"Labour"

After previously having my first son at Epsom in 2014 and receiving such good care I chose to come back. I gave birth to my second son Jan 2017.

This time round the care that I received was not the same.

I was induced at 39 weeks, once induction commenced within 10 mins I began to get intense contractions. When the midwife put me on the monitor to check baby heart rate, they pressed the red alarm due to babies heart rate dropping. Several doctors appeared in the room, where they immediately pulled out the pessary due to baby being in distress. It was all very alarming.

Once pessary had been taken out contractions was still intense and the midwife looking after me was amazing. This midwife was the only one who seemed to really care. I delivered my baby extremely quickly within two hours of induction commencing. My baby from all the stress of contractions had a méconium poo inside me. When he was handed over to me he also went again all down my arm. I was left sitting in méconium until I was able to get up and go for a shower. The original midwife who had been looking after me had been called away and we never saw them again to say thank you. We stayed overnight due to baby needing to be monitored due to the méconium. We went back up to the maternity ward at 4pm where we stayed in a private room. No one came to see us to check on baby or myself. At 9pm I rang the buzzer to ask them why. I was shocked they hadn't come to check my baby as he was meant to be monitored or even offer me a drink or food.

No one came to see us to explain what had happened during labour. We were just left to it. The next morning we were told we would be discharged and ended not being discharged till gone 6.30pm due to only being two staff members there. I felt the lack of care this time round was very apparent on the postnatal ward, we were very disappointed.