"Midwives were rude to me"

I had an extremely bad experience when having my first baby at East surrey hospital, mainly due to a few incompetent midwives. But I live 5 minutes away so it's not very practical to travel so far when in labour to get to another hospital so I decided to have my 2nd baby at East surrey.

My baby need intravenous antibiotics for 5 days after birth which required me to take her to the neonatal unit twice a day, this also requires the midwives to do 4 hourly observations on her. One evening I spent quite a few hours on the neonatal unit as my baby needed a new cannula, bloods taken and antibiotics. I never returned to the ward until 22. 20, I then fed her, changed her nappy and didn't go to sleep until 23. 30.

In the morning when I was looking in her notes it was written that my babies observations were checked at 22. 00, which is impossible as we physically weren't on the ward and when I returned no one checked them. I reported this to the day midwife who apparently 'escalated' it. I was then ignored for the last 2 days (I assume as I had complained of people not doing their job correctly).

I was repeatedly missed during drug rounds, I had midwives continually being rude to me, I even had one corner me at 6am in the morning as I brought my baby back from special care who shouted at me in front of 3 other members of staff that she had done the 2 am observations on my baby but I was asleep and hadn't woken up despite her slamming the door, but she had definitely done them incase I didn't believe her.

On the day I was due to be discharged I was told at 4pm that the midwife was refusing to do the Guthrie test on my baby so I would have to stay in as she didn't have time to do it, a Dr eventually done this for me (it took 5 minutes). I was finally discharged at 8pm (after threatening to discharge myself as I needed no medication and baby had been checked by the Dr, I was only waiting for paperwork to be completed) I arrived home to receive a phone call from the midwife asking me to check whether I had my notes. I had been given someone else's notes, my partner had to take them back to the hospital where they couldn't find my notes and was told to return the next morning to collect my notes once they were found.

I feel the whole attitude of the ward is disgusting, it feels like a conveyor belt and it seems everybody is so disinterested in their job. If I ever have another baby I would rather give birth on the way to another hospital than have to be admitted to Burstow ward again! I complained the first time I gave birth at East Surrey and got no where and will complain again, but I don't feel it will will get me anywhere.