hospital claim my friends putting unborn baby at risk.

BitterAndTwisted

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

They haven't been called. She said 'she scared now that social services have been notified'.

So we don't know.

Well, in her first post she says both that SS were called and that they had been notified, so I don't think there's any doubt that the pregnant woman believes that they have. The thing, have they and what for?

From what the OP described as the woman's condition if there was any risk of harm being done just as great harm would be inflicted on the woman herself as it could to the unborn child.

I wouldn't fancy having a previous c-section scar starting to tear open from inside out or a lump behind my placenta, although I suspect the OP really meant navel.

ViolaLass

IF Social Services have been notified, then the midwife would only be doing her job. If she had concerns and did not pass them on, she could get into a lot of trouble. It doesn't mean Social Services will do anything and even if they investigate, it doesn't mean anything will happen.

saidan

sometimes in my job i alert Social services to the fact that i have concerns over a patient.
social services will listen to the concern and either:
ignore it and do nothing
contact the referrer and ask for all the info - and read the medical records, only if necessary will they then contact the woman and ask her to give account of the situation.

tbh social workers cannot win. If they didn't respond when asked to people would complain that no-one was looking out for the children. Since baby P there have been many more referrals - that is no bad thing if it helps a child escape abuse.

if there is nothing to be concerned about the social worker will know - especially as the woman has already raised a child with no problems.

if i were your friend i'd stop rubbing my bump if advised against it - and start being more co-operative with the doctors/midwives.

LegalBlonde

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

she wishes to complain about this, but doesnt know who to complain to, she said after the nurse said this to her their attitudes changed towards her and she felt unwelcome and felt pushed out of their doors.

"

To complain - http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Rightsandpledges/complaints/Pages/NHScomplaints.aspx

Independent help with the complaint, in particular letter writing help to ensure a clear, chronological letter is sent which the NHS should reply to each point - http://www.pohwer.net/how_we_can_help/independent.html
(Not sure where you are based, ICAS are now under different umbrellas in different places, this is an example of what their service do, the numbers for all local ICAS are in the first link. I would recommend going through them initially rather than PALS.)

HTH

Annisele

It's entirely possible that an action is in general not harmful, but nevertheless is harmful in your friend's particular case, given her existing medical history.

I'm with Jojo on this one - if a medical professional has told you not to do something, then unless you have a very good reason to think you know better than they do you don't do it.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

sorry last night i wanted to jot everything down what was said to me, as as much info is better than no info.

the lump Is NOT a naval hernia, its sat behind the placenter near the spine.

when my partner was pregnant with our twins she soothed her belly through pain by rubbing.

if theres any medical backup to suggest that rubbing or soothing your belly is harmfull to an unborn child,i would love to see it because iv searched everywhere to find strong medical evidence to this and cant find nothing.

come to think of it, i have a curved spine i rub my lower back when im in pain to ease it off i think its a natural reaction to do this, but if what this midwife says is true i could potentially be harming my organs or even my spinal chord, from what this midwife said about my friend. now to you or me this would sound rediculous. if such a simple thing as rubbing you kneck belly etc whilst preganant is so harmfull, why isnt this giving out into detail in pregnancy packs, and why not explain it in a polite manor, not come over with attitude and call social services,then send her on her way, if it was as such harmfull as she said surely they would checked everything and kept her there tnot let her go home.

she has been back to our district hospital today, they seen the bruising and the scarr and the comment about the rubbing incident, and asked her to show them what she was doing at the time to get a better understanding if it was her causing the scar to open or not, upon showing them they were horrified that this midwife went to great lenghs to make this noted and contact social services about it, they told her that if she wanted to rub her belly to sooth the pain then should could in the way she was doing it there was nothing wrong with it, nothing harmfull to it to her scarr or baby. they contacted social sevices to tell them they had no concerns over this, social sevices said they had no concern now a second opinion had been cast over the situation as the information they had been given over the phone was minumal just that the midwife had whitnessed her harming her unborn child by excess movement. but the med records state she was rubbing her belly excessivly as to cause her and baby undue harm the doctors couldnt figure out why this had to be a notifyable refural to social services, and stated that this has put undue stress on her and baby, recommended that she did complain and gave her all the information.

the ultrasound confirmed the baby is infact not breach, but the scarr is almost at breaking point, they are not sending her back to that hospital because my friend stated she did not want to return to it because of this, they have now set a date for her to be admitted to our district hospital, but no garantee the bed will be available. so heres hoping boxing day all goes well for her. or she's taking a long trip to london or gloucester hospitals.

skintchick

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

I got told by a horrified midwife at 20 weeks that rubbing my sore back would make me miscarry when admitted for bleeding.

I stopped doing it. Nobody said a word about it after then. DD was born safely at 41 weeks.


Rather than insisting on carrying on and complaining, perhaps she should just stop doing it? A scar rupture and accompanying haemmorhage can be a medical emergency that is life threatening to both mum and baby and can result in an emergency hysterectomy.


(There are people out there that would try and do as she accused your friend of doing. Just because your friend doesn't mean to do that doesn't mean that it's unheard of)

Just to clarify - as far as i am aware it is NOT risky to rub your back during pregnancy! I hope no-one out there is scared they may be harming their baby by rubbing their back!

I've had three miscarriages and believe me, you do not cause them by rubbing your back. What a guilt trip.

meritaten

It is a natural human reaction to 'lay hands on a painful area and to rub it'! I am a reiki master practitioner and this is how humans and animals 'heal' pain. All parents do it too! completely naturally - havent all parents rubbed a bruised knee better? it works too!!!

yes I would advise your friend to complain atrix - that nurse must be completely out of her tree to report your friend to SS! though I do think that SS would probably have dismissed the complaint anyway!
I do hope that your friend manages to hang on as long as possible and the baby is born safe and well!

Ravenlady_2

If your friend has been visited are you sure its not a Health Visitor that has asked to see your friend and NOT the dreaded SS.

fannyanna

I'm surprised by some of the responses (those saying the woman is over reacting for being upset). This poor woman is pregnant and having a rough time of it as it is. I would be really, really upset if I were in her shoes and then got reported to social services for rubbing my belly.

Ok, so we now know from OP's update that she wasn't actually doing anything wrong in the first place but even if she were the midwifes reaction was completely OTT. IF she really had of been causing potential harm surely the best course of action would be to educate her (i.e. explain the risks and advise not to do it) rather than accuse her of trying to cause harm to her baby on purpose.

Don't get me wrong I'd have little sympathy for the woman being told off/reported if she was sat there with a cigarette hanging from her mouth, can of lager in one hand and a pate and brie sandwich in the other but she was simply rubbing her belly!!!