"Giving birth"

I felt like I was abandoned by staff because I was, after having a c section I was placed in a room on my own as there were no ward beds available yet. my legs were paralysed still but they put my naked no nappy or anything on yet son on my chest and said after 20 mins we are changing shift someone else will come in and take over I said thanks and bye. My bags were on the other side of the room and I had no way of getting them to get a nappy or try and dress my son & my husband had already just before nurses changed shift   to pick our other son up from school

15 mins after he left they left and btw they had put the buzzer hanging on the end of my bed I couldn’t move So I couldn’t reach for it I’m short also and I had a baby in my arms with legs that still couldn’t move he was naked & I was freezing cold I tried to keep him a warm as possible with my pyjama top but he was cold I was dreading if he urinated he would be left freezing with nothing to cover him. He would have urinated on the pyjama top also that I was using to keep him as warm as I could I knew my husband would be a while as he had to take my son home and get him changed and then to go and pick me up some food I hadn’t eaten for hours at this point because of nil by mouth.

Almost two hours later my parent arrived   & I’ve never been so glad to see someone my husband & son following behind them about 5mins later (parking), and my son was still on my chest naked his crib was also too far away to reach my mum and husband were furious my mum took my son and put his nappy on dressed him and still no nurses had appeared so after explaining it all my mum said I wonder how long it will take them to come and see if your ok another two hours past before a nurse came into my room I was so hungry, thank god I told my husband to bring me food before he left as I’d not eaten for around 14 hrs by this stage or slept dizziness   was kicking in by this point, they walked into the room no hi how are you but walked up to me and pulled my top down I was holding my son and they tried to force my breast into his mouth I’d just fed him so I was furious and I said how dare you that’s so inappropriate, she said well you have to practice I said my sons just been breast fed you didn’t even say hello it’s not ok it had all gotten to me by this point!

I’m a survivor so this type of thing really hurts my soul, anyway after discussing with another nurse who came into my room what had happened they said they were moving me it was around midnight I’d had my son at 12. 30pm and had seen nurses for around 30 mins since the birth happened so they brought me a bed that had a dent bigger than me in it it was completely sunk all through the middle of it and I couldn’t get out of it they then dumped me because they did in a ward closed the curtains on me put the crib next to my bed so close I couldn’t get the baby out easily or reach nappies and my bags were on the windowsill. A good hop skip and full jump away from my bed and hung the buzzer on the end of the bed again I was still paralysed from the waist down so I couldn’t reach my bags or the buzzer I decided to try and sleep and hopefully when I woke up I wouldn’t be paralysed anymore and could sort my baby & myself out but the bed was hindering me and I had to try and roll out of the big dip to get up and it was agony.

Then finally nurses came, I’d had my curtains closed around me for most of the morning before anyone came to see if I was ok it was a terrible experience never mind all the baby’s keeping other mothers awake at night & nurses making noise non stop not fair really is it all mothers should have there own room it’s 2021 it’s bad enough being woken up by your own baby never mind other peoples. Then nurses coming into your space and waking you up for medication that’s not necessary to take right there and then no respect for new mothers in hospital or for mothers who have had a miscarriage. I’ve had that experience also so all in all I couldnt wait to leave, then to add the final insult to injury they didn’t even put a card I my baby’s crib - I have no idea of his birth length head size his name nothing was on the crib and nobody told me I asked but I had to get a card with limited info two weeks after being home hand delivered by my lovely midwife who was shocked at my treatment!

I hope I never need to go in again for anything my experience was terrible! and there was me thinking it couldn’t have been as bad as my first birth /forceps delivery but it was on par both terrible experiences such a sad way to remember your births!