"Postnatal care"

I had my baby in December 2023. The labour ward was very good; the midwives and doctors were amazing. But the postnatal ward ruined my experience.

After being moved there, I couldn’t move and my baby was crying non-stop. I rang the bell three times before a care assistant came and instead of helping, they stood there rudely asking over and over - What’s wrong? What do you need help with? Making me feel very uncomfortable.  

I told them the baby’s crying, I don’t know why, she’s already fed. They saw the baby distressed and left saying it was normal for them to cry. I was exhausted, in pain, desperate but they gave me no help at all. When they left, I sat there in tears, forcing myself through severe pain to lift my baby, only to find she just needed a nappy change. Something I really needed help with, but I was left to struggle alone.

I was so upset that all I wanted was to leave as soon as possible. They never once checked on me afterwards, even when they saw me. My partner and I just wanted to get home with our baby. 

The rest of the care team was okay, but everyone seemed so busy that ringing the bell for help felt pointless I often had to go to the desk to get attention. Discharge took far too long; what could have been done in a few hours ended up taking a whole day. At one point, they couldn’t even find my file. Through it all, the staff seemed completely unbothered and disinterested in their jobs. The whole atmosphere on the ward felt off. They kept saying how busy they were, but that should never be an excuse to ignore someone who clearly needs help.

In my view, being treated this way was neglect, not care. It broke me, left me feeling invisible and no mother should ever have to beg for basic compassion. If you work in care, remember; your attitude can make or break someone’s most vulnerable moment. I will never forget this experience.