"Molly arrives in the world"

Just wanted to comment on the great care i received when i had my baby at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in October last year (2011).

The midwives, nursing staff and nursery nurses were fantastic throughout my delivery and afterwards during my stay on the post natal ward. During the labour itself i felt reassured and confident in their ability to help me through what was quite a painful experience. The labour didn't play out much like the birth plan i had written, and they helped me to make choices so i felt like i still had some control over the way my baby was delivered.

Afterwards on the ward, i was assisted with breast feeding (which i was finding quite difficult). The midwives and nurses helped me to latch my baby on throughout the day, and the nursery nurses did the same throughout the night. On my second night on the ward when i hadnt slept in days, the nursery nurses even took my baby for a few hours so i get some much needed sleep!

If i had to make a critiscism of the maternity care i received it would be that when i called the ward to tell them i was in labour, they assured me that it would probably be days before i actually delivered my baby and that i should stay at home until my contractions were regular. This continued for 11 hours before i just went to hospital regardless of their advice to stay at home and have a bath (as i couldn't handle the pain any longer). On arrival at the hospital it transpired that i was fully dialated and had no time for a water birth or an epidural (which i had wanted). Baby Molly was born just 2 hours later. I feel that the midwives i spoke to over the phone should have let me come into the hospital to be examined, which would have given me the option to have a water birth or an epidural.

On the whole, the care was excellent and i'd like to thank all the staff at the maternity unit on the Royal Glamorgan for the fantastic care myself and baby Molly received.