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I had to go to the hospital today, to get a 'post due' scan on my supposedly overdue baby. Despite the fact that I know for a fact what date I conceived on, the hospital is not interested - they would rather stick to their 'one size fits all' policy of inducing mothers no matter what after 14 days overdue, due to the terrible dangers inherent in letting the female body follow its own course.

I'm glad of the technology that has told me today that my baby is well and healthy, that my placenta is in a good position and performing, and that there is plenty of water left in my womb. But given all these findings, why is the system so keen to drag me in and artificially break my waters, ensuring a harder, more painful labour? With my first labour, my waters broke just before I started pushing, after a very long labour - and I was glad of that. It makes for a softer experience.

But I know all this, I just wish I didn't have to deal with it. my midwife has just delivered a baby that was supposedly three weeks overdue, but was born at 8lbs, covered in vernix, with plenty of water... her mother refused the induction and just came in for checks - so I will have to stand up and fight my corner too, I just wish I didn't have to!

But what I really wanted to complain about is this: Holles St is notorious for being crowded. When I had to go through this process four years ago, we ended up waiting in the sweltering waiting room for two hours - I was having contractions, I was so uncomfortable, the baby was moving like crazy but promptly fell asleep as soon as I got to the scan, so I had to be hooked up to a faulty machine (second of two!) for monitoring for another hour or so. I was exhausted and uncomfortable by the time we escaped the place. This time we were booked in for 8.45 and we arrived at 8.30. We waited til 9.15, when a flustered radiographer blithered in and out, apologising and saying she was on her own - I'm not sure hwy this was an issue, we were the first and only people there! Then she proceeded to behave like a looper, making very little sense herself, with her bizarre small talk - she'd ask questions, then stare bizarrely through the answers, you just couldn't communicate with her, it was weird. So I gave up and smiled and nodded.

After that we waited for a nurse to take my blood pressure. Then she sent us away to the canteen for 20 minutes for a horrible cup of chlorinated tea, as the doctor wasn't there - apparently she takes everyone together - perhaps she only works for a short time on Saturday morning? We came back and waited another 20 minutes and finally saw her. She made our induction appointment (ok, I should have said no then, but just didn't!) and we were released. It could have all taken 20 minutes, but it took two hours... and that was on a quiet morning. Shite admin policies!

Now, back to the picture - this statuette is in the scan waiting room, and it strikes me as embodying the state of hospital birth at the moment - the pregnant woman is like a beached whale - the birthing environment of the hospital and the epidural policy keep her on her back, stranded, her legs are truncated and made useless by the drug. Her arms are strapped to her side, redundant, and she strains impotently! Perhaps I'm reading too much in to it, but it struck me as ironic...