"Highs and lows in pregnancy and birth journey"

I was assigned to an obstetrician due to complications with a previous pregnancy and whilst all the practitioners I saw were great, I never had the opportunity to meet with or check in with my assigned doctor. The care I got was good, however I feel it would have been helpful to have been seen by the same doctor, even on occasion as being seen by lots of different people made it complicated if I had follow up questions etc.

My community midwife (Anna from Hazelhead ward) was exceptional - very reliable, empathetic and professional. She was consistently supportive and nonjudgmental, I hope I get her again in a subsequent pregnancy. I also received support from Marcia, bereavement support midwife, following a previous pregnancy loss - she was absolutely fantastic and her support and kindness was invaluable.

My care in labour ward was brilliant - I wanted to specifically mention a midwife called Gael and her student colleague Amy who made sure I was comfortable and their presence was very calming and reassuring. The staff in theatre during my section were also amazing - they explained everything so well and did everything they can to make my experience more comfortable. Even small things like allowing me to choose the music really put me at ease.

My experience on Summerfield ward greatly varied depending on who was on shift. Some members of staff were kind, patient and helpful, whereas others were abrupt, judgmental and pressuring around breastfeeding. The advice on feeding also changed depending on who you got - for example one person said I needed to express every 45 minutes, another said every 2-3 hours. The breastfeeding support and infant feeding team staff however were very helpful and worked on a strength-based perspective, rather than making me feel like I was failing.

I feel the experience on the ward would’ve been much easier if breastfeeding had been more straightforward for me and my baby, but that wasn’t the case. I think this is indicative of a wider breast is best policy approach the NHS has, but it doesn’t work for everybody and two days later a midwife on the ward did support me to feed my baby with formula as my baby had lost a lot of weight. I understand breastfeeding takes perseverance, but surely it shouldn’t be pushed so much to the point where a significant amount of weight is lost. Perhaps a leaflet or something written form that explains everything around feeding and all the common issues/possible solutions (including formula feeding) would be helpful to have to hand. My community midwife was so supportive and non-judgemental around feeding, which was refreshing after being on the ward. 

On Summerfield ward I also asked a member of staff for advice as my baby seemed very unsettled and unhappy in the cot - I hadn’t slept at all as he needed to be held in order to sleep - this person then went on to write in my notes that they reassured me that I wasn’t spoiling my baby, even though that wasn’t my concern and I feel this use of language is judgemental and shows the person wasn’t really listening.

I asked for help with watching my baby one morning after bleeding all over myself and my bed, and needed to shower just, to be shouted at by a healthcare assistant that they don’t look after babies (which I wasn’t expecting). They could have just explained that they could just keep an eye on him and that this is OK to do. I’ve not had a baby before so I don’t know how situations like this usually work. I was recovering from a section and felt that interactions like these just made me feel even worse and like I was failing my child - on top of all the pressure of breastfeeding.

There was a MIT who I found very condescending and due to an error, my baby was taken off phototherapy too early. Whilst I appreciate that mistakes happen, this person failed to take any responsibility or apologise for the mistake and was quick to blame a colleague. After it was established that my baby could conclude phototherapy, we discussed discharge as being on the ward was really impacting on my mental well-being and this same doctor made a comment about not advising discharge as they care about my baby’s health - implying that I didn’t. They failed to actually explain the risks/benefits of remaining in hospital. I feel I wasn’t given all of the information to make an informed decision by this doctor. 

Overall, some great care from labour ward and community midwife services, however the experience on the postpartum ward could have been much better.