I was denied a C-section by bullying hospital staff and ended up losing my womb
Up to 30 per cent of new mums say that they feel belittled, ignored or bullied during labour
WOMEN are being "bullied" by hospital staff while in labour who disagree with their birthing choice.
According to a 2017 study, as many as 30 per cent of women say they feel belittled, dismissed or bullied during labour.
New mums say that their birthing plans and preferences were ignored when they didn't fit with medics' opinions.
Nina, a 28-year-old teacher, said that she woke up the day after having an emergency c-section with both hands tied to the bed.
She was told by a doctor that although her baby was healthy, she'd had her uterus removed without permission.
In her 14 hours of labour, she claims that she was mistreated by hospital staff and wonders if her non-consensual hysterectomy could have been avoided.
“I’ve experienced a severe trauma,” she told the .
“I wake up screaming from time to time. But the worst thing is, I feel like I didn’t stand up for myself. If I had really stood my ground from the beginning, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
She says that she asked for a c-section the moment she was admitted into hospital but her request was ignored and she was pushed into labouring for 14 hours - during which time, her uterus failed to contract and caused severe postpartum hemorrhaging.
“Call it mum gut, but I knew it wasn’t going to be a natural birth,” she said.
Can anyone have a c-section?
Midwives or doctors may advise you to have a c-section if you've got problems with your placenta, the baby is lying in a difficult position, or you're expecting more than one baby.
But you can also choose to have a non-medical c-section.
Tommy's advises women to chat with their midwives about any concerns they may have about giving birth and they can then help you make an informed decision about how you want your baby delivered.
But that's not to say that it's their job to dissuade you from having the birth that you want.
:
If you’re still sure you want a c-section after talking it through with your healthcare team, you should be able to have one.
Some women may feel guilty or worried about asking for a c-section when they don’t have a medical need for one. But your healthcare team will not judge you and will want to help you have the best possible birth experience.
If you feel your obstetrician doesn’t support your choice of birth, you can ask to see a different doctor. Some hospitals aren’t able to get funding for c-sections without a medical need.
If this happens, you can ask to move to a hospital in a different area.
"But the on-call doctor, who was not her regular obstetrician, made her feel like she was copping out.
“She kept pressuring me, like: ‘You don’t want that . . . you want the natural experience.'"
Another mum, Brooke Slabic, said that she had a similar response when she turned up at a New York hospital for her scheduled C-section.
Despite always planning to have a natural birth, Brooke's baby wasn't moving into the right position as her due date approached.
She was especially nervous because of her petite 4'11'' frame.
Her doctor had agreed that hours spent pushing just wasn't worth it.
But the midwife attending Brooke had other ideas.
Brooke claims "she said, 'That's ridiculous. Everybody can have babies at your size'".
"Two other nurses came in, and she told them, ‘She’s electing to have a C-section, this is ridiculous.’
"It's supposed to be such a beautiful moment but we just felt like we were attacked."
The New York Post reports another mum who wanted to have a natural birth but without any painkillers.
But when she arrived at the hospital, she was confronted with an unsympathetic male obstetrician who apparently told her to "shut up".
What the experts say
Lia Brigante, Quality & Standards Advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, told The Sun: "Some women like to have a birth plan and some don't, and it is entirely up to the woman if she has one or not.
"What is important is that the woman discusses her pregnancy and birth with her midwife and asks questions, so that she can make the decisions that are right for her and her pregnancy. This will of course be different for each woman.
"It is also important to note that things can change in pregnancies and it is useful to be flexible about the pregnancy and birth. Nothing is fixed though and the woman can change her mind about what she wants at any point, and her midwives will support her in this.
"This is the woman's pregnancy and birth and we urge women to talk with their midwives about their wants, their worries and their needs so that they can have the best possible pregnancy for them.
"This is all about choice for the woman. If there is a clinical need midwives and doctors may advise women about alternative options for the woman to those in their birth plan.
"But it should always be the woman's choice about her pregnancy and her birth, and maternity staff will do their very best to advocate for the woman and support her choices.
"What is also important is that women are informed and aware of the evidence and are aware of the risks and benefits of any particular course of action to support their choices and decisions."
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“This doctor tells me, in his exact words, ‘What is all this male/female mumbo jumbo?’ ” she said.
“He said, ‘I am the one who will be delivering your baby, and you should shut up.’ ”
He then apparently called her "annoying" and forced her to have an epidural.
"I felt like a patient lying on Frankensteins' table in a scary movie, like I had no rights."
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