Well they got pregnant didn't they!!!!

Anecdotely, I know some midwives have found that some older womens' labours can be a bit sluggish sometimes (not always) but sometimes need augmentation. I had an older client whos water broke after acupuncture and we could not get labour going after days of stairs, walking, the works - and the hospital luckily gave us a decent amount of time to get it going.

But this is no reason for anyone to think they need to or should accept any form of augmentation, older women should be treated like any other woman and intervention only if it's a medical emergency. Not 'just in case' a woman doesn't labour well because she is older - that is ridiculous. If the Ob doesn't want to be patient and give mum a go, its time to change Obs - or the Ob needs to change careers. Labour involves patience, time and it is so important to a woman, it can't be written off like that.