A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2020:
I was under the care of consultants at the JR due to having Low Papp A.
I was taken to MAU at 33 weeks as I was having lots of contractions. I was very much dismissed by the midwives in this unit. They took a swab of my cervix and to their shock, it was positive for something that indicates baby can be coming. So I was admitted. No food was given to me until the following day.
I was in for a few days then Dr said I could go home. I was kept a close eye on, think weekly appointments or two weekly. I was then unfortunately advised to have an induction at 40 weeks. I was told I was more likely to have a still birth. I had been terrified since my 1st scan after finding out about low papp A. I felt I had no choice in having this induction. I wish I was given more statistics. I tried everything to start naturally.
Sunday 8th March we started the induction process. My son was monitored, we did this a little longer as it was noticed heart rate was fluctuating. It was then declared it was fine to go ahead with the gel ?? I believe. To this day, I do wonder if this was the right decision, with my son's heart fluctuating.
The gel worked pretty quickly, I started to noticed contractions within the first hour. By 3pm that afternoon I felt my water's pop. I was told no they haven't, or you would be wet. I was laying on a bed at this point. But they had gone and the contractions ramped up quickly. We kept buzzing for midwife asking to go down to labour ward. I was labouring on the induction ward, as they had no staff member on labour ward to take me. I was sat on a chair, soaked. Not able to have gas and air, as not available on induction ward.
The midwife knew I should have been on labour ward, and in fact when her shift finished she took me down herself. This was now between 8-9 pm, I was then actually passed over to a midwife. Can't even remember her face. By the time they checked me I was already 10cm. So no epidural.
I had the gas and air. I was told to wait another hour before start pushing. In-between all this , they had concerns about me and my blood pressure. No senior midwife available or consultant, due to another emergency. So midwife just had to monitor.
It was then time to push, I had no feeling to push what so ever. It just seemed odd. Unfortunately after 45min that's when it all went terribly.
The midwife had pressed emergency button. And Doctors came in, taking me down to theatre. I had no idea what was going on. No explanation what so ever. All I remember is hearing someone saying "it's been 6 minutes" I thought my baby was dead.
Theatre was bright, noisy and scary. No one telling me anything. My husband was left for 20 min in labour room with no explanation.
I was in theatre for nearly 2 hour's. To begin with, I'm on a theatre table, no pain relief, no explanation on what is happening. I was too scared to ask if my baby was dead. I remember screaming, saying just knock me out.
It turned out my son was bradycardic, his heart rate dropped so low for over 6 minutes. CAT 1 c section.
Unfortunately due to bloods being lost or congealed earlier. They couldn't start c section. My son's heart rate recovered again. I remember being asked to sit up on theatre table, my foot balanced in a chair on wheels. Told to stay still while spinal block went in.
Unfortunately my son's heart rate dropped again. Still no blood results back. Then Dr in surgery was already cutting me open to get him out when they had the call. Otherwise it would have been under general.
I was relieved he was out, he had a little delay in crying. A little blue but turned pink quickly. This is what was in my records. We then had the worse week to follow this worst day. My son was born at 1.57 am I was then attached to IV fluids, I had a cannula. Everything attached to me was on wheels. Told to stay still while the spinal block went in.
On the Monday 9th, by the evening I noticed my stomach felt strange. That night I remember feeling cold, I thought someone left a window open. Turned out I had a fever. I was very tired, everything felt blurry. I remember seeing 5 blurry people standing around my bed. I watched someone take my baby away, this was due to him being fed and changed. Because I couldn't move. It haunted me for months. I had an infection from my c section. And out on IV antibiotics. Drawn on to see how the redness on my stomach progressed.
I remember speaking with Dr following day, who wanted a scan done. This never happened. We also had to remind staff that I needed my IV antibiotics. It was terrifying. This was blamed on a computer system fail....that was response to my complaint.
I was was placed on a bed right near a room, with a window in-between. It had a curtain, but because this was used all night. My bed was lighter at night than in the day. And every time it was used the door banged making my baby jump. They started to turn it off, but that got forgotten about.
The bedside manner of staff and midwifes was awful. I remember being snapped at saying I moved an IV line because it was backing up. My arm was swelling up, so I knew the antibiotics wasn't going in. I pressed my buzzer. No one came for a few hours.
I was slap snapped for leaving my bay to get change cot sheets, as my son had vomited. I wasn't going to leave him in the little cot. I had no one to hold him for me. I hated my time in that place.
Unfortunately by the Friday my blood pressure started going up. I blamed it on being in that place. I wasn't able to leave until the Sunday, when the medication was working. By then covid restrictions came in.
First week home, community midwife was very good. She knew my experience was awful. She told me about birth afterthoughts. Actually this is pretty rubbish and pointless.
Our health visitor came to see us once. And said you probably won't see me again. I have never felt so alone 😔 Flash backs, tiredness and guilt plagued me. By September that year I was suicidal. Postnatal midwife nurse came to see me. Said I just had anxiety.
I was later told, I was also failed by her.
Thankfully the following year, I had an amazing therapist. She saved my life. I had PTSD and depression.
Since then I've been diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomysos. I never had any problems until after the c section. I was told this is seen many times after c sections. My consultant said you can't 100% prove it. But it's another kick in the teeth. 1 surgery already to help and now waiting for another one.
Not to mention how the traumatic birth may have affected my son. He is currently on waiting list for possible autism and his play therapist has said that research is showing how a traumatic birth can cause a child to be anxious.
Even now, being asked if we had a traumatic birth. Hits me. It's so upsetting.