{"id":20900,"date":"2016-11-27T14:36:39","date_gmt":"2016-11-27T04:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/?p=20900"},"modified":"2022-10-18T14:05:27","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T04:05:27","slug":"allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/","title":{"rendered":"Am I “Allowed” to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"vaginal<\/a>Yesterday, a mother attending Hypnobirthing Australia Classes<\/a>, asked me whether she was “allowed” to refuse vaginal examinations during labour.<\/p>\n

Good question. ?\u00a0Although can I re-phrase it? You see, the question isn’t\u00a0whether you are “allowed” to refuse\u00a0a procedure – but rather, whether you choose to “allow” your caregiver to perform it. The power is always with you, mama!<\/p>\n

There are many reasons why a woman may feel uncomfortable having a vaginal examination during labour. For one, when her\u00a0body is in the midst of opening up for childbirth, having someone’s fingers inserted into this sensitive and private part of her\u00a0anatomy\u00a0can be a very uncomfortable and sometimes distressing intervention.<\/p>\n

Also, there can be cultural and\/or personal reasons for a woman feeling violated by this often ‘routine’ procedure.<\/p>\n

In hypnobirthing, we advocate for minimal (if any<\/em>)\u00a0interventions during labour and birth.<\/p>\n

We also advocate for human rights in childbirth<\/a> – and every woman has the right to be respected as the decision-maker about her own care and her baby\u2019s care.<\/p>\n

If a mother does not wish to have a vaginal examination, she is completely within her rights to refuse this intervention. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Please ensure that you notify your caregivers of your preferences regarding\u00a0this matter.<\/p>\n

Sometimes a vaginal examination may be strongly recommended\u00a0for valid medical reasons. For example:\u00a0the midwife\/doctor may suspect that the baby is in an awkward position, and a vaginal exam lets them feel and assess the presentation of the baby’s head.<\/p>\n

Often though, the vaginal exam is performed to assess\u00a0a mother’s progress in labour,\u00a0even though this is known to be\u00a0a poor predictor of when she will give birth. (As you read through the awesome birth stories<\/a>\u00a0posted on this website you will come across many<\/em>\u00a0stories of mothers who have progressed from what was said to be “only 3-4cm” to fully dilated\u00a0within a relatively short period of time!)<\/p>\n

Vaginal examinations are a ‘routine’ intervention in many hospitals, performed at admission and also throughout labour to\u00a0assess ‘progress’. However, we need to ask,\u00a0where is the evidence to back up this common ‘hospital policy’ that is often imposed upon mothers in labour?<\/p>\n

Where is the\u00a0evidence?<\/h3>\n

In the 2013 Cochrane Review of ‘Routine Vaginal Examinations in Labour’ <\/a>by Downe S, Gyte GML, Dahlen HG, Singata M; the authors concluded the following:<\/p>\n

\"cochrane\"<\/a>“It is surprising that there is such a widespread use of this intervention without good evidence of effectiveness, particularly considering the sensitivity of the procedure for the women receiving it, and the potential for adverse consequences in some settings.<\/p>\n

The effectiveness of the use and timing of routine vaginal examinations in labour, and other ways of assessing progress in labour, including maternal behavioural cues, should be the focus of new research as a matter of urgency. Women’s views of ways of assessing labour progress should be given high priority in any future research in this area.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So can you guess my answer to the mum who asked me whether she was “allowed” to refuse vaginal examinations?<\/p>\n

Say no more. ?<\/p>\n

Melissa\u00a0x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, a mother attending Hypnobirthing Australia Classes, asked me whether she was “allowed” to refuse vaginal examinations during labour. Good question. ?\u00a0Although can I re-phrase it? You see, the question isn’t\u00a0whether you are “allowed” to refuse\u00a0a procedure – but rather, whether you choose to “allow” your caregiver to perform it. The power is always with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAm I "Allowed" to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour? - Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Am I "Allowed" to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour? - Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yesterday, a mother attending Hypnobirthing Australia Classes, asked me whether she was “allowed” to refuse vaginal examinations during labour. Good question. ?\u00a0Although can I re-phrase it? You see, the question isn’t\u00a0whether you are “allowed” to refuse\u00a0a procedure – but rather, whether you choose to “allow” your caregiver to perform it. The power is always with […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-27T04:36:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-18T04:05:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Melissa Spilsted\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Melissa Spilsted\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Melissa Spilsted\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/cf6816e33a68f5c242d679a511e0e24d\"},\"headline\":\"Am I “Allowed” to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour?\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-27T04:36:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-18T04:05:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/\"},\"wordCount\":529,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/\",\"name\":\"Am I \\\"Allowed\\\" to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour? - Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-27T04:36:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-18T04:05:27+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg\",\"width\":200,\"height\":300},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Am I “Allowed” to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/\",\"name\":\"Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122\",\"description\":\"The natural approach to a calm and positive birth\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Hypnobirthing Australia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/cropped-cropped-new-logo-hba-copy.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/cropped-cropped-new-logo-hba-copy.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Hypnobirthing Australia\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/cf6816e33a68f5c242d679a511e0e24d\",\"name\":\"Melissa Spilsted\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c841531c693e158d80aafe2729fafbdc3092cc50402e9be28b17f9b2499bac1f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c841531c693e158d80aafe2729fafbdc3092cc50402e9be28b17f9b2499bac1f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Melissa Spilsted\"},\"description\":\"Melissa Spilsted is an author, clinical hypnotherapist, teacher, recording artist and the director of Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122 (Australia's fastest growing childbirth education course). She teaches hypnobirthing techniques to parents and practitioners throughout Australia and the world.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/author\/hba\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Am I \"Allowed\" to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour? - Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Am I \"Allowed\" to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour? - Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122","og_description":"Yesterday, a mother attending Hypnobirthing Australia Classes, asked me whether she was “allowed” to refuse vaginal examinations during labour. Good question. ?\u00a0Although can I re-phrase it? You see, the question isn’t\u00a0whether you are “allowed” to refuse\u00a0a procedure – but rather, whether you choose to “allow” your caregiver to perform it. The power is always with […]","og_url":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/","og_site_name":"Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122","article_published_time":"2016-11-27T04:36:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-10-18T04:05:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":200,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Melissa Spilsted","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Melissa Spilsted","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/"},"author":{"name":"Melissa Spilsted","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/cf6816e33a68f5c242d679a511e0e24d"},"headline":"Am I “Allowed” to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour?","datePublished":"2016-11-27T04:36:39+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-18T04:05:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/"},"wordCount":529,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg","articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/","url":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/","name":"Am I \"Allowed\" to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour? - Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg","datePublished":"2016-11-27T04:36:39+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-18T04:05:27+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/1014299_10151535731407149_1439307868_n-200x300.jpg","width":200,"height":300},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/allowed-refuse-vaginal-exam-labour\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Am I “Allowed” to Refuse a Vaginal Exam During Labour?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/","name":"Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122","description":"The natural approach to a calm and positive birth","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#organization","name":"Hypnobirthing Australia","url":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/cropped-cropped-new-logo-hba-copy.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/cropped-cropped-new-logo-hba-copy.png","width":360,"height":70,"caption":"Hypnobirthing Australia"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/cf6816e33a68f5c242d679a511e0e24d","name":"Melissa Spilsted","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c841531c693e158d80aafe2729fafbdc3092cc50402e9be28b17f9b2499bac1f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c841531c693e158d80aafe2729fafbdc3092cc50402e9be28b17f9b2499bac1f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Melissa Spilsted"},"description":"Melissa Spilsted is an author, clinical hypnotherapist, teacher, recording artist and the director of Hypnobirthing Australia\u2122 (Australia's fastest growing childbirth education course). She teaches hypnobirthing techniques to parents and practitioners throughout Australia and the world.","url":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/author\/hba\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}