Since when is Syntocin recommended by

The World Health Organisation ???

Is this something new, or was this midwife sipmly blowing out of her a$$ like I felt about most of the stuff she was saying.

Ok some more info. Today I took my SIL for her 31 week birth centre appt. She was to go over her birth plan which we sat down for around 2 hours yesterday and went over.

Most of the things on there SIL got shot down for. She questioned why she wanted a natural third stage of labour and when Simone said that she felt it wasn't absolutely necessary she went on to say about how a first babies labour is much longer, she will bemore likely to bleed more afterwards. AND World Health Organisation actually recommends that women have this injection. Please tell me this is the load of cr@p I thought it was.

I did challenge this mdwife several times and I have no doubt that she did not like me at all. I'm sick of people being ill informed and only told 1 side, the negative side of what "could" happen.

What happened to empowering mums, Especially young, first time mums. I was shaking with temper in there and had to fight back my many arguements.

She also told SIL that if bub wasn't born by 41.3 weeks that she could not birth in the birthing centre and would have to go to the normal labour ward. She changed her dates forward by 9 days. Meaning that of course, waht chance has she got of this bub coming early enough for them not to induce her. When I said baby will come when it is ready. She was quick to say, Or when we decide it's ready !! I said that she could refuse the induction and agree to regular scans and check ups, She then told SIL that she would have to sign a form saying that she is aware of the "dangers" and she would not have a leg to stand on if someting went wrong. WTF !!!

Kelly, I so wish you were there with us too. I could imagine you would voice up abit more.

At the end of the day I can only say so much. Afterall it's not my body or baby. One thing is for certain. If I ever have another baby, there is no way in hell I'm going through the hospital system again!!!

I had to have syntocin drip, but only for the 5th baby and onwards to prevent pph.

Nat, she was talking about the injection after birth to deliver the placenta. Although I am sure you know what I was talking about anyway ;)

Yep thats it. I had it, but only with that last 3 - definitely not with the first ones.

I know that I was given them, pretty much almost routinely after my first 2 births. I knew no different then. Noah was a c section and I sure didn't have it after Tehya :)

I love the new ticker pic. Teh's so cute.

I think it's really an unnecessary intervention to have it for the first, but that MW sounds like she would have said anything to disagree with anything you said, lol

Thank you girls. Thats exactly what I thought. It got to the point where she was just ignoring me. LOL. I sure wasn't there to pick a fight. But if she wanted one...

My SIL is a very quiet girl, she doesn't like to rock the boat but at the same time has her own ideas in her head. When it comes to the time where she gets questioned about them she baulks, this is when a midwife like that will know that she can get it over her.

I only hope she can find the strength within herself to stand up for all that she wants when it comes time to birth this baby. I know my brother will back down to anything they say.

Midwife also got me offside when she asked if it was the first grandchild on either side. It's the 10th on our side and first on SIL's side. She then went on to say that don't worry, your partners side won't even call !! And tell anyone not to bother hanging around outside. Well, for starters of course we're interested, but we are also smart enough to know that birthing babys takes time and when it happens we will get told. But how rude of her to think we wouldn't even take interest...

And don't even get me started on her breastfeeding info. Apparently the ONLY way to feed a ne born is football hold. How about however you feel bloody comfortable doing it. And if your family are bottle feeders expect crap from them. Not sure if she was directing this to me, but I proptly said actually no, we're breastfeeders. I'm still feeding my nearly 2 year old. Again ignored.

Can you tell how p'd I am about this all. Deep breathes in and out Trish :)

PS, thanks Nat. I think she's pretty darn cute too. One of the rare occassions with clothes on ;)

Trish... I had an awful time with these points. One being just the fact that choices were taken away and that one sided alternatives were given. As you probably remember all the pressure I was under when trying for the VBAC. I was told that I was putting my babies life at risk by going over 41+4. I had to firmly stand ground & when I got outside with shaking knees I would phone Kelly for help. DH & I cried alot in that last week with thoughts of all the "what if they're right?".

Give her books to read.... Print her out a few birth stories & give her a big hug from me.

Yep hun, deep, deep breaths, lol.

I tell you what though, I wish my MW with Rayanne had her policy re no-one hannging around.

When I was giving birth to Rayanne, DH nearly fainted (goose) and I was left with my 2 SIL, who I can't stand.

Then BIL wife who I really can't stand pops her head in and I, being the classy lady that I am, screamed out " What the F#@K is she doing here - Get her OUUUTTTT!!!!!

I needed bouncers and guard dogs, lol. Your SIL MW would have done, lol

Thanks Christy. Yup I sure do remember all the pressure that was put onto you. Especially in those last few weeks.

I have told her to read some birth stories on here, also to start familiarising herself with her own body. Just knowing the different stages of labour, how they work and how your body responds to it all.

Hopefully she will feel comfortable enough to stay at home for a fair ammount of time and no damn induction is needed.

Keep your fingers crossed for her girls :)

Hey, how could she go wrong with me on her side ;)

Nat, I'm hearing you on all the vistors hanging around. Thankfully I never had that woith any of my births. My family knows better. But I do remember when ex SIL was having her first. She is Maltese, anyway, her whole damn family was hanging around the hospital. Nothing like the added pressure hey.

Oh Trish! I really feel for you and your SIL.
Well done for standing your ground too!! I have had this type of "unbiased" alternatives and options since the ante-natal classes. It drives me mad to think that a lot of people don't know any better than to just accept what the doc or midwife says or they do know better (like me) and then just get bullied into things.

Well done for standing up for her!

Trish good on you for sticking up for her. I had my first antenatal class with DH last Tues night (next one tonight) and I can honestly say that after hanging around BB and reading everything i can, I knew alot more about certain things than the mw! Also I have noticed dealing with different mw's each time I go in for a check up, they all know different things or have differing opinions on certain subjects and may not know anything on other subjects (no one has been able to tell me much about manually turning a breech baby for example). Fortuantely I havent come across any with attitude like this one though and the hospitail I am going with is very big on letting things run its natural course and letting the woman choose how she would like to things to go etc..
I would be livid dealing with someone like this mw you & your SIL went to, I guess there are types in every profession that are always 'right' about everything hey.

Netty, what else can I do. I feel I have to stick up for her. I don't want to see her getting walked all over.

Informing yourself as much as you can helps so much with empowerment. Information is power hun.

Just want to thank you Trish for being there for me;) Its hard being a first time mum and not knowing to much about childbirth. I will keep at the information available, its starting to get a bit clearer now. Hopefully i will stick to my guns and have the confidence in myself to pursue with the whole of my birthing plan.

(This including not having, the Syntocin injection to expel the placenta 'quicker' and keeping the umbilical cord attached until it stops pulsating.)

Thanks to all for the wise words!:D

Simone xxx

Simone, no worries hun. Someone's got to look out for you hun.

I'm not there to make friends with the midwife. Just there to make sure you can achieve what you want to achieve out of your birth and make it a positive experience not a scarey one.

Caro, I am very much considering it. I would love to get into Middy but I know that I would have trouble conforming, so becoming a Doula is the next best thing for me :)

Actually it would be better !!

Wow, Simone and Trish, that midwife sounded awful! I've had some bad ones but none who tried to push intervention... although I've pushed DH a little too far into the anti-intervention court so I doubt anyone would try it with us. As far as I see it, women have been giving birth perfectly well for hundreds of years without all this chemical and monitoring nonsense so why can't I?

Well said Trish about not being there to make friends with the midwife... I think I am going to have to remember that one! This is why I'm going to the birth centre, not the hospital - I like the midwives in the hospital as people, but very few of them as midwives. Far too pro-intervention at hospitals usually.

Yup so very true Ryn.

Ummm.... *cough* Its so important to have good birth support for those reasons, someone who can advocate for you, in times of vulnerability or fogginess. *cough*

:)

HAHA Thanks Kel ;)

Some searching has unearthed a reference in the WHO's "Better Birthing Initiatve" Package, which does indeed recommend the routine use of syntocinon for all women, with the justification that it is a safe way of reducing the risk of PPH. While syntocinon itself is not harmful, it does necessitate the early clamping of the cord which some (myself included) believe is detrimental to the baby.

Unfortuately, I do not have access to the WHO Reproductive Health Library, and the Better Birthing Initiatve made its recommendation regarding syntocionon based on an article in this library from 2001. However, it is important to remember that much of the work of the WHO targets less developed countries who often have poor access to medical facilities and poorly-trained medical and health practitioners. In these circumstances, I guess that the routine use of syntocinon is a safe way of reducing the risk of a PPH. Of course, we are not in those circumstances (unless you count the poorly trained health professional bit...:D). We are well-nourished, well-educated, have medical facilities readily available, and if we choose an independently practicing midwife or are attending a birth centre whose model of care allows for some kind of continuity of care, then we have a trusted health professional with us. Additionally, if we are well educated, healthy, and pursue an active labour, our risk of intervention is reduced. All of these things reduce the likelihood of a PPH.

You have my permission to tell the midwife that at the next appointment, if you are there, Trish...:D

And for a vent about the sad state of antenatal education and how midwives who actually try and empower women are treated, head over to the Boohoo forum...:angry:

Thanks a heap for that Michael. I must remember that. Hopefully Simone won't get that midwife again anyway. Fingers crossed hey.

oh god don't get me started on that bloody birth centre, it's not a bc, it's 3 pretty rooms in the corner of a labour ward. Trust me, I worked there!!. The midwives don't have any extra training in natural birth and alot of the time it is a case of "who wants to work in the BC?" "don't pick me" Good on you for sticking up for Simone, stick to your guns esspecially with the due date thing. I'd be asking that midwife why she was changing the date keeping in mind that if Simone is sure of her dates then that is more accurate than an ultrasound date. I went 11 days over with my second baby and the hospital here (which I was only booked in "just in case" as I was havig a homebirth) scared the **** out of me telling me that the "chance of mortality after 41 weeks doubles" I came home an did my research and, yes, it does double, but from 0.1% to 0.2%!!! so I can only imagine what it is like for women that arn't midwives.
Secondly shmickers, darling, you are wrong. Syntocinon is harmful in a way. As the establishment of breastfedding requires the correct and delicately balanced levels of hormones including oxytocin (the natural form of syntocinon) a massive dose of synto as the baby is born stuffs up the hormone levels and can have a detrimental effect on the establishment of a good milk supply.
Syntocinon only came into use when AIDS really came apparent, as a way of sparing women needing a blood transfusion as they didn't want to risk anyone getting AIDS. Like everything in obstetrics it has been blown out of all proportion. The midwives at that bc wouldn't even know that not having it is an option. As long as you have had a normal labour and birth it is not necessary but keep in mind the placenta can take up to a few hours to birth in a pysiological 3rd stage and there is no way a hopital will ait that long, they'll take you off to OT for a manual removal at the 30 minute mark. And as for 1st babies being long labours- my first baby was 3 hours as they offten are if left alone! My advice would be to keep Simone at home as long as possible and go in fully dilated or better still have a homebirth!!! You know what you're doing Trisha!!!!

With my luck ill probably get the same midwife when i go into labour...eeekk!

Simone:)