"C-section July 2016 -"

After an emergency c section with my daughter in 2012 I opted for an elective section with my son in July 2016. When I had my daughter I was told any further pregnancies would be under consultant care due to complications. At 30 weeks despite repeatedly asking my midwife about seeing a consultant for a c section I decided to take matters into my own hands to find out why I had had no appointment through! Eventually it was uncovered that at a 6 week scan in the early assessment unit I had been placed under a Gyno code instead of a maternity code! At 34 weeks I finally saw a consultant who was fantastic and booked my section..on the day of my section I got a phone call to say the hospital was at capacity and they would have to cancel to rearrange in 2 days time! On the day of the section the staff in theatre were fantastic, very reassuring and an absolute credit to the hospital. Unfortunately this wasn't the case on the ward in mat base where I waited 2 hours for a cot for my son! The tag on his ankle was too tight to the point his foot started turning purple this was sorted by staff after me showing them! My venflon stockings had not been switched on and the drip to stop me bleeding was also not switched on which meant I bled for longer than usual! Eventually this was sorted out but I was very distressed by this and felt extremely let down! I was up and about in the evening with the help of a health care assistant who was brilliant. Night staff came on and despite being told I'd get pain relief on a regular basis I didn't! Pressed the buzzer as the pain was unbearable when trying to care for my son but waited over an hour so I just accepted the pain and did what I had to do! The next morning I waited to be discharged and seen by a doctor! 4pm still waiting I discharged myself as I felt I would be better looked after at home! All in all the aftercare on the ward was not up to standard and it was not the positive experience I had hoped for! I was very relieved to get home with my son but felt traumatised by it all for the first couple of weeks and struggled to understand why I had been treated the way I had. Pals did deal with the consultant issue which I was grateful for, they dealt with it quickly and I was glad it was sorted. I strongly feel the ward was understaffed and not properly managed which is a cause for concern. Had I not noticed my drip was not on it could've been quite serious! I understand it's a busy hospital but the lack of care was concerning for both myself and my partner.