"Not impressed"

Went in for scan at 39 weeks as baby lacked movement. Waters broke whilst there so kept in anyway.

Realistic about birth as this wasn't first baby. Checked and 4cm dilated but I think I was more as staff seemed inexperienced. Husband sent home for the night. Pain got worse. I was told I wasn't in established labour because I wasn't crying screaming and throwing myself on the floor - not my think I'm afraid and I have a good pain threshold. I was offered a hot bath and paracetamol. I ran a bath but left the room as I felt feint and worried I'd drown!

I told staff I could feel babies head! Advised I was wrong. Went back to my bed in pain, started pushing and thought I'll just deliver it myself then. A more senior staff member came in, put my belongings in the bed and ran me down to delivery room with my stuff piled around me. Some of it fell off the bed as they ran through corridor and it wasn't picked up as they were panicking because the baby was coming out. Hadn't phoned my husband to get him for me as they'd made him leave beforehand wrongly insisting I was not in full labour. I was holding my daughter 5 mins later! Hubby arrived after that. The stuff that fell off the bed in the rush had been nicked out of the corridor. Baby was born with cord around neck - explains lack of movement. I'd had no monitoring since the scan earlier that day. I felt in shock and cold. No blankets. My husband found them in a cupboard and helped ourselves as staff had left the room moments after the birth - short staffed! A theatre nurse came in and helped me clean up and shower etc. I then went to the ward as baby had to be monitored for 24 hours (due to first born having heart defect). In 24 hrs the staff kept taking my temperature and blood pressure, I said it was the baby that needs monitoring! Answer - it's routine. In the end I just let them check me every few hours! The baby only got 1 check in 24 hours so good job she didn't have a heart defect! I was aware of delays getting out of hospital after my first born so I packed mine and baby's bags ready for 6am, made the bed and sat in my coat ready to leave! They took the hint and I was gone by 7am. In summary, the experience was rubbish because I didn't shout and scream before labour my hubby missed the birth and in the mad rush my stuff got nicked!

What a joke, should have sued them.