30/10/2024
Wise words from Dr Sara Wickham.
Ways to discuss your options before and during labour.
Nuance and exploring all the possibilities helps you feel in charge of your choices and decisions which is proven to result in more positive experiences.
There's an important nuance in making birth and health decisions which doesn't always get mentioned.
That is:
It's not always about a yes/no, accept/decline dichotomy.
Often, there is a middle ground.
This middle ground is about making decisions as and about an individual within their own context and according to need.
Just not routinely.
Or based on what the guideline says.
If you're making decisions about your health or birth, you might want to bear this in mind.
Declining an intervention doesn't always mean an absolute 'no.'
You can say, 'I want to wait and see.'
Or, 'I don't want routine intervention / induction / screening just because I have a risk factor, but I'll consider things that are right for me or my individual circumstances.'
Your body, your baby, your decisions.
I have a longer explanation of this in a blog post for those who would like to know more.
It's at https://www.sarawickham.com/riffing-ranting-and-raving/deciding-to-decline-or-deciding-to-wait-and-see/
I hope it makes the decisions that are right for you.
There's also a lot more on this in my book, "What's Right For Me? Making decisions in pregnancy and childbirth."
More info at www.sarawickham.com/me
