"Birth experience"

After giving birth, I was allocated a tiny corner of the ward with barely enough room for one chair next to the bed

There was no food provided for me and I only ate when family brought me food (I have coeliac disease so can’t eat gluten). No one questioned the fact that I hadn’t eaten.

I had a catheter and a drip in, and I went from being classed as immobile to being responsible for emptying my own catheter bag in the toilet which was at the furthest end of the ward from me. The catheter bag was in a pillowcase.

When I was immobile I really struggled to look after my baby as I had to ring for a nurse to get her out of the cot for me, and to put her back in the cot. I was given very little advice on breastfeeding and continually saw different nurses or lactation consultants, all of which gave me different (and sometimes conflicting) advice.

I found it such a stressful environment that I ask to leave the day after my baby was born as I couldn’t cope being in that ward for a second longer. At night, when checks were being done, my curtain would constantly be left open, which would have been ok except my bed looked right onto the corridor so I woke at every check with the corridor lights in my face.

I also found it difficult to be trying to breastfeed for the first time, with the curtain open and everyone walking along the corridor seeing directly into my bed.