At the dentist last week I was thinking of all the things I would rather be doing instead of having my face compressed and my mouth stretched and my pain threshold tested to extreams by my dentist's torture equipment. The receptionist was very nice and calm and friendly, which helped a little to put me at ease. While I was waiting to be seen I asked the receptionist if she would ever mention the word PAIN when greeting a patient due for treatment. She looked at me horrified. "That would be highly unethical behaviour" she replied. "We try to make people feel welcome and at ease, any mention of the P word would just make them anxious, don't you think?" I readily agreed and explained that the only reason that I asked was that I was researching how other care professionals approach the tricky subject of language when talking to clients who may face a potentially painful procedure.
So, are midwives acting unethically when they call uterine contractions PAINS? Is this an issue for the Nursing and Midwifery Council? Let me know what you think. Are midwives adding to the propaganda spread by society that smooth muscle is designed to cause the sensation of pain when contracting under normal conditions?
Oh dear. Having just eaten I can feel the smooth muscle in my stomach contracting. I think I need an epidural, good job it was only a vegan sausage.
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