"My Experince of having my Little Girl"

I was admitted to Ward 38 South to be induced, I was then moved to Labour and delivery and then to Ward 38 North after birth. I can't fault the Midwifes, Nurses or care staff. They were all friendly, helpful and supportive.

The food options on the wards could do with being improved so that they are actually nutritious and edible. What a expecting mother needs and also so there is an option that suits any mother who might have gestational diabetes.It would have also been nice if there was an option for fathers to be or birthing partners who were staying to support their Wife/ partners had option to get food on the ward along side the mothers and also to have a shower. Due to our situtation, My husband didn't have a way to go home and come back incase I went into labour, but was unable to shower for the 4/5 days we staying in the hospital and in the end, ended up with an infection in his leg. Surely one shower could be allocated to the father to be/ birthing partners who are staying to support their partner and have no way of getting home.

 My only other main issue is with the Doctors. On admittance to the ward, I discovered the ward had been told by the Doctor I was being admitted for a different reason to which the Doctor had told my husband and I earlier that day. Also one of the doctors who was meant to be monitoring my care and gestational diabetes failed to arrange a referral to get an additional growth scan and follow up appionment with them as my babies growth had slowed down and I then had to spend a week and a half trying to sort this out, having to phone multiple times every day to finally get the appiontments sorted and in turn meant the appointment was done a week late. Thankfully this didn't cause any harm but there was a risk that it could have. It is also stress an expecting mother doesn't need.

I also noticed notes being put on my badger notes from our appiontments, saying we had discussed certain things, when infact these had not been discussed with my husband and myself at the appiontments at all. This was very infuriating. 

As I said above, my main issues where with Doctors/ consultants. They either never seemed to make a plan for me and wanted me to keep returning to triage in two days time to do the same tests again and get the same result, wait 3 or more hours for the Dr/ consultant to make a plan, which they then never did and would ask that I come back in couple days time. Which for me was overkill, frustrating, stressful and not practical. I would have rather had a proper plan made. I made this clear after the 6th time, when I refused to come back in a couple days and said i wanted a proper plan. The head midwife on shift this day agreed that I had a valid case. 

All the midwifes, trainee midwifes, nurses and care staff I came into contact with in the Midwife Unit, Maternity Triage, Scan appiontments, Ward 38 North and South and Labour and Delivery were all lovely, very helpful and friendly. 

I'd like to say a massive Thank You to the midwife present at the birth who was a massive support in labour and delivery when my delivery had to be changed to a C-Section. Also to all the theatre staff, who were very supportive to myself and my husband from us arriving for the epidural through to us moving to observation after the C-Section. I felt they all really helped keep both of us calm and updated through it all.