"Delivery review 26-7-15"

First of all, I would like to praise one of the midwives in the Delivery Suite for the outstanding level of care we were given during my wife's labour. It was only a shame their shift finished before Becky gave birth but I realise this can't be helped. They ensured we were kept informed at all times and their manner meant my wife was calm during a stressful time. A truly fantastic professional. The midwife who replaced them, was clear and supportive during delivery. My wife had said throughout that she would like an epidural. She received one, but its effects had worn off completely during the final stages. We were disappointed she was not given a top-up dose. My son was delivered by ventouse at 22.43am on the date given. He has been healthy since. There were a number of aspects that troubled me, however, mainly on the day after Becky gave birth (27/7). The level of communication on the Gwillim Suite was very poor. At about 6pm, we were told we had been discharged and were free to go. We checked again and were given the same answer. When my wife asked me to check a third time, we were told that although we had been discharged, we were not free to leave. I'd suggest a more consistent message would be helpful. I was frankly surprised my wife and son were discharged so quickly. My wife was in considerable pain from the procedure during labour, which required stitches. For the following 72 hours, she was in considerable pain and barely able to move around our flat. With a newborn baby to look after, it was disappointing that St George's did not see fit to keep her in for at least one more night, not least to help her with breastfeeding and bathing the baby. We felt we were essentially kicked out at the earliest opportunity, when my wife wasn't really mentally or physically ready to go home. I understand the constraints on time and staff but we felt that as soon as Becky had delivered, we were no longer St George's problem. We would have liked a little more attention to be paid to the post-natal process.