"With 1 exception, a fantastic and caring midwife..."

What I liked

I wish to thank the midwife who delivered my son last month. she was professional, completely calm under pressure and I could not have wished for a better person to have delivered my baby. Her attitude and approach was wonderful. She was also understanding of my being in pain and genuinely wanted to help me.

I found all the midwifes on the maternity ward to be excellent, kind and understanding. Genuinely sounding enthusastic and happy for me on the birth of my son despite them doing this job day in day out. I had my daughter at WRH 5 years ago and felt the same about the midwives who I interacted with after the birth and I I never on either occaison felt any pressure to go home.

Anything else?

The midwife who I saw when I first arrived on the delivery ward and who subsequently examined me in my opinion lacked basic interpersonal skills. She didn't introduce herself to me nor seemed interested in who I or my husband were. She lacked sympathy with me being in pain and was also openly irratated when I asked to get off the bed before she examined me because I was having a contraction. She told me I was 'barely' 2 cm dilated and I shouldn't have come to the hospital as I was in very early stages of labour and should really go home. This being my second child I has laboured at home for 5 hours before coming in and felt I had arrived at the right time, so I refused to go home. She refused me any pain relief apart from a tens machine because I wasn't dilated enough despite the fact I was in a lot of pain and wasn't coping. She told me she was going off shift at 9pm so the next midwife would examine me then. I waited an hour and a quarter in the room in a lot of pain and at 9pm I asked my husband to get the new midwife on shift as I was in so much pain. She was wonderful and had a completely different demenour. She said her name and used mine and my husband's without asking for them. She also gave me gas and air straight away which made a huge difference. On examining me I was 8cm dilated and I was rushed straight to a deliver suite and my son was born about half an hour later. I feel that the first midwife didnt listen to me and feel thankful I stood my ground about not going home. I feel quite strongly that no matter how many years you have been in a profession like midwfery, you should still have empathy with your patients in what is a very frightening experience for them. This one negative interaction has not coloured my opinion of the midwife team who I think are amazing.