British women were forced to wear face masks during labor, charities found | Childbirth

According to a charity survey, nearly one in five pregnant women in the UK were forced to cover their faces during labor.

The woman said she felt unable to breathe, had a panic attack, or was ill during labor because she was forced to wear a face cover.

The investigation was conducted by a charity Screwed in after getting pregnant, 936 women who gave birth in December were surveyed. It was found that 160 people who gave birth were forced to wear face covers.This goes against the current joint UK guidance, Published in July 2020 Midwife Royal College And that Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

According to the guidance, women should not be required to wear any type of facial cover during spontaneous delivery or caesarean section due to the risk of harm and complications. Rosie, 39, from London, said she felt dying because she was suffering from delivery with her third child born in December. Still, the obstetrics staff instructed her to hold her face mask.

She told BBC News: “I was claustrophobic. The mask really made me nauseous and panicked. I’m pushing the baby, I have this mask on my face, And the feeling of claustrophobia is just huge. ”

She said she couldn’t express herself because she had difficulty speaking and the staff couldn’t see her if her lips were moving while she was having difficulty breathing. “I was afraid that I would get sick in the mask, among all the other things that were happening,” said Rosie, who has a condition called emetophobia, which is a fear of vomiting. I added. At some point she stripped off the mask, but was told to put it back.

Natalie Tizarington, from Oldham, says she was unaware of the guidance on face masks during labor when her baby was born last December. She said birth was the most horrifying experience of her life. “I was out of breath. I felt completely suffocated. I can’t forget the feeling of being unable to breathe and the fear and panic I felt while wearing the mask.”

Teaser Lynton says she was forced to wear a face mask during advanced labor. It has an extension of about 8 cm and has regular and very painful contractions.

“Someone put a mask on me and I said,’You can’t be serious,’ and she replied:’Yes’ and then I remember contracting.” Breathing You cannot wear a face cover because it induces a memory of difficulty.

She eventually made an emergency caesarean section and was told to wear a mask during surgery, which is contrary to official guidance.

“A December survey found that only 53% of women feel they are listening to labor,” said Joeli Brearley, CEO and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed. “Together with the fact that 50% of women who have a Caesarean section are told to wear a mask and 10% of women who have a natural childbirth are told to wear a mask. , The childbirth restriction is that women give birth alone. “

She added: “The woman who said we had asthma felt dizzy. One woman was thrown into the mask during labor. This can be completely avoided. Clarify the guidance and everything You need to tell your pregnant woman that you don’t need to wear a mask during delivery. “

Dr. Mary Ross Davie, Dean of the Royal College of Midwives’ Department of Midwifery, said medical professionals have had to respond to rapid changes in guidance since the outbreak of the pandemic.

“For many at the forefront of clinical practice, they found it really difficult to keep up-to-date with what the latest guidance was,” she said. “I think what happened from time to time is that some medical professionals don’t understand that they should be exempt from wearing a mask when someone is in labor.”

Royal College revealed last summer at the request of a charity Innate rights Charity Maria Booker said she should not be asked to wear a mask during labor. “It is completely inhumane to be required to wear a mask through childbirth efforts and we ask all obstetric services to clarify this,” she said.

Ann NHS A spokeswoman said: “The guidance to hospitals makes it completely clear that women giving birth are exempt from wearing face masks, and all hospitals in the UK must follow this.”