Well girls - I am sorry I have been MIA - my mom was in ICU and sadly passed away at the weekend I think I am back now.

anyways .............................. look at this (uk news)


Last Updated: Wednesday, 26 September 2007, 08:12 GMT
- Search: Midwives guidance Nice

Doctors and midwives have been issued with detailed guidance on care for women in labour.

They range from greeting expectant mothers with a smile and knocking on doors before entering a room, to offering birthing pools as a means of pain relief.

New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has highlighted the importance of good communication with women in labour and treating them with respect.

Clinical intervention should not be offered or advised where labour is progressing normally and the woman and baby are well, the guidelines state, and once a woman is in established labour she should receive supportive one-to-one care.




The guidance is expected to mean longer labours for some women but could also mean fewer medical interventions which can result in more painful and complicated labours. Currently around 600,000 women give birth in England and Wales every year.

Experts have said using water as pain relief during labour is more effective than any other pain relief barring the use of an epidural and can improve the experience of birth for women.

Dr Julia Sanders, a consultant midwife, and a member of the group which drew up the guidance said: "There is a perception that water is just nice. But it is the most effective form of pain relief barring an epidural in labour.

"I would like to see more women using water and fewer women using the types of pain relief that are less effective."

She added that the guidelines highlighted "very strongly" that communication with women in labour was "absolutely crucial".

Maureen Treadwell, of the Birth Trauma Association, said better levels of information and communication with women in labour would leave them less vulnerable to feeling "victims of events".

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maybe I didnt pay that much attention when I was reading that but I got kinda mixed emotions. I understand this is in UK and not US, but isnt un medicated births better? why would we care if the labor is a bit longer. and how does an unmedicated birth mean more complicated??? I would think that an unmedicated birth is easier because you dont always need to be monitoring the fluid levels and pain medication levels and you are letting the body do what it has been doing naturally for a very long time... I think its great that they are making it a point to treat laboring women ith respect, its dificult sure, but its an awsome experience in ones life and the last thing that woman needs is to be treated disrespectfully durring a very painful time. this would be an awsome discussion topic

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I like this bit ...Clinical intervention should not be offered or advised then a labouring woman would make her own choices rather than feel pressured in any way to accept interventions.
however that said I live in the UK, Northern Ireland to be exact and I found for three of my births that the staff where I had my babies were escellent. The hospital where they were born as now opened a state of the art suite with birthing pools in virtually every room, LOL almost going to get PG to try it out it sounds so good - this is 'routine' hospital treatment for women in our area from here on in.

As for being longer - well I dont think that would be the case with a NCB - only when failed inductions and interventions end up in needless c-sections then perhaps.

Its great that guidelines are being put forward as I know there are some areas and hospitals lacking in the knowledge - and I experience such with my first baby, it was difficult to have as natural as I would have wanted as the midwife was an old school type and she would not let me off the bed, when I got off she shouted at me to get back on etc.

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I dont know where I am going to give birth because I am in the process of trying to switch ob's. so I dont know what the policies of natural childbirth are. I guess it depends on the hospital, and wether or not i am going to be able to handle ncb. I am so scared of having a gall bladder attack durring labor I know i will cave if I do... I can guarantee that having an attack is worse pain than labor and I know I wont be able to handle both

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That's great! Now if only the US would adopt the same policy!

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