"Post natal ward staff actions were..."

What I liked

The fact that I was finally able to self-discharge as soon as possible to escape the rudeness, inhumane behaviour, indignity and the danger the night shift midwives put me and my newborn infant in.

I was able to finally get away from the nightmare in the High Dependency unit and post natal wards staff put us through.

Night shift staff were unprofessional and do not understand the meaning of duty of care towards vulnerable new mothers. Totally unacceptable, I intend to follow up with a formal letter of complaint

What could be improved

Staff need basic training in health an safety and manners. There actions negligent and put me and my baby at risk.

Experience in HDU:

after a 4 days labour I was prep’d in theatre for a c-section but managed to deliver with a vontous and episiotomy. My husband was asked to leave as it was now 2am in the morning and I was left alone to experience the horrors of certain night shift midwives playing god with me and my newborn son.

I was given and epidural top up in high dependency unit and asked to get up and walk within 20 mins by a callous midwife who then laughed as I nearly collapsed, stating

“Your own fault you got up too quickly”.

The fact that the epidural had rendered me with no feeling in my legs seemed to be overlooked by her.

She also told me to

“Suck up my sanitary towel between legs” as she did not want to clean up a red mess after me once I attempted to walk at her request.

The plaster holding the epidural line was ripped off my back with such ferocity that it took my skin with it, she stated again

“It is not my fault you have a hairy back!”

At 5am in the morning despite HDU being empty her over eagerness to get me discharge from HDU to a post natal ward, meant she demanded that I get up and walk

“take your handbag with you” that apparently is her term for a urine catheter and the bag connected to it, she placed this together with my saline drip on my lap after I had stumbled to the wheelchair. On top of this she placed my large winter coat and on top of this she precariously balanced my new born son.

He ignored my appeals that I was feeling dizzy (I was anaemic after blood loss, low blood pressure and 4 nights of sleep deprivation of a long labour). I was petrified of dropping my child!

I was then wheeled at break neck speed thought bumpy corridors, through swinging double doors that nearly hit my babies head and the wheelchair scraped a wall as the hasty midwife decided she was in a race to get me to post natal ward.

Anything else?

Post natal ward:

My welcome here consisted of a 5am lecture by an aggressive and rude midwife who lecture me on swine flu and one visitor only as she was fed up off us people making life hard for. I could barely comprehend her poor English but her aggressive tone was understood, she woke up the entire ward of babies with this shouting, totally unnecessary at that time of the morning.

I was made to walk again (still feeling weak and delirious) to the new bed. My sanitary towel dropped to the floor I was refused a new one by staff.

I asked for formula milk as my baby was not latching and the reply was

“ You have milk in your breast, no formula!”

I was too weak to realise that the ‘call button’ and bed rest button were on the floor out of my reach, the midwives did not bother to check the baby or ensure that I was OK, lecturing me on swine flu and visitor numbers at 5am was their only concern it appears.

There was no handover from the porter to postnatal ward, my urine bag was thrown on the bed, it leaked, no sanitary towel either meant I was left in a bed of blood and urine until the morning staff arrived. They were shocked at my condition and the fact that nobody had bothered to check baby who had not been dressed or changed as I could not get help with this, or someone to help reach my bag thrown on eh floor by the porter (out of my reach)

The next morning was no better, no pain relief or ice packs were provided. With urine catheter gone and my not being able to walk, I requested a bowl to pass urine into and this was not forthcoming wither for over 4 hours.

The hearing test people, by passed my baby and the paediatricians were not able to see us in the 12 hours we waited for them. I finally decided enough was enough and could not face another night suffering the incompetent and mean midwives I was subjected to the night before and chose self discharge us out of Queen Charlottes with the intention of following up with a complaint following legal advice on the