Understanding Your Rights During Labour

If you’re expecting a baby soon, we want to say congratulations! It’s simultaneously exciting and terrifying giving birth as this whole new life is coming into the world. We’ve heard countless stories about birth and labour from women, and something that seems apparent is that a lot of women do not know what their rights are during this time. It’s important that you do so that you can have the birth that’s right for you, and as such we’re going to be discussing some of the most important rights that you have.

You Have The Right To Make Your Own Choices

First and foremost, you have the right to make your own choices. Whether your caregiver agrees with your choice or not, they must respect it but we know that this is not the case for all women. There have been countless women who feel as though they’ve been pushed into things that they didn’t want or weren’t ready for, and this should simply not be allowed.

This is your birth story, and you should be presented the facts and options, nothing more. If you don’t want an induction, don’t have one unless medically necessary for your health or the baby’s. If you don’t want to have a 3rd cervical exam, decline. You can do that, you can say no, and all women need to know that.

You Have The Right To Privacy And Confidentiality

When you visit any type of doctor you have the right to your information and conditions to be kept private. If a doctor, nurse, or other professional in the healthcare field is spilling your information then this is a fireable offence. When you sign up with a new doctors office they will give you the option to view or share your medical records, make sure you think carefully about this. Don’t be afraid to ask who the information is potentially being shared with.

You Have The Right To Safe Care

Lastly, if you feel that something isn’t right when you are giving birth then you are well within your rights to make a complaint. This could be anything from your midwife mishandling your case to a doctor making you feel invalid. If something were to go wrong during your labour then it could end up with you being seriously injured or worse. If you have experienced a bad labour and feel you are entitled to make a claim, check out birth injury claims to see where you stand. The last thing you want is to be put off future pregnancies because of one incident, get it sorted while you are able to.

Hopefully, you’ve found this article helpful, and now have a more solid understanding of what your rights are during labour. At the end of this day, this is your experience, it’s your health, and it’s your body which means you get to call the shots. It can be hard sometimes, but you’ve got to stay strong and ensure that you’re not allowing yourself to be pressured into anything you don’t feel is right for you.

LoveRosiee
xxx