It’s never ‘just’ anything….

Autonomy & consent

? (sweep, vaginal examinations, induction of labour)
⭐Even when said with a smile.
⭐By someone in uniform.
⭐By someone who makes you feel like they’re more invested in your child’s welfare than you.
⭐If it makes you feel weird, you haven’t had a chance to think about it, talk to your partner or been given impartial up to date evidence that explains & discusses the pro’s & con’s of what is being offered to you.
⛔If this isn’t happening, this is coercion & most certainly not informed consent. Something that all healthcare professionals should be doing with every interaction with everyone who accepts care.
?This matters because 2/3 of parents report some aspect of their care or birth as traumatic, & in almost 70% of those parents, their trauma was as a direct result of the care they received from health professionals.
?Birth is a human right’s issue!
Do you think birth is risky business? How does this sit with you???
“Birth is as safe as life”
?Risk is not something to be taken lightly, but it is yours to consider. Risk belongs to mothers & fathers, not health professionals. Ever.
Risk can & is used as an effective means of control, especially in pregnancy & birth. It is also creates fear & anxiety.
?Risk is also another word for chance.
If this was used instead, you might view the discussion differently.
?It’s always worth asking for figures, stats, percentages because again, being told something is going to increase your chance of this or that by 50% is fucking scary, but what if that number went from 0.1% to 0.2%.? That is a big chance of ‘it’ definitely not happening.
⚠️When is this evidence from? 1981? 2001? 2022?
⚠️Is it up to date information? Are they up to date on their evidence & information sharing?
If this has lit a ? within you, are you interested in finding out more about the guidelines & evidence based care being offered to you, then come join us for 5 thought provoking & passionate weeks of all things related to your experience with two of the biggest birth nerds (in the world maybs?), we will chat, eat some delicious food & explore this & more?.
You know you want to?
Sam & Kelly x ??