Dear Jean I have had similar expereinces (?) wrong VEs Even when I have left my fingers in and tried to get as much information as possible and where I have not been able to reach behind a low head for example and felt what I did feel was questionable I have been given a hard time for recognising this and latter for not getting it right!!
I like Leanne's response about there not being a perfect midwife I would add that the perfect midwife does not go after the VE if the woman is not happy with this. That this insistence on accurate VE's is simplistic, mechanistic and inappropriate to a real understanding of the complexity of labour and the significance of the woman's "comfort" to a positive labour and birth including the mechanics? I feel there is strong possibility and probablity that some women close down , VE findings go backward as we all know many external signs of labour do and we accpect. I suggest these internal backward effects can happen due to the effect of anxiety stimulating those adrenaline receptors of the uterus. Therefore I think we need to abandon the idea of some VE's being wroing rather that VEs can only tell what we can feel at the time and feeling particualrly in the emotion charged situations of labours can be subjective and transitory!! As we are beginning to stop talking of Failure to progress or preciptate labour when labour does not fit the Partogram, prelabour rather than prelabour. so we need to not see VE's as central to ongoing progress in labour?? Can we explore discuss this more please?? Denise Hynd ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Murphy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 5:37 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Vaginal Examination > Jean, In the last 5 yrs, I have transferred a woman to hospital on the basis > of a mistaken VE and been mortified to be found wrong. The client was very > unhappy with me because she birthed normally in hospital and not at home. > Hard to live down. It happens to us all at some time and one can only go on > and continue to do the best we can under the circumstances. You say that > you thought she looked too comfortable for 5cm dilation.. these are the > other clues that can alert us, altho the opposite is true too. A very > distressed primip can still be in the latent phase. Cheers, MM > > ----- Original Message ----- > > I would like to ask any midwives if they have ever completly stuffed up a > > vaginal examination > > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
