"Poor Maternity Care in labour :("

'Super' hospital, shame not all the staff are 'super' : (

I had my baby here last year and it was an awful experience. I was completely unsupported, barely spoken to, and at times completely ignored and disregarded, denied basic comforts at time, water to sip etc and not reassured or comforted once during my labour.

Also was denied to move positions, or even being passed my bottled of water at one point, when my mouth dried up and I couldn't swallow due to the gas and air! because Midwife said she had just put gloves on? ? And the only reason my partner couldn't pass me the water as he had been doing was because he down at our car while I was 9 centimetres dilated fetching me another pillow because my request for an extra pillow for my extremely painful back was also told..... No! ! : (

I could go on with a whole list of disappointing, uncaring, unsympathetic and rude behaviour, certainly not one you would expect from a midwife....

BUT....... Thankfully I have a beautiful, healthy child of which I'm grateful, but a year down the line I am still upset and bitterly disappointed that my first experience of labour and motherhood was so negative and has taken a long time to get over this.

I have spoke about it within our coffee group of first time mothers for feedback for their experiences in case I was being too sensitive or unrealistic expectations of what 'should' have happened in a labour ward, and out of nearly twenty of us, I can honestly say without any embellishment that the midwife treatment I experienced thankfully is rare, but I hope the midwife (who I think was new or still training) should be ashamed of herself and I hope no-one else experiences a first time birth with her! Perhaps its really not her long term job calling in life! !

The staff care afterwards was good, although I think I was just a bit in shock with the whole labour experience and I don't think leaving a first time Mum in a room by themselves, not seeing another person over night was a very good experience. It was very much, just get on with it: (