"midwife led delivery unit "

If I knew it would go that way I would have filled my bathtub at home and called the midwife after the birth!

My opinion:

1. The midwife was very intrusive with the internal examinations as she wouldn't stop through a contraction, to the point I wanted to kick her away! She wasn't careful not to cause me pain or to be quick, the 2nd time, after she said I was fully dilated she didn't stop! She annoyingly described that she could can feel my little baby's head on her fingers' (totally offending for me! ) She never seemed to care if it was ok for my partner to be in the room during examinations!

2. I haven't been allowed 'gas and air' for pain relief, no TENS machine available (only 2 or 3 for the whole unit! ), no water birth simply because it seemed to me that the midwife wasn't in the mood for filling the pool.

3. Cold room and it had not been solved 3 days later so why have they put me in that room?

4. No checks of baby at birth, no measuring, no weight, nothing!

5. The midwife was stressed, not ready for a birth happening, not listening to my needs!

6. Everyone allowing themselves to touch my breast and position baby when I was feeding! That's my second child and I never asked help for positioning! ! ! More irritating was when the hearing screener came while baby was finally having his first feed and said it doesn't matter if he is feeding and half asleep, I can still do the hearing test! She allowed herself touching my breast, preventing me from resting, disturbing baby, and me and all that to say 'sorry, I need to do it again because it didn't work!

There is lots more I could say but these are the main things.

There is the story of my baby's birth...:

I went to hospital a few days before for checks as I had contractions and they put me in a room which felt really cold, they apologised for that many times and after assessing me I got back home being told that hopefully things will pick up in the next days.

3 days later, after 6hours of labour with contractions 5mins apart I arrived at the hospital at 11. 30pm. A midwife have put me in that same freezing cold room and said someone would come in 5 minutes to assess how far on I am. I repeatedly said I wanted a waterbirth and they kind of willingly ignored me or answered they would fill up the pool when they had done an internal examination. Eventually someone came 15mins later, did a few checks, left the room and came back frequently to say that someone would come soon... My contractions always came when she wasn't in the room so when she came to decide if I was staying or not she said it would be better for me going back home because it could still take a while until the baby is born... She left me to think of the idea and didn't care much listening to me when I said my contractions were closer together and more intense.. well, by 1 am I went on my way back home being told there was no TENS machine available but I could take painkillers. Shortly after being back I couldn't bare the pain anymore so by 3 am I was back at the hospital. The midwives obviously noticed I was distressed and I had about 3 contractions only the time it took to go to the room from the desk but have only put me back in that cold room and told me to wait...

A while later a midwife came with an obsession on getting a urine sample and she didn't know how to deal with the fact she couldn't have it. She left me again saying she would come for an internal examination in 5 mins... By the time she was back, I already felt pressure and contractions were so frequent and intense I couldn't talk. Nevertheless, she insisted that I can't get gas and air before examination! She did the examination and suddenly got pale saying I was fully dilated, and that it was so quick as I was only 2 cm when I came in the first time! At that point I just felt she was totally stressed out and not ready at all for a birth! I asked once more if I could finally get gas and air and the pool so she said the pool wasn't filled up! I was asked if I needed to push and before waiting for my answer at the end of the contraction I was having, she went to ask someone to fill the pool. My waters broke when she came back, she finally allowed me to use 'gas and air' and she left the room again... My partner also insisted a few times that I get transferred to the pool but in fact the midwife was so slow that it was too late! ! !

The midwife herself nearly missed the birth as I was already pushing when she came back! My baby is born only 30 mins after being admitted in hospital. I had no TENS machine, no gas and air (until last minute), no birthing pool and not even a midwife there for support! ! ! When baby's head was crowning she kept on putting her hands on my baby's head... Then all along she kept telling me how to breath, how to push and when to use gas and air, with no care of how I felt better but what she thought was better!

Still in that freezing cold room, I got left by all the midwifes with a few out of reach biscuits, my partner and our new baby. one or another midwife was there every 10mins to say sorry we are too busy too look after you.

My partner was also waiting for baby's weight, lengths, to be checked and vitamin K injection but at 6. 30am he needed to go home to look after our toddler. On his way out, no one bothered telling him anything, but they came just as he had left the room to do all the checks! Disgusting it wasn't done straight away, it would only have been 5 mins! Then, when I finally hoped to rest a bit, midwives just kept coming in the room to say sorry we don't have time for you but we will come later, or hello it's me on day shift today...

I also never got a blanket seeing how cold it was, tea out of reach...

Breastfeeding was hell with everyone feeling they had to touch my breast + disturbing when baby finally got on feeding! !

If i could do it again, i would feel my bathtub, take paracetamol and call the midwife once baby is born!