"Maternity helpline poor triage"

I contacted the maternity helpline at 31 pregnant with new onset of period cramps and pressure low down. I was advised to take ‘two paracetamol’ I wasn’t asked any other questions such as how bad the pains where, how long they have lasted, where they coming and going, had i any high risk factors and most importantly I wasn’t asked to come in to be assessed.

Approx 20 minutes later I was haemorrhaging at home. I had phoned back the helpline who advised to ring an 999 ambulance and a few hours later I gave birth to my 9 week early premature baby via emergency C-section.

As a health professional who is also triage trained in another scope of practice, I feel I wasn’t triaged appropriately and what I was feeling was disregarded and the easiest thing was to tell me to ‘take two paracetamol’.

This was my first pregnancy and I didn’t know what to expect so when I was told to take two paracetamol I thought what I was feeling was normal at this stage of pregnancy as triage was not concerned.  I was wondering is there a triage tool maternity follow? Was I triaged appropriately? By the time I got to the hospital I was administered IV steroids and IV magnesium to help the babies lungs and brain however I required an emergency C-section straight after this so the benefit to the baby was low.

If I had of been triaged appropriately got into for assessment I maybe would have had a bit longer to allow these drugs to pass to the baby via the placenta. Also if I got to the hospital before I haemorrhaged it would have saved a lot of panick and fear that I was feeling when this happened to me at home.