C-sections and pain relief in labour to be limited in NHS money-saving plans

The only people qualified to make these decisions, are the medical people that are involved in the care of the mother at the time.

Good news for once. Maybe this will make women think more about whether or not to have children, rather than just having them out of peer/family pressure, and because they think 'that's what you do'. We need more people to think carefully about parenthood, and whether they are both ready for the responsibility and actively want the responsibility, good times and bad. In an overpopulated world (and country) we need to really start addressing issues like this properly without the lefty, selfish, 'it's my right' attitude. Afterall, it's going to be your children and grandchildren who have to live in an even more crowded world, with even fewer basic resources such as food, shelter and fuel.

That's why i won't have them. I don't want my offspring to suffer. Maybe the thought of a more painful childbirth will whittle out the people who aren't really that interested in the job of parenting.

I think it is worrying when the goverment decides to make cut back such as these in the effort to save money. The NHs has plenty of money owing to them, why not chase that first?
Having said that though, having had a C section with my first child (emergency), I wouldn't wish the experience on anyone! It's major surgery and it hard to cope with a new born whilst you are recovering from it, so anything that discourages people that don't actually NEED to go through this must be a good thing. Sending people to Midwife led units would help stop so much interfenece in the process of birth, they don't give you such tight time limits there.
However the idea of with holding pain relief that has been proven safe and effective in labour seems very, very odd! (a £200 epidural against the price fo mum being too tired to push and having a c-section at £2000 a go - how does that make sense?!)

Maternity services are already being compromised from what we read, and need more investment not less! I f we can only save money from the NHS by withdrawing pain relief, this country is in worse shape financially than we are being told!! Streamline the administration and they would save much more money - when I need medical assistance, I want to be seen by a medical professional instead, I spend more time jumping from desk to desk filling forms etc! Also, c sections are not given on a whim, they are considered,planned and assessed procedures. These stupid suggestions are being made by ill educated people on the subject who are putting £ first - because the NHS is now a business not what it was when first launched.

My three children were born face presentation. With my first child I had forceps, with the second child I had normal birth, but cant remember if I had pain killers,but with the third child I did not have pain killers and she was born normally. At that time I did not think of having pain killers and I'm glad I did n't.

£2,600 for a C section birth? How is that sum calculated? How many staff involved in the procedure? How long each is involved? What is their hourly pay rate? What is cost of surgical instruments, anaesthesia, necessary medication? I suspect the cost is very much exaggerated and includes, probably, things like depreciation on the hospital building, cost of administration - inputting details to a computer record, cost of laundry of bed sheets and other items, such as wages for the managers, who contribute nothing but take a great deal of money out of the system simply by being there.. Would love to see a breakdown of all the costs involved, so each could be analysed for accuracy or even whether its inclusion is justified. The NHS wastes many times the amount these restrictions are claimed to save - the salaries of Trust board members and executives, most of them political appointees, admin careerists with no clinical expertise and worthless bureaucrats. When the NHS began in 48, the ratio of useful, clinical and non-clinical staff was something like 4:1 to admin. types and similar non-combatants. The latter's numbers have increased many many times since, so that the ratio is nearer 2.5:1 - still more Indians than Chiefs but the gap is closing. Best way to save money is sack half or more of the Chiefs, retaining only those who actually contribute positively to patient welfare.

Oh my god, what the hell next???
The only pain relief that should be withdrawn is to the bankers responsible for this crisis after they have been given a really good heavy kicking.

C sections which are not medically necessary should not be performed free of charge in my opinion. Pain relief however should not be limited. Some of the people commenting on here, ie men, seem to be quite ignorant of what actually happens during labour. I can only assume that they have not sat by and supported a woman in labour, because with an attitude like that I can't imagine any1 wanting to procreate with them. And as for the person who thinks that 'women have it easier these days', the only thing we have 'easier' is that we live in a time when medicine has advanced so we have these options available to us. There is nothing 'easy' about labour.

I do think that C sections should only be performed if the mother or baby is at risk, which is how it would have been 20 years ago. Many women have taken their lead from the 'celebrities' who are too posh to push and pay privately for a section. However, the NHS cannot afford these unnecessary C Sections.
Regarding pain relief, this should not be reduced until it is first trialled by men having circumcisions and haeorrhoid operations without anaesthetic. If the men are fine, then women might agree!

This government only cares about their party doners ... so you are all paying to prop up the Banks.