VITAMIN K injection

[lsm1066]

Do you remember her name? I can tell you the name of every midwife I saw when ds1 was born, especially the one who treated me like a nuisance. (saw me for 5 minutes every 4 hours and in transition, when I went from 0 to 8cm in half and hour and screamed for a epidural having had nothing up to that point, she told me it wasn't my fault I couldn't cope and then, when I was supposed to go down for the epi and wasn't dressed because I told her I wanted to push, she told me I couldn't possibly want to push. She was the professional here and she should know. Then she examined me, found I was fully dilated and stuck me in a wheelchair and sent me on my way to someone else anyway. ds1 was born 20 minutes later). Happily, not having any underlying health issues that prevent it, I could have ds2 at home. If I'd had my way and not given in to dh (why did I ever say love, honour and obey ?!) ds1 would have been a home birth too.

Anyway, the point is that I only ask because if you can remember her name, you are absolutely within your rights to refuse to let her have anything to do with you.

Just a thought
Lynne

[citizentwiglet]

Oh yes, I remember her name. It was Adolf....

I swear to God she's not coming within an inch of me this time. Funnily enough, the very same name popped up in conversation with my neighbour's grand-daughter, who was also treated like a complete numpty despite being on her fourth child....she's also complaining, and has 'forgotten' to hand over her notes until she's photocopied them all, in case the originals also go missing.
Fortunately Adolf was not there for the birth, my birthing midwives (all six of them, we got through three shift-changes!) were fantastic, though I do remember thinking that one looked young enough to be my daughter!

[mrsflibble]

I told james my plans to not let sophie have it, and despite all that happened he managed to remember to tell them not to give it to her.
I ate copious amounts of Kale and brocolli before the birth though. since week 35 I'd been having at least 1 portion of each, per day so soph had enither the vitK jab nor the oral. she's fine.

[MrsD'ville mkII]

Re knowing which midwife you might have at the birth, the system where we live is less than ideal. I live in a tiny hamlet on the English side of the English/Welsh border, and everyone there goes to the doctor just over the border in Wales, which means that I'm looked after by Powys midwives. I'm very happy with that in itself as they have an excellent reputation and the midwife I've seen so far has been really lovely. There is no general hospital in Powys and I can't go to the birthing centre in Knighton (Powys) as I had a c-sec with P, so all my hospital birth options are in England. That's fine as I had P in Hereford hospital and was very happy with our care so no worries at all about having Brian there, but there's zero chance that any of the midwives I've been seeing up til then will be at the birth. I'm not really looking forward to a birth with people I've never seen before, however nice/competent they may be, it's hardly the situation for getting to know someone! There's no help for it, but I might raise it as a concern with the Powys midwives and see if there's any standard route in these situations.

[citizentwiglet]

I've no idea who my 'birthing' midwives will be....I doubt I'll get to meet them until they are peering between my thighs, same as last time!

I'm under Consultant Care, so I have two different consultants and a haemotologist who I see every fortnight or so; and two perinatal midwives who are both lovely, but won't be there at the birth. To be honest, it doesn't really bother me too much, as long as OH is there, that's the most important part for me.

Great tip about the brocolli and the kale, MrsF....unfortunately, those are two things I need to keep away from because they counteract the heparin and asprin I'm on for my clotting, which is a shame because I love 'em! But great advice for those of you WITHOUT dodgy blood, LOL!

[mrsflibble]

such a pity you have steer clear CT. So, yeah. it's a little known factoid that eating plenty gets quite a bit into your baby before birth. mum found out when she was pregnant with my little brother Ollie. he didn't have jab or oral, and nor did my little sister. my brother Tom did, but mum has no idea whether they actually gave it when I was born or whether or not I had it.

[lsm1066]

such a pity you have steer clear CT. So, yeah. it's a little known factoid that eating plenty gets quite a bit into your baby before birth. mum found out when she was pregnant with my little brother Ollie. he didn't have jab or oral, and nor did my little sister. my brother Tom did, but mum has no idea whether they actually gave it when I was born or whether or not I had it.

If you're over 25, it's very unlikely you had it at all. When my mum was expecting me, thalidomide was all the rage! She avoided it on the advice of her granny who said, "if you want a healthy baby, you put nothing into your system but good, honest, freshly prepared, home made food". Worked for her. Worked for me too.

Lynne

[mrsflibble]

I'm 25 and a half.with the sense of humour of an 11 year old. :D
My mum's brother was born during the thalidomide trend, he was the only baby my gran didn't get morning sickness with lol!!!

[Urban Ayisha]

apparently alfalfa is rich in vitamin K too.... thanks for the info - brilliant! it was eventually bought up in my last NCT session and the teacher was v. honest and i kind of got the gist that baby can do without, despite what they might try and do behind your back (which is reproachable!!!!) Been generally having a bit of a nightmare with midwives... i thought she was fantastic until she made me dry last week by telling me i was so anaemic that if the healthcare visitor came saw me feeding my baby like this after it was born she'd be getting social services involved!!!! and that my iron being so low a water birth was out of the question! makes you want to chuck in the towel and freebirth like some of those brave ladies on Ch 5 programme a couple of nights ago.,.!!!

[KellyB]

I had a c section so I was with it when she was born as soon as she came out I said make sure it's oral vit K lol I think the midwifes were a tiny bit scared of me by the time I left I let them know what I needed and wanted for my baby one did try to bully me won't go into detail long story I told her to leave me and my baby alone..never saw her again after that

[AXJ]

Midwiffery in the UK is SH!T. No question. How ever when mine were dragged out, they got their vitamin K shots, no problem from me. Thing that amazes me is how so many people have a whim that they know better than years of research. Each to their own I guess. From my point of view I am glad that we don't live in the 3rd world, although it seems that many mid wives come from there these days.

The one involved in the birth of my one of my children later went on to kill a mother in another hospital through neglect, it was quite a famous case. She moved from the hospital we were in after we made a formal complaint about her. She used a BIC biro to bust the amiotic sack (my son came out with a frikking biro mark on his nose), used the same rubber gloves repeatedly after they had been just sitting on her desk, laughed when desperate requests were made to use the toilet for a pee.

"he he he you want to use the toilet ... I have had seven babies, I know what I am doing"

Yeah right, you're a enormous woman, with a fanny the size of the blackwall tunnel talking to an 8 stone stick insect having her first baby...

When it turned out that she had subsequently literally killed another mother in another hospital, there was no suprise... just regret that I didn't get her first!

Sorry, what was it you were saying again about vitamin K? ... the least of your worries I would suggest

[LBR]

I vote no injections. Fraught with dangers.

[AXJ]

Not sure what dangers they are exactly, but there is some humour in the fact when the US gov wheel people out for the death sentence by leathal injection, they swab skin at the injection point with alcohol to avoid infection ... yup, dangerous business injections.

[red]

She'd better not be there when I'm admitted in November - I'm helluva lot bolshier these days!

being bolshy is something you learn when you have kids. if you don't learn it in the hospital, you learn it someplace else. such as in the headmasters office, etc.

I did allow the vit K injection - and I was asked. It is only the few that are at risk, but it is so curable with a simple thing, personally, I would not risk it.
besides, my son had been stabbed (heel pricked) countless times, and had IV tube, and a nasal tube, had to be given oxygen to start breathing and later on in his childhood have two GAs, whilst having a condition that makes having a general more dangerous than average. Really a vitamin K injection seems very little intervention.

[citizentwiglet]

Yes, I do agree that it is a relatively minor thing, in the greater scheme...my concerns were that the jab was given without my consent. Had I not had a genetic blood-clotting disorder which might be passed to my children (there is a 50/50 chance, after all), I would not have minded. In fact, I was not against the jab altogether - I just wanted the haemotology department to run a blood test to look at Ellis' platelet count first. As it happens, he DOES have a raised platelet count - same as me, so it does look as though he has inherited my Factor V Leiden gene. Fortunately (for him), FVL doesn't seem to pose the same problems for men as women, as long as he looks after himself in later life.

However, I do have to wonder exactly what the professionals would have done if he HAD gone on to suffer a PE or DVT as a direct result of them making his already thick blood thicker, IYSWIM.

Sad fact is, you can still mention Factor V Leiden to many health professionals and you are met by blank looks - they simply have not heard of it. My GP tried to convince me to go on the combined contraceptive pill 4 weeks after Ellis was born (whilst I was still on blood thinners!) without as much as a read through my notes. Now THAT is scary.....they reckon that around 15% of the UK population carry FVL, how many of those are teenage girls wanting the pill, and being given it without any checks at all? Girls who could, conceivably, be on it for 10 or 20 years before deciding to try for a family?