Every woman has the right to be informed about the measures that will be carried out in the process of her birth in order to to be able to make a decision about. I insist: the woman has the right to decide how to proceed at every moment in her birth, after being informed of the risks and benefits of each procedure.
Therefore, when the protagonist of this story was made an episiotomy without her consent, and it was also done after she refused, it was committed an act of obstetric violence and a violation of the patient's autonomy law. Now the midwife faces a trial for this reason.
The mother covered her vagina with her hands
As reported by the Cadena Ser, the woman was in labor when the midwife prepared to make a cut in her sex to increase the space through which the baby should pass. The mother had not given her consent and seeing what she was going to do he covered himself with his hands to avoid it, while saying "Don't cut me, don't cut me".
But the midwife went ahead and did it. Since the mother's "rebellion" did not seem right, the matron gave her a devastating comment after her baby was born. While the rest of the health staff congratulated the mother for her new arrival daughter, she said they did not have to congratulate her on anything because he had behaved very badly. And why I didn't deserve to get the girl in my arms.
A maneuver that has consequences
The episiotomy is a cut in the perineum that should be performed only in very specific cases. WHO has been considering it a very questionable measure for years as prevention of major tears, and therefore recommends that its use be limited.
However, many professionals continue to practice it indiscriminately after many years of facilitating things for them (by making the delivery of the baby bigger, the delivery is easier and faster), to the point that it was done in Spain until 80 percent of births.
Now Edurnethe mother suffers from urinary incontinence Y dyspareunia (pain when having sexual intercourse), and both for obviating his desires and for the vexatious treatment he received, he decided to denounce the professional, who already declared last Tuesday in the court of Barakaldo.
In Spain they are performed in 45% of deliveries
The rate of episiotomies in Spain has fallen greatly in recent years. It is estimated that it is currently performed in 45% of deliveries, which is a notable decrease compared to 2010 (more than 82%), but that it is still insufficient if we take into account that there are countries that move between 10 and fifteen%.
We could say that, of women who have vaginal birth, one in two comes out with an episiotomy In our country. This should not be the case if we pay attention to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health in its Nomal Birth Attention Strategy in the National Health System.
As we read in the guide that should be used as a protocol for health centers, Routine episiotomy should not be performed during spontaneous delivery. This means that this technique should only be used if there is clinical need: in case there is a suspicion of fetal compromise or if instruments are going to be used to help with the expulsion of the baby.
Moreover, for a long time episiotomies were performed on women who had had a significant tear in their previous deliveries (third or fourth grade), to prevent it from happening again, and the evidence says that the risk of severe tearing after having a previous one is the same as that of other women. For this reason, it is also not recommended to perform it in this situation, unless there are clinical reasons for it.
The important thing is not just that the baby is well
The treatment that the midwife gave to this woman is negligible. A shame. As a health professional who is respectful and aware of the strength and power of our actions and our words, I can only censor his actions and make them visible so that, if possible, they will not be repeated.
Two months ago I published a very hard post with more than 50 horrible phrases that some women receive in hospitals when they are going to give birth to their babies, often scared and hoping to find support and affection from the professionals. I did it to uncover the shame of those professionals who believe themselves with the power to do and say what they want, even if that means a terrible and indelible memory in the minds of women to the point that, in many cases, they dare not being mothers again for fear of living something like that again.
And it is that many times, when a woman explains that her birth was a disaster, that she has a horrible memory of the treatment she received, society replies with a "The important thing is that the baby is fine". And yes, of course that is the really important thing, but when there is no risk, when there has been no danger, when the delivery could have been a normal delivery and everything was going well, there is no reason to settle for that alone (in fact, never you have to settle for just that, because when childbirth is complicated, respect must prevail as well).
It is not acceptable to receive free maneuvers without the consent of women, or that be treated like stupid girls. It is not a receipt because it is women, mothers, the protagonists with their baby. They only go to the hospital in case something happens, not so that at the moment of crossing the door they are robbed of their birth and their moment.
That's why I encourage all women to do like this mom: to complain, to complain, to denounce ... because bad professionals take advantage of the argument "the important thing is that the baby is well" and the mother's tiredness and pain, which many times she prefers not to claim in order not to remove such a painful memory and not to spend forces on it, but on taking care of your baby.
Photos | iStock
In Babies and more | A mother shares the video in which a gynecologist makes an episiotomy against her will. Can the episiotomy be considered a genital mutilation? How to do perineal massage to reduce the risk of tearing and episiotomy
