OMG Greg, are your fingers aching.
I typed it over several days.

I hope you are putting in a formal complaint against that Dr. He had no right to bully you like that. And that's exactly what it was.
They actually provide a form included amongst a bunch of other information, where you can "give feedback on your hospital experience". The space to do so is only a few short lines on one section of those pamphlets that are folded into three - tiny enough to discourage most people. I thought about it - and the midwife had mentioned it too - but really, would it do any good? [sigh]

I am so sorry that you all had to all suffer so much.

Congratulations on your new little man
Thank you - on both counts.

Seeing as how your wife is such a dab hand at this birthing caper, maybe you should have a homebirth...
In the first couple of visits with the midwife (after hearing our various choices), had asked if we had considered a home birth. She actually warned us something like this might happen too - but I sort of didn't focus on that comment any more at the time than everything else she spoke about.

In the hospital she suggested some newish birth centre at Belmont (NSW) Hospital would be perfect for us - but I think she also said they might not accept us due to being > 40.

We sure do hate hospitals though. The long drive each day to visit - and then paying for carparking on top of the petrol (or walking 1km from where parking is free)... The terrible food... The cleaners vacuuming the rooms at 5am. (No sleep for the mother.) People turning lights on and off - nurses chatting away at all hours... I don't know how anyone can get BETTER in a place like that where they get no more than two hours of continuous sleep. (More like torture than health care.)

I'm sorta glad the Dr had several people watching whilst you (repeatedly) defended your decisions though - I'm sure you set a fine example for the rest of us.
At the very start I was chuckling to myself... All these people gathering around... It was like they were all in a trance - pulling in closer and closer to listen - and more of them kept appearing!

I can't believe they gave you so much crap, no one blinked when I refused both injections...
I think was partially that he had trainees in tow - and had to prove something to them. (And of course the fact it's sacrilege anyone that hasn't spent their 6-8 years in Uni doing essays should think outside their little medical boxes.)

Greg, you are a man after my own heart. Well done for sticking up for your wife and baby like you did.
Thank you.

I am sure you did her proud.
Didn't feel that way at the time - believe me! No sleep, no shower, greasy hair... Yuck!

We often learn this on our last babies and don't get to do anything with it, but make sure the men around you know too.
What's sad is, in our group of friends there are two doctors. So the people around us don't question much - of anything. They just fall into lockstep and do what they're told. One lady we know had a C-section arranged because her OB was going on a month's holiday the next day and didn't want another doctor.

If every woman had a man like you, I'd be out of a job

Congratulations on your new little boy
Heh - thanks... I've often though if I wasn't ill - and were younger - I'd like to start out to help others in some way (due to the vast majority of the medical community often seeming to be going in the wrong direction).

Thanks again ladies...