Even without permission, there is often talk of cutting during childbirth: ‘I was shocked’
A care provider must always ask permission for drastic actions during childbirth. Marit van der Pijl (Amsterdam UMC) discovered that this does not always happen. And that a refusal is not always respected.
On the basis of a questionnaire to more than 11,000 women, Van der Pijl investigated how often – and for which actions – permission was not asked for an intervention during childbirth. Even when the woman indicated that she did not want to, a large number of them were still cut. Of the 2,308 women who received a haircut, 962 said their consent was not asked. That’s 41.7 percent. Another 43 women did not want to be cut at all, but they did. This is the conclusion of Van der Pijl’s research.
Permission
In response to these research results, Amsterdam UMC writes on their site: “Women sometimes feel they have less control and less choice. This can lead to a negative childbirth experience.”
Also read: How to start a conversation with your doctor/midwife
Some women blindly follow the advice of their midwife or doctor. They rely entirely on the expertise of the healthcare provider, as they experience childbirth more often than they do. Others prefer to explore all possibilities and want to discuss the various options in detail, such as a caesarean section or cutting during childbirth. Care providers must request oral or written permission for these kinds of drastic actions.
Need
Of course you can always say no to such a treatment. However, that refusal is not always respected, as it turns out. “One woman would like to participate in decision-making, while the other has less need. But asking permission should be done legally and ethically,” says Van der Pijl.
In the law
Because medical consent is often given orally, it is not always possible to determine whether the patient has heard the question. Let alone agreed. Not all women who underwent surgery unintentionally felt that was a bad thing afterwards, but most did. Like Tessa, who tells her story to de Volkskrant: “I didn’t notice any cutting, they probably did that during a contraction. I didn’t find out until they stitched me up. I saw a bloody glove with wire on it come up and I was shocked. At the time I had no idea, but now I know that for all these actions they have to ask permission and provide information. That is simply the law.”
Call: Were you also cut during your delivery without giving permission? And would you like to share your experience? Send an email to redactie@kekmama.nl.
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Source: De Volkskrant
