These archives contain extracts from discussions held on the UK Midwives and Consumers email list, a discussion group for people interested in midwifery in the UK. Open to midwives, students, mothers, and anyone interested in improving maternity services in UK. Posts in these archives express the views of the individual authors, and not those of the Association of Radical Midwives.
A question for you wise women 'What do you think of the practise of inserting a venflon in a women with a previous history of Caesarean Section?'
I think that there is a risk of adversely affecting the progress of a labour due to psychological affects of such interventions.
In a VBAC labour, for some women it would be as bad as repeating "you won't be able to do it" over and over to her.""
I would TOTALLY agree with this. I was induced due to PE and remember asking
why they wanted to put a veflon in, I was told due to emergency etc so asked
whether all labouring women had to have them (as surely emergency can occur
at anytime?) I was told no it was because the risks were increased so much due
to induction. I then asked what these risks were and if they were quite serious
they had not been mentioned before and was told not to bother myself with that
now and concentrate on labour. Would have loved to except not only was I then
rather anxious about what they were expecting to happen to me to feel a need
to site
veflon but as it was threaded wrong had a hand the size of a balloon, rapidly
turning black and hurting more than the contractions!
On the subject of venflons in labour, I have been told that I need IV antibiotics in labour (history of congenital heart problems) and am not sure how this is usually administered except that it is a bolus (?) so needs to go in via a venflon.
Am I right in thinking that a single dose would be given and then I would be able to ask for the venflon to be taken out? My cardiologist says that I can have the antibiotics anytime in active labour, so I was hoping to get it over and done with at around 4cms and then get into the pool. Does this sound reasonable?
Any clarification gratefully received! I am really hoping for an intervention-free labour after 2 v. medicalised experiences.
Thank you,
L
It would really depend on how many doses your cardiologist recommends - if
the recommendation is for 1 single dose then I can't see any reason why they
can't take the venflon out - but if the recommendation is for you to have more
than one dose - depending on how long you labour etc then you may feel it is
better to leave in. withstanding that if it is to be given in a bolus dose as
apposed to continuous drip then it is usually given via a syringe and venflon
over a period of a few minutes and then the venflon will be left alone - this
would not prevent you from being mobile or using a pool for labour and or birth.
this is the situation that I mentioned earlier in this debate where I cared
for a woman having four hourly IV antibiotics whilst labouring in the pool.
Hope this helps
I had a veflon sited during my 2nd labour for IV antibiotics for GB strep(didn't
know then what I know now or I wouldn't have agreed to them).Anyway, when I
bled badly post partum they still needed to get another one in and the only
person who managed was the Anaesthetist as everyone else had failed due to venous
shut down. Anyway, my point is that just because you opt to have one put in
- just in case - doesn't mean that in an emergency this one will do. More than
likely in a large PPH a second line will be
needed anyway. Also our venflons hurt more as most maternity units use the wide
bore cannulae as when we need fluids/blood in, they're needed very quickly!
Anna
Midwife
LW updated June 4, 2005