"My wife delivered by c-section ..."

What I liked:

My wife delivered by c-section here in spring 2008. I was really pleased with the obstetrician and the nursing staff in theatres. When we got to the ward it was appalling. The room was not properly cleaned with tissues and needle sheaths lying on the filthy floor. The midwife was rude and more concerned with the visiting time. We had 2 friendly and helpful midwives and about 4 rude ones in the space of 3 days. My wife was asked to leave the baby unattended on a 4 bedded ward to go have her shower the next morning after the operation and to get up and get her own meals! The place is riddled with politics. When the midwives found out we were both medical it seemed to inspire them to treat us even worse. The cleanliness is shambolic and so is the treatment of post caesarian mothers. How can you treat a normal delivery mum and c-section mum the same. A 10 cm incision means life is going to hard for 2 or 3 days and a little help is not going to kill the midwives here. My wife was also asked on day 2 to push a large cot with our baby in it to the other end of the ward to see the paediatrician. We escaped on day 3, begging the doctor to let her go. Every time I stayed until 9pm I would get constant harrasment to leave. The fathers in the side rooms however were not asked to follow these same rules! Hypocritical midwifery is ruining maternity care in the UK. Never again.

What could be improved? Cleanliness. Properly managed rooms. Single rooms for each mother not sharing with 3 strangers. Polite and helpful midwives who get off their backsides to help rather than playing politics and filling in forms at their stations or plush offices.