"Lack of communication and monitoring"

Late August 2025, at 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant, I attended Ward 119 for a scheduled induction for reduced fetal movements.

Upon arrival, me and my partner were given a bed space and I was examined and given a cervical sweep by a lovely staff member. They monitored my babies heartbeat for an extended period of time, which was reassuring. They let me know I was already 2-3cm dilated and will have to wait on a bed in the labour ward to have my waters broken by the team in the labour ward. They described my waters as ‘bulging’ and was surprised they didn’t break during examination.

After this examination and period of monitoring for my baby, they told us a bed at the labour ward will be ready through the night or in the morning.

Night came, and let us know they would monitor my babies heart rate before bed. This didn’t happen, instead, a staff member attended at around 2am with a handheld Doppler. To me this was seriously concerning. I was admitted due to reduced movements, a handheld Doppler simply would not give an accurate picture of my babies wellbeing.

Besides this, our first night on the ward was exhausting. The ward being mixed with post and antenatal, meaning we were kept up by a newborn baby (no fault of the family/babies). And also kept awake by a patients snoring partner. Again, wards are busy, so understandably we got on with it.

After a sleepless night, we were hoping to receive an update from the labour ward. Not once did anyone during the next day introduce themself to let them know they would be looking after us. My partner had to go and find someone around midday and ask what was happening. The staff member, who had not introduced themselves to us, bluntly told us that we may not even make it to the labour ward on that day. I was then left for the rest of the day, after being told I would have received monitoring every 4-6 hours for my baby, and also offered cervical sweeps. None of this had happened and my baby had no ctg monitoring since early evening the previous night. Again, concerning being in for reduced movements.

Finally, someone came to my bed space in the late afternoon to monitor my babies heartbeat, although, no cervical sweeps/examinations were offered or given. Again, concerning considering I was already 3cm dilated when I arrived in hospital, and that I had also been having tightening and I had alerted staff of this.

As tea time approached after running on no sleep for nearly 24 hours, with no trust in any medical professionals within the place to actually monitor me and my baby as they said they would, I asked to speak to the senior staff member.

I explained to them that I had been here for over 24 hours with no sleep, that I was exhausted, and scared that this whole experience was psychologically and physically setting me back for going into labour. I was already too shattered to even think about birthing a baby after my experience in ward 119. I told her I felt uncared for and me and my baby were not being looked after as we should have with lack of frequent monitoring and no communication from staff. By this point I was in tears, anxious, scared and sore after being in early labor all day on the ward with no sleep.

The senior staff member told me how another lady had been sent to St John’s as the labour ward is still very full. Clearly I was going to be left for a further period if other women were being sent elsewhere.

We agreed that me and my partner would drive to the Scottish border general hospital to give birth to our baby.

The senior staff member told me they would type my notes up, and return with my blue folder in 5 minutes so that we could go to the borders hospital.

1.5 hours passed. By this point my contractions were getting stronger and still awaiting blue folder. We alerted the staff member in charge of our base that we were waiting on our folder. They had no idea we were even discharging and going to the borders.

Again, poor communication and more wasted time whilst I sat in pain.

By the time we got to the borders, our bed was given away due to the time it took at the RIE to simply give me my blue folder.

As soon as the staff in the borders general monitored my baby, they noticed signs of distress. They let me know I was 4cm dilated, and had to break my waters urgently to get baby out asap  

Unbeknown, our baby was desperate to come but just could not simply break through my waters. This was causing him distress.

I write this to:

1 - advocate for myself and my baby. How can a woman progressing in labour with reduced fetal movements, be left to fend for herself, with little, to no monitoring, have to transfer herself to another hospital due to the lack of care be normalised? How is this acceptable?

2- advocate for others and pray this does not happen to another lady and her baby.

The reality of my experience is, that there was a huge possibility with my baby being in distress and not able to come, this could have resulted in us being crashed into theatre for a c section, or worse. This is all due to lack of communication, lack of monitoring and incompetence, wasting precious time that could potentially cost lives.

I will never forget my experience within ward 119 due to the fear of what could have happened to me and my baby had we stayed there longer.