"Poor experience"

During my check up appointments I was told that it was looking as though the baby was measuring big, and to book in for an induction 2 weeks early for my health and the baby’s health.

I went to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for my induction and from the minute I got there I was told to complain as women were expected to wait 5 days to be taken to the labour ward. As my baby was already measuring big this put me into a panic as that was the reason I was in early. When I voiced my concern to the midwife about being there for 5 days I got told to ask the person beside me as she had been waiting for 4 days - which set me off crying and feeling extremely uncomfortable with the staff I saw as they didn’t seem as though they cared for my situation. I was told that the only way I would get moved to labour ward would be to break my waters or If my waters went naturally.

I was supposed to get the pessary that night and was told I had to wait for the doctors to prescribe this to me, ended up getting the first dose at 6 in the morning, second at around 2 which brought on contractions.

I was in the anti-natal in a roasting hot room with other women who mostly had already had their baby’s. I had to get my boyfriend to ask if I could move to the window to get air as I was drenched in sweat from the contractions.

The contractions were terrible, constant and painful and I didn’t get offered any pain relief expect paracetamol at this point. I was contracting for hours and they were really starting to get intense, I kept asking for some sort of pain relief and after hours I was finally offered morphine which gave some kind of relief for a little bit. I wasn’t allowed gas and air as they didn’t have this in the anti-natal rooms.

I kept asking to be checked so that I could move to the labour rooms but I wasn’t far along enough apparently and there was no staff.

My waters eventually broke and it ramped up everything. I told the midwives, they checked and said that they had went but I still couldn’t be moved to the labour ward. I was so disheartened and in so much pain, I was so confused by this decision as before they said I would be moved to the labour ward.

Throughout the whole time I was contracting, waters breaking etc there were family’s in visiting other mums and they stayed there for hours - the whole time I was in the anti-natal ward which was so dehumanising and embarrassing as I had no privacy expert from a screen.

Not long after my waters broke I started to feel pressure and my body pushing. My mum who stayed with me and my partner went to ask the midwife to check me which she was extremely reluctant to do as I had only been checked not so long before my waters went. My mum eventually got the midwife to come back in to check and I was fully dilated and it became an emergency situation. The bed with me pushing on it had to then be wheeled down to the labour ward. I was in hysterics at this point.

Once I got to the ward I pushed my baby out in 8 minutes. She was 7.6lbs which was no were near being too big so I could have avoided this. The one relief I got from being in the labour ward now was the gas and air -which if I had the whole time I know I would have felt so much more better and maybe would have enjoyed some of the experience.

I cannot fault the midwives that helped me downstairs in the labour ward they were amazing - the ones I saw on anti-natal not so much at all unfortunately. It felt like they did not care at all for me or the baby as we were hardly monitored the whole time.

My mum also asked the midwife if I had came into the hospital naturally with the types of contractions I was having would I be taken to the labour ward - she was told yes which again makes no sense.

Hospitals should offer mums going in for inductions gas and air way earlier and taken to the labour ward as soon as contractions begin.

Not only this but being taken in early to then be told I’d have to wait 5 days is ridiculous. On top of that to try and start my off with the pessary’s when there was no room or staff whatsoever I thought was dangerous- I don’t understand what they thought process behind it was. I was given no apology from the midwives that dealt with me upstairs- nothing at all.

Unfortunately this experience has put me off wanting another child in the future and definitely not an induction at the RAH.