"Aspects of my care could have been handled better"

What happened? 

I successfully gave birth to my daughter by c section. Although everything went well and she was born without any issue, I hadn't planned a c section and had gone into hospital at 41 weeks for induction - in the hope of having a vaginal birth. I opted for prostaglandin gels which included two rounds of three gels, inserted into the vagina - spaced six hours apart in the hope of inducing labour. There was a 24 hour break between the first and second round of gels. 

Despite going through 6 gels which were incredibly uncomfortable to insert and a number of excruciating cervical examinations, I was told after a few days that the process hadn't worked and the only remaining option was a c section. 

Despite knowing that this made sense and the important thing was the health and safety of both myself and my baby, I found this new reality upsetting. Because of this I took a day to get my head round what this meant before going ahead with the operation.

What was good

All the staff involved in my section were exceptionally kind and lovely. They could see that I was obviously distressed at having to go through surgery and there was nothing any of them could have done better- to talk me through what was happening and listen to my concerns. My surgeon was also great and I really enjoyed his humour and expertise. Also the vast majority of nurses and doctors on the wards were friendly and very kind, although it was clear they were very busy. 

What could have been better

Following the section I was given standard medication on the recovery ward which was basically paracetamol and ibuprofen. I was told that I would need to specifically request any further medication I needed which I found unreasonable given the extent of my procedure. This meant that I had to request morphine tablets through the night every time I felt the need for more pain relief. Sometimes this meant I didn't receive medication as nurses were busy and would forget to come back to me. I was also told by one nurse that if I wanted my catheter bag changed I would need to go to the toilet myself and empty it. At that point I couldn't move with the pain I was in so I ignored that nurse and requested that another nurse empty my catheter bag which she was happy to do. I felt the earlier response regarding emptying my catheter was ridiculous and the nurse presumably didn't recognise the state I was in, despite my consistent requests for morphine.

After a couple of days I was expected to start walking which I did very slowly. However later that day I was crippled with pain and had to beg nurses for more medication. This involved me walking to the toilets in tears at a snail's pace as I was in agony. However, I felt that if I didn't show the pain I was in, further medication wouldn't be given to me, and I also didn't want to have another catheter inserted. I was finally given a slow release morphine as well as the fast release morphine (how they termed the medication) and in a matter of hours I was able to walk and move in my bed so that I could look after my baby. 

The next day I requested the same morphine and was told that, as it was a controlled drug, continuing to take it would mean it would delay my return home if I was to take another dose - so they didn't want to give it to me. I made the point that I had no interest in returning home if I was going to be unable to walk, move and look after my baby. I was also really concerned about the effects of the medication wearing off and me being in extreme pain again.

At this point, the nurse also insulted me by asking my husband what his opinion was - as if he had something to say about the pain I was in that would be different to what I was communicating.

The nurse compromised by saying they would put me on a different drug for a day and if this didn't work, I'd be put back on the slow release morphine. I agreed to this and fortunately the alternative medication worked without me going back to the crippling pain that I feared. I felt very frustrated however that I had to beg for medication beyond paracetamol and ibuprofen - given the surgery that I had been through.

On returning home I was told I could request that my community midwife remove the dressing on my wound. When I did this, the midwife said that it was more common that the patient took it off themselves but she would do it for me. Again, I felt that she was doing me a favour whereas I felt that it made sense for a professional to look at my dressing and wound as they would know far more quickly if there were any issues. In the event, on removing my dressing, my midwife found that one of my stitches had been left in and she removed this. If I had been responsible for sorting this out, it could have taken far longer and required more resources - as well as being a concern as one of my stitches would have been exposed.

How do I feel about my care

I feel that the outcome was incredibly successful in that I have a beautiful, healthy child and I am recovering well. However I feel that aspects of my care detailed above could have been handled better and made the process more upsetting than it needed to be. On a basic level, as a patient in this kind of situation, you want to feel that you're being cared for and listened to - as you are vulnerable and need help.