"I believe my safety and the safety of my child were severely compromised"

I believe there were multiple instances of serious failures in my care at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH):

•Failure to diagnose and treat pre-eclampsia: Despite multiple visits to Maternity Assessment with concerning symptoms like swollen feet and increased blood pressure, my concerns were repeatedly dismissed by staff. On one occasion, a staff member incorrectly recorded my blood pressure as being within a normal range when it was consistently higher than and ranging from 130 - 145 systolic. This delayed the diagnosis and treatment of my pre-eclampsia.

•Poor post-caesarean care: Following my caesarean section in july, staff on Ward 50 failed to provide me with adequate support. I believe a lack of assistance with early mobilization contributed to a significant postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). Additionally, staff failed to monitor my bleeding or respond appropriately when I reported a significant vaginal bleed with large blood clots. This led to me losing consciousness and falling, resulting in an emergency transfer to the labour ward.

•Inadequate newborn care: Staff on Ward 50 regularly failed to perform timely observations on my newborn baby. On one occasion, a midwife stopped an observation midway through without delegating the responsibility to another staff member. Furthermore, my baby's medical notes were lost, and a paediatric assessment was not performed until nearly 80 hours after they was born.

•Medication and discharge failures: Staff attempted to administer a blood-thinning injection to me for a second time, which could have caused another bleed following my PPH. I was also discharged without adequate pain relief, despite my discharge notes incorrectly stating that I had been given adequate painkillers.

•Failure to provide mental health support: I requested a referral to a psychotherapist to help with the trauma of this experience, but this was never actioned by the staff. Furthermore, I was returned to the exact same bay and bed where my PPH occurred after requesting to the staff that this did not happen.

These repeated failings have left me with both physical and psychological distress. I believe my safety and the safety of my child were severely compromised at QEUH. The QEUH is solely responsible for ruining my pregnancy experience. It should have been delightful but was conversely foul. I will not be continuing future pregnancies with the QEUH.