"The care I received was second to none throughout"

Hosp review

The care I received at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary was second to none for a few reasons.

Facilities

Everyone expecting in our area knows that Dumfries maternity units’s private rooms make the experience of labour much more palatable. My other half could stay with me in our room which was even more useful considering I was in latent labour for 3 days.

Colleagues

I am so worried that I forget to acknowledge someone, as I know I have forgotten names already. Ellie and Joy who were with me in active labour are obviously foremost in my mind and I will be forever grateful to them for their support.

All the midwives helped me at some point but I have to mention Heather whose one to one care 12 hours post partum turned a lot of tears and ‘would be crisis’ into something I was joking about by the evening.

I would also like to highlight the colleagues who came in to clean the room, deliver meals, water and/or take meal orders. They all had incredibly warm and positive attitudes, a credit to the hospital. I am certain that their actions in simply passing the time of day as they worked had a profound impact on my mental health. When everyone who enters your room smiles and leaves you laughing that must impact patient outcomes.

The Drs on the ward, to them I owe more of an apology than a thank you. After multiple internal examinations I became, to put it mildly, a nervous patient. Their professionalism and judgement in accepting my decisions but explaining the consequences and pushing back if they felt I was perhaps making the wrong choice was appreciated.

Anaesthesiologists

For me, given my personal views, the Anaesthesiologists are the rock stars of the maternity ward. Birth has changed in my mind from something that almost stopped me becoming a mum at all to an event I look back on fondly and this is due in large part to them.

I particularly want to thank whomever arrived to fix my epidural when there was a hiccup and I went for 30 mins, 6-10cm dilated, without it. I was not compus mentus at the time so have no idea who it was but I will be forever grateful.

The main thing I wanted to highlight and say thank you for was how much I was listened to. It was important for me to have an epidural and when it failed, for various justifiable reasons, it was discussed as to whether I should be made continue without the epidural. I am grateful that what turned into the pivotal deciding factor in this conversation were people in the room advocating for my wishes when I could not.

Again when I showed signs of being in pain and distress during a quick procedure, which could have sped up my labour, the Dr, I think Alice, chose instead a treatment which added time to my latent labour phase but significantly improved my experience and reduced my distress.

Community 

Finally, the care I have received in the community and classes in birth and care beforehand from my midwife Lisa, Pat regarding breast feeding support has been brilliant. I have been able to address any concerns quickly and have had the support I need to be able to breast feed successfully. Again the team quickly worked out my personality quirks and tailored my baby and I’d care accordingly to get the best results possible.

Overall there is not one member of the team I am not grateful for. They all clearly work as a team, with the right attitude and get results. I believe that this has to come from the top down and be displayed by everyone to be achieved. I will always be grateful for everyone’s actions while I was in hospital. Particularly with their care in acknowledging my wishes which made my stay go from something I had dreaded to something I look back on fondly. I sing your praises every chance I get and I have only had people agree with me, which says it all.

Thank you x