"Review of birth and postnatal services"

I experienced excellent medical and midwife care during the birth of my child last year. Both midwives who supported us through the birth were outstanding, as were the anaesthetists and doctors who dealt with my epidural, forceps and episiotomy delivery and retained placenta. The care on the recovery ward was also excellent.

The postnatal ward care was much less good but this was due to what seemed to be a lack or staff of wards and being on a ward with several other mothers and new babies. After an extremely long labour and a birth with complications resulting in me needing a blood transfusion, and subsequent breastfeeding difficulties, I felt that I needed a lot more attention than anyone was able to give give me. However staff were generally pleasant and helpful in so far as they were able and I see that more as a wider systemic funding issue within the NHS, particularly when comparing postnatal care now to that received 30-40 years ago, for example.