I feel quite strongly about this.

I feel that reassuring kind words are essential in labour but have witnessed alot of very different approaches.

Whats your view?

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Josie
StudentMidwife.NET Founder & Director



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Sometimes tbh I am horrified at what I hear, especially from doctors.

On my very first day I was looking after a couple who were very distressed as she was in Prem labour at 27 weeks. There were four docs and a midwife and me in the room. They discussed her over the bed in medical terminology, reiterated this to them and left

I asked them afterwards if they understood what had been said they had no idea, and she was very distressed.

I know I am new to this, but I am constantly disappointed by some of the treatment I see. It just is not good enough and I get very upset about it.

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I find myself asking couples alot if they understood what the Doc just said. And they always so no or Im not sure. I dont think its bedside manner stuff cos Ive witnessed a few really brill Docs being really clear with women and making sure they do understand, I sometimes wonder if its that institutionalised thing again? they just dont realise they are doing it and are really pushed for time? but then so are we and I always find the time to make sure the women I care for know whats going on. Ive already witnessed myself saying 'VE' instead of 'examine you vaginally' to the women, I picked myself up straight away but even so.....

I wrote a reflection all about language in labour and building the womans trust and confidence through verbal and non verbal cues, I'm very intuitive, so not much gets by me anyway but I will be honest and say that Ive agree with you, Ive seen some contact that has left me really dissapointed and embarressed.

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Josie
StudentMidwife.NET Founder & Director



MidwiferyWorld.NET our sister site for Senior Students and Midwives is now live, tell your mentors and tutors!

Language of labour has just cropped up in 'birth stories' so I thought I would continue that discussion in here. It is so easy to slip into language like 'deliver' a baby instead of 'birth' a baby, or 'assisting' a woman etc. etc.., and I am sure that we all do it and none of us would mean any ill or wish to take anything away from the woman's achievement. But I have to say, that 99% of women won't even pick up on language like this, and sometimes I do feel that there is a lot of time spent umming and ahing of new, more friendly terminology, which probably goes unnoticed except by us. Having said that, I do understand that just because it goes by unnoticed, does not mean that there shouldn't be change, but I think that change is already occuring (we are living proof) but no effect will be immediate.

That aside, keeping a woman fully informed and not using jargon is a different matter and completely essential, in my opinion, and a different matter completely to the 'woman-centred'-holistic type of terminology above, about birthing your own baby etc.... But those doctors are a law unto themselves and I think getting them to change the way they speak to women will be nigh on impossible... but then that's where we come in as advocates I guess.

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3rd year Student Midwife

There are some awesome doctors out there, but there are some that I think need to retire. It's not that they aren't really smart and know what to do, it's that they can't relate to people and I think in the health care field, relating to people is absolutely essential. You know, the doctor may have one or two patients on the floor, but while I was nursing I could have 8 and a lot more to deal with than just treatments and so on...yet I was always able to spend an extra 15 minutes with the patient to make sure they knew just what was going on. Honesty and being straightforward are essential, otherwise they will be, like the woman in the previous post, absolutely terrified.

It's takes a warm heart and warm hand to do what we're wanting to do. I not only want to help them through this time, I want them to walk away from the experience empowered and how on earth are they going to be able to do that if they have no idea what's going on?

How brilliantly and eloquently put! WOW
This is exactly it.

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Unsure if this is in the right thread but it is language I used in labour with a woman: I remember as a first year student doing a VE and the cx was posterior and the head was very high.

I said to my midwife who was on the bed as well directing me to stretch my fingers so I stupidly said out loud "But my whole arm is up there!". My midwife whispered "shhh, outside now"

I got bad feedback from that midwife and reflecting back on it now, yeah it was so stoooopid but come on I was first yea and was only just learning labour lingo.

lol

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Haha sorry but thats really tickled me, I've felt like that but never actually said it lol x