth, that, no, I couldn’t get an epidural because there was no anesthesiologist available...at least not until it became an emergency C-section. As an RN, working so long in the area, I know there is a good chance I wouldn’t have needed a C-section if I’d had an epidural. I’ve always tried to present an even, informed, balanced education to my patients, with a risks-benefits analysis. My experience after my first was worth a bottle of ibuprofen. I consider myself blessed though, because I heard the horror stories from co-workers about their episiotomies and virtual inability to have normal intercourse again.
What age group are the women? I think the meds used and probably the insertion techniques for epidurals have changed over the years. Like anything else, there are benefits AND risks. I’ve had — let me count — 5? Only from one do I remember any lingering discomfort at the insertion site, lasted perhaps six months. Never had headaches or anything from it.
Things relating to pregnancy and childbirth (epidurals, breasfeeding, etc.) too often bring out such militant responses. I’ve had doctors who never heard of an intervention they didn’t love and advocate. I’ve heard women who think if you don’t squat in the woods to give birth, you’re “not natural.” I say bah-humbug to both. Give women objective, unbiased information and let them decide without guilt either way, for heaven’s sake! Having given birth both with and without epidural, I can say delivery is a whole lot more ... pleasant (ha) WITH. On the other hand, I liked the mobility and less invasive nature of birth without it, too.
I'll just bet he didn't. Perhaps someday karma will pay him back with a dentist who doesn't believe in anesthesia for root canal, or a surgeon who prefers to remove the gall bladder "naturally."
My doc (and I made sure to engage an old hand who had been delivering babies for 40 years) was prepared for any contingencies such as a long and difficult labor or bad presentation. But the family are sturdy Scotch-Irish farming stock on both sides, and have always had lots of babies without any difficulty. I can't remember anyone having any trouble at all, except my maternal grandmother, who was a bacteriologist and nurse and probably scared herself half to death thinking of all the anomalies she had seen in her career . . . . but she perforce had a natural childbirth because it was 1924 . . . .
If things had started to go south, I would have been the first to ask for an epidural!
“Both my mom and I had episiotomies with no ill effects — sure beats an uncontrolled tear.”
I used to do a very visual argument about an uncontrolled tear with new nurses. I’m glad you weren’t one of the many women who could never enjoy sex again. My nursing instructors were old broads who lived through WW11. I think they worked hard to teach common sense. Epesiotomy- take a piece of cloth and try to tear it. Good luck. Cut it and then try to tear it. Nuff said.
Utter rubbish.
Rubbish.
Britain counts them just like America. I dont know about Europe, but I can assure you we do.
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