"Terrible Maternity Experience"

My experience at the New QEII Hospital has really shaken my faith in the maternity care I will receive in East Herts and I have started actively looking at moving to another trust for the rest of my maternity care.

The communication from staff during both my visits was severely lacking. At my first appointment I was told I was rhesus negative and when I asked for further details of what this meant I was told I needed to wait for a leaflet in the post to explain the condition (it never arrived). I was also told a nuchal test could not be performed and that I would have to have a Quad test, at no point was I told this is a very inaccurate test. On two instances I was not provided with key medical information which caused unnecessary anxiety, I then had to research this medical information myself.

My due date was also changed without my consent and the sonographer refused to discuss this despite me expressing distress at this news. My community midwife later informed me I should have been offered an appointment with a Consultant to discuss this as I am pregnant due to IVF.

I found the attitude of staff members to be dismissive and unprofessional. Instead of feeling supported and reassured, I often felt disregarded and ignored. Every patient deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, especially during such vulnerable moments. When at my second appointment I expressed my frustration that the midwife had refused to explain what being rhesus negative meant, she first ignored my concerns, then asked my husband if I was telling the truth and then finally said it was my fault for not asking enough questions on the condition.

A lack of personalised care was evident throughout my time at the hospital. It felt as though I was just another number in a system rather than an individual with unique needs and concerns. Maternity care should be tailored to each patient's specific circumstances, and this aspect was sorely lacking during my stay.