Last episode of One Born Every Minute

Jinxi

I really enjoyed this series! Thought it was great for someone like me who is embarking on the whole journey. No hole barred and really touching, my partner and I were glued to it.
However on the last episode last night I was horrified to see a midwife force a mother to take the syntocinon injection on Katrina, which is not essential, despite her BEGGING her not to. Isn't that just given to speed up the delivery of the after-birth. Doesn't bf-ing your child have the same effect.
WTF!!!

implausible

Jinxi wrote: »

No hole barred

Well, that phrase explains why I couldn't get the other half to watch it!:D:D:D

fi1979

Yea Jinxi, I was surprised by that also. Perhaps they give it as standard in UK, as far as I know it is optional here.
I eventually remembered it and sat himself down to watch it. It scared the bejaysus out of him!!! Maybe ignorance would have been better lol

wmpdd3

I think the girl had agreed to the procedure but she was terrified of injections and her mum was trying to tell here that they already discussed this and she had agreed.

KillerKity

The forceps was pretty scary... Is there normally some kind of pain relief given before hand?

Nevyn

Forceps can be scary, I wasn't scared at all until the mid wife rang for the phone and the dr arrived in to brandish the forceps when I was having my first. But I hardly felt them was to busying tying to push and not to laugh as he heaved with the forceps and the midwife had a hold of him around the middle heaving him like the kids book the giant turnip when the are trying to pull it out.

3 heaves and my son was born and the pediatrician was already there to examine him.
He had marks on his face for 4 days after and then he was fine.

SanFran07

Hi Jinxi - in the case of the young mum it was the fear of needles that was the problem not the managed third stage. With the epi she wouldn't have felt the injection anyway.

In cases where there has been intervention (epidural and probably synthetic oxytocin too) it's recommended that Mums have the injection. Not having the injection is really only an option when Mum has had a natural birth.

HTH

Tracy

MissHoneyBun

I thought the midwives at that hospital seemed like lovely ladies. They all seemed to really respect and enjoy their job which made for nice viewing. I thought the series was very honest and kudos to those ladies giving birth for sharing such a personal moment with the world!

Terpsichore

Hey Jinxi

If I remember well, this very young Mum of 19 was quite difficult to deal with, quite childish and wimpy, only swearing insanities to her Mum, and leaving the poor young Dad completely lost on the side.

She explained that she didn't have enough amniotic fluid, which I understood could have been a potential problem for her child. If the nurse was forceful, I really believed that it's because she didn't have a choice view the non so responsible reactions of her patient, and in view of a potential danger for the baby.

On the program itself:

I find it quite funny that quite a few Irish mothers told me to stay well away from this program. What are they scared of?
I really appreciated the experience sharing and the incredible insight that it is providing me before the birth of my Littlle One sometime in June. This is experience you can't buy. I am aware that all cases are different and that anything can happen, good or bad.

I was a bit amazed at how loud the women shouted... maybe a UK phenomenon? I have a Spanish colleague who gave birth here in Ireland 4 years ago, she was shouting and the nurse told her to keep it quiet!

God knows what my experience will be, but I feel somewhat more prepared for having seen this program.

January

The only time I was told to be quiet during labour was when I was pushing. The midwife told me that if I was making noise then I wasn't concentrating on pushing properly! I was allowed make all the noise I wanted when I wasn't pushing though!

Nevyn

The not shouting in child birth is one of those things, they discourage on based on the fact you may upset other mothers who are delivering and culturally it goes back to the catholic idea that the pains of child birth like period pains are the price women pay for eve's actions in the garden of eden and a women who's a vessel for orginal sin should suck it up and bear it quietly and pray during labour.

I know screwed up, my own mother was told when having me, her first to stop yelling about the pain and to pray. :rollseyes:

As for wanting to know, I had the same thing said to me that ignorance was bliss and I was only upsetting myself by taking the time to read as much as I could about what may happen when I would be giving birth.

Jinxi

Hi terpsicore
My sis is two weeks from her due day and the show has made her a little panicky. She is hardy and isn't afraid of pain but she has been slapped witht reality of HOURS of pain.

My partner, who as mentioned also love the show, is terrifed of needles and was completley sympathetic to the girl.
But all that aside, my issue about it was that the injection to speed up the delivery of the placenta is non-essential. Women in labour rely on the ethics of the hospital staff as they are already vulnerable. I have a feeling that as wonderful as the staff were in the program and as wonderful as all maternity staff are in Ireland, it kind of sickens me that women who are trying to manage their pain and deliver their children get superfluous drugs pushed on them to keep beds and staff free.:mad:

Terpsichore

Hey, I see what you mean now.

Couldn't agree more on the pushing for drugs to free up beds!!! That's disgusting.

Well they will have to stay put and keep me in cos I'm allergic to quite every medication they could think of using. Can't even take aspirin!

I hope your sister manages to take a more holistic approach to her delivery. I know it's easier said than done. I'm quite calm now, but what about in a few weeks time??!!

As I saw it written somewhere on the hospital litterature: the pain of labour can't be that awful or women would never go on having other children... Food for thoughts!

I will keep this in mind. I know it won't be easy. But I know it won't be impossible too. Fingers crossed!!

ebmma

about labour pain - I didn't go through full labour (baby went into distress during the induction so ended up with section at the end), but the pains I had right before induction went wrong were very manageable and not like any other type of pain I experienced.
I felt that the contraction itself was very sore, but once it was over it was over - I was totally pain free inbetween contractions that made it a lot better. I don't know what way it'd be if my labour continued, but hopefully next time around I get same type contractions

so it wasn't hours of solid pain anyway.