reprise

I've met more than my fair share of people wanting to adopt who also fail to see a baby as a separate and distinct human being with needs and rights and who still perceive the adoption system as existing in order to provide them with a child rather t...

Our adoption system here is totally different to that in the US and was changed some years ago to reflect the fact that many of the situations under which young women previously relinquished their children for adoption were temporary. Now, when the ...

it was little thanks to the attending midwives. I am angry beyond measure at the way my daughter was treated by her attending midwives last night and I know that I *should* be grateful that grandbaby was safely delivered and all of that. I'm way too...

The overall statistics can be found on google and are quite frightening. HOWEVER, when you disaggregate the figures and take into account hospital policies, the numbers show a different story. What do you regard as "pain medication". A single shot ...

I am utterly and totally offended by medical staff who are at least supposed to have read the cover sheet on my file which quite clearly states my lack of religious belief injecting their personal metaphysical belief systems into my personal tragedie...

I truly believe that the reason some people call the emergency services is because they don't want their family member dying in front of their eyes or that they don't want to be alone in the presence of death (and let's be honest, death is not always...

One thing which was quite common 10 years ago was selective adherence to advance directives - so while only palliative care would be given for the underlying, terminal condition, doctors would actively treat any opportunistic infections or other comp...

During the time I worked in the HIV/AIDS field, I found it quite puzzling that often it was the families of those who'd been suffering a terminal illness for a considerable period of time who were most reluctant to discontinue futile treatment. Intu...

It's unclear from your post whether you were actually fired or whether you were employed subject to satisfactory performance during a probationary period and your employer elected not to continue your employment after that time. You also don't mentio...

I don't think that Larry meant staff couldn't use that number to lodge complaints. I read his post as saying even if you don't know the "right" number to complain to at least you can use that one as a starting point and they should be able to refer ...

First of all I need to declare an interest here. I am not a nurse. I am a licensed health educator and a state approved community visitor (which basically means I have a badge which allows me to walk into certain facilities - public or private - wh...

As the mother of one of those young mums to be who everybody and their dog (including myself) thought should have terminated the pregnancy, I'd just like to tell those of you who are able to suspend your judgements long enough to offer help what a di...

Like most women in Australia, my daughter doesn't have an ob. Unless something goes wrong there won't be a doctor involved in her delivery at all, and if something does go wrong it will be handled by one of the obs who is on duty at the time (high r...

Well, the week when my daughter needs to commit her birth plan to paper has finally arrived. The one question with which she's still having trouble is whether to rank an assisted vaginal delivery higher than a caesarian if grandbaby needs some help e...

I recall that when I was pregnant with my own children (my youngest is almost 13) I was asked many questions about my mother's obstetric history. Is it because there are so many tests available now to directly determine the well-being of mother and ...

I do know that none of the hospital doctors do rotational forceps (the midwives seem to regard the couple of private obs who still have the knack of doing these as fossils). I also know that the policy is to do a routine episiotomy for all forceps d...

Can I just ask how many of the 37-38 weekers who end up in NICU were anticipated to need assistance prior to delivery? Many public hospitals here will not schedule inductions for prior to 38 weeks in the absence of a compelling medical reason (prec...

Oddly enough, this came up at antenatal classes (which were right before DD's antenatal appointment) yesterday and the midwife who was taking the classes made it very clear that which option is taken has as much to do with the preferences of individu...

The only thing which really concerns me is the possibility of a drug reaction if ergometrine is used for third stage management. Reactions to other drugs are fairly consistent among the females in my family. In all likelihood (grandbaby is being del...

Now that's scary. I'm somewhat tempted to ask what drug is used for third stage management at the hospital where my daughter will be delivering. When I had my son, the hospital routinely administered ergometrine - to which I had a dangerous reaction...

I've used nitrous with all of my labours and love it. The fixed systems in all of the hospitals in which I've delivered allow for changing the ratio of the two gases to a maximum of 70% nitrous (the portable systems are set at 50/50). As others have...

"Mum, I just feel yuck". "But I don't feel thirsty". Neither do I during summer but I know damned well if I don't drink enough fluids to maintain my BP I feel really, REALLY hideous. You drank nothing at all ovenight bar two sips. You know that yo...

My daughter is currently 32 weeks pregnant and at her next antenatal appointment will start to draw up her birth plan. As she is booked into a birth centre, the primary purpose of the birth plan is to record her wishes should something go wrong duri...

I had my first child in a maternity hospital some 24 years ago, and one thing I've noticed as the birth of my grandson approaches is how much better educated and prepared for the realities of labour and childbirth "average" (ie, those who are not pay...

I think that the different "standard" procedures may have something to do with it. Although the birth centre is part of the standard birthing unit (literally across an ten foot hallway), the L&D suites contain equipment which the birth centre ro...