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"Traumatic experience & understaffed hospital"

About: Newham General Hospital / Maternity care

I was admitted at 37 weeks with suspected pre-eclampsia. I was given medication and sent away to return the next day. I was then seen by a different doctor who gave me a sweep and sent me home, back again the next morning diff doctor & admitted to be induced. 2 days - no beds on labour ward. Sent home, back in again same thing next day - this continued for another couple of days with my symptoms getting worse. Finally on day 7 I came in at 8:30am and was told due to my condition they needed to get baby out immediately - Panic stations, or not...I was given a bed at 10pm that night after a 13.5 hour wait, blood pressure sky high at this point and platelet count so low bleeding to death and hemoraging was a high possibility now - great! Finally put into a room on delivery ward in their 'spare room for emergencies' which was tiny. Told nothing would be done until morning but was induced at 2am, which meant I was awake and had no sleep at all. Contractions started properly around 6am, 12pm waters broke. I was then told I was no longer allowed out of bed due to my condition which was deteriorating fast. Was not allowed an epidural due to the condition so had just a pain killer. My midwife only sprang into action when my babies heart rate dropped, I delivered her 10 minutes into the final stage of labour (was not told to stop or pant) so tore really badly. Cord around babies neck and she was blue! , baby born at 4:30pm I had been up for a day and a half by this point. Midwife change over then I was left, laying in my own blood for hours. My poor mum had to try and clean me up and change the bed sheet! Semi unconscious now after still bleeding so heavily and only having a pad placed between my legs to help. Hadn't even held my baby. Midwives all so unhelpful. Due to feeling so dirty I tried to get up to go and clean myself up at around 11pm- bad idea after 11 hours being horizontal i passed out and only then did they realise I needed a blood transfusion - turned out I needed 3. Then next day down to recovery, what a hell hole that was. Filthy dirty, noisy, midwives who seemed they would rather be anywhere than caring for you. I had no help, could hardly stand for passing out and my partner was made to go home. First time mother I was scared and alone, I even got shouted at when I asked for some painkillers (stitches hurt like hell). I had one helpful trainee midwife who showed me how to burp my baby properly other than that every single midwife I had during my 3 day recover were awful. In the end I lied about how I felt so I would be discharged. I now have serious deficiencies and irreversible anaemia, my experience is to blame. Being left for 7 days with pre-eclampsia was the start. I would not ever return to this hospital and am so glad to have moved away from the area. Becoming a new mum is very hard, as a midwife you should have some empathy for what someone a new mother has just been through!

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