The NHS has today been accused of providing “inadequate” pain relief to women who have suffered agonizing births.
According to health services guidelines, new mothers can be discharged just one day after having a cesarean section or vaginal birth.
But they are recommended to take only paracetamol or ibuprofen to control symptoms.
Activists and doctors criticized the move, stating It was yet another example of how women’s pain issues are ignored or underestimated in healthcare.
In a post on
Activists and doctors criticized the move, saying it was yet another example of how women’s pain issues are ignored or undervalued in healthcare. In a post on
In a post on ‘Why…why…are women discharged with paracetamol and ibuprofen? This is not sufficient for abdominal surgery. ‘I hear it over and over again and every time it infuriates me. Why…why…are women discharged with paracetamol and ibuprofen? This is not enough for abdominal surgery.’
‘Why…why…are women discharged with paracetamol and ibuprofen? This is not sufficient for abdominal surgery.
“I hear it over and over again and it makes me angry every time.”
Caroline Farrow, Catholic commentator and mother of five, also revealed she was left “screaming in agony” after being sent home following her first paracetamol caesarean section.
She said, ‘Tell me about it. I woke up screaming in agony the night after I was sent home from my first section.
‘I had four in total. Paracetamol was not enough. Also: post iron tablets section. Very very bad idea.
‘I thought I was falling apart. Spatone much better.
Dr deGiorgio told MailOnline today: ‘Women who have had a caesarean section or vaginal birth often call their GP after discharge for stronger analgesia.
‘These can be women who are discharged quickly or after a few days and also with a variety of assisted vaginal births.
‘Some women are told to buy their own from a supermarket or pharmacy rather than being given takeaway medicines.
“What needs to happen is that a woman’s individual pain relief needs are assessed before discharge and she is sent home with a supply of what she needs.”
He added: “That may include stronger anti-inflammatory medications like diclofenac or opioid medications like Oramorph.”
‘Some women may need very little, which is great for them.
But we should not take it for granted. There are many safe options in breastfeeding.’
Under NHS guidelines, midwives can offer new mums non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or diclofenac, as well as paracetamol for pain relief.
“It’s a good idea to plan for this and make sure you have some simple painkillers at home, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen,” the health service recommends.
The opioids dihydrocodeine and morphine sulfate are occasionally recommended for women who need greater pain relief.
However, health officials have previously warned against using opioids for fear that some babies may be more sensitive to the side effects of these drugs, such as temporary breathing problems or even heart rate problems.
NHS England has been contacted for comment.
Dr. deGiorgio, however, argued that inadequate pain relief can be “horrible and cause enormous psychological trauma to women.”
Also applies to postpartum wards,” she said.
She told MailOnline: ‘Being asked to care for a newborn immediately after a major abdominal or vaginal repair, perhaps with a catheter in place and drips still in situ, is ridiculous.
‘Add to that inadequate pain relief and it’s horrible and causes enormous psychological trauma for women.
‘This has led to deaths and serious injuries to babies when their desperate mothers have picked them up from baby carriers and sadly dropped them. It’s beyond tragic.
It comes as a damning report into the NHS maternity care “postcode lottery” ruled last week that good care is “the exception rather than the rule”. A long-awaited parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma, which heard evidence from more than 1,300 women, concluded that pregnant women are being treated like a “piece of meat”.
“It’s definitely about women’s pain not being taken seriously, and this also happens during childbirth.”
He added: “Fear of overuse of opioid medications is causing acute pain to be mistreated quite often.”
‘There is a balance to be found between good pain relief (vital for recovery and rehabilitation) and prescribing too much for too long and risking addiction.
“We need to ensure the balance is right and not leave people in desperate pain.”
It comes as a damning report into the NHS maternity care “postcode lottery” ruled last week that good care is “the exception rather than the rule”.
A long-awaited parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma, which heard testimonies from more than 1,300 women and discovered that pregnant women are being treated like a “piece of meat.”
The scathing report details how a consultant told a woman who was pregnant with twins and went into premature labor at 19 weeks to “stop stressing” after losing her first baby.
Another, dismissed as an “anxious mother,” later lost her baby to complications she warned about.
At the time, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins called the testimonies heard in the report “heartbreaking” and promised to improve maternity care for “women during pregnancy, childbirth and the critical months that follow.”
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard also said the experiences outlined in the report are “simply not good enough”.
Last year, NHS watchdog NICE was also accused of offering cheap “pseudoscientific” injections of sterile water as painkillers for women suffering agonizing back pain during childbirth.
The health service’s medicines and treatments watchdog has given the controversial treatment option, which involves injecting water into the lower back, its seal of approval in new guidance.
But the watchdog’s decision was heavily criticized by some high-profile doctors and activists on social media.
Some called the treatment pseudoscience, as doctors do not fully understand how it works, while others worried that doctors would once again ignore women’s pain during childbirth.
While some NHS trusts already offer these sterile water injections during childbirth, NICE guidelines are expected to make them more widespread.
Options for pain relief during childbirth have long been a controversial area.
Several women have also reported that NHS doctors and midwives ignored or rejected their requests for strong pain relief during childbirth.