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"My maternity experience"

About: Maternity / Emergency Obstetric Unit Maternity / Labour Ward / Delivery Suite Maternity / Maternity Ward

(as the patient),

I gave birth to my son recently via planned section.

The team I had for my surgery were absolutely incredible, from the surgeon to the anaesthetist, they were amazing. They made me feel so comfortable and at ease during a precious time.

Unfortunately when I got to the maternity ward I can’t say the standard of care was the same. I feel the care was shocking in the maternity ward.

Post-op no one came to help me do my first walk, I was left to my own devices. I had baby Friday morning and by Saturday morning they tried to get me out the door when I was in absolute agony. I had to constantly ask for pain meds.

I’m a second time mum, some babies on my bay were very demanding and I understand the pressures, but I needed help as I was in pain with the section and I was feeling very emotional and alone as my partner had to take my other little one home. I’m not having any more babies so I was a little disheartened that my last experience having a baby wasn’t so great in the maternity ward.

My wound became very infected too and I had a collection at the site and had to go EOU I think it was 5 times overall, the nurses were fab! But the doctor I think brushed it under the carpet a bit, they ended up phoning me to bring me back up for an ultrasound. Again that experience wasn’t great either.

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Responses

Response from Emma Johnson, Interim Lead Midwife CoMC, Maternity, South Eastern HSC Trust 2 days ago
Emma Johnson
Interim Lead Midwife CoMC, Maternity,
South Eastern HSC Trust
Submitted on 03/07/2025 at 17:01
Published on Care Opinion on 04/07/2025 at 08:03


Dear Clamcc,

Congratulations on the birth of your son & I hope that you are keeping well.

I want to thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience with us and for sharing the positive aspects of your care during the birth of your son. Your kind words & feedback will be shared with our team.

I am also disappointed & truly sorry to hear that your time on our Maternity ward did not meet your expectations, and I want to acknowledge how upsetting this must have been for you during such a vulnerable time.

We strive to provide all women in our service with the highest standard of care and support, especially during childbirth and your postnatal recovery. It is deeply concerning to hear that you felt let down and I want to assure you that your feedback will be taken very seriously. Please know that your experience will be discussed with the relevant teams so we can try to understand what happened and identify where improvements need to be made.

We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you directly to discuss your experience to help better understand the details and offer you further support. Please contact me if you feel this may be helpful.

Please be reassured that I have shared your feedback with our teams on the Maternity Ward and EOU for learning and reflection.

Kind regards.

Emma

Emma Johnson Interim Lead Midwife

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