"Maternity"

My daughter in-law who is expecting her forth baby phoned me today extremely distressed following an ante natal check-up. Slim and in good health my daughter in-law neither drinks nor smokes. Her first baby was delivered with no problems, the second was rather large and got stuck, this was largely due to the fact that my daughter in-law had opted for a water birth and it was difficult for the midwives to see what was going on. Result was a healthy son who did not need any intervention and was not admitted to SCBU. Baby three was born naturally, with no problems but was diagnosed with a broken collar bone following her birth; no explanation was ever given, although some medical staff had raised issues of things not being done properly. Again no SCBU.

Today my daughter in-law goes for a normal consultant check-up, she is told that she will need a C Section and a sterilisation following!! My daughter in-law said she’d had three natural births and did not see the need for a C Section. She was the told by the consultant that she would be putting her unborn child at risk if she did not have a C Section! She was also told that the consultant had decided that her second delivery was an extreme shoulder displacement, which it was not; if it were he would have been in serious trouble but was delivered naturally and had a good Apgar score.

I am in London and have a good relationship with my daughter in-law, I told her this consultant was talking rubbish, since when does a consultant decide that an individual should be sterilised? I told my daughter in-law that she did not have to consent to a C Section, especially as there is no evidence that she would need one. This consultant left my daughter in-law in tears, belittled her and worse made her feel that she was putting her unborn child at risk! Shame on you. Here in London my daughter gave birth naturally after the horrendous birth of her son, she was fully supported and her fears were calmed and all medical expertise was on standby. Three of her four children have been in SCBU and nothing was said to her at putting her child’s life at risk. Next time I shall come down from London to be with my daughter in-law to support her. What a dreadful experience.