"Birth of my first baby"

I feel there should be more support staff employed for post natal ward to help mums with tasks that they may find difficult post delivery. My personal experience was I was post emergency c-section after a long labour and I just felt I couldn't get help to get the baby in and out of the cot, change him or feed him especially when I was on my own. It took a long time when I pressed the buzzer for help and felt like a burden when I did as if why should I be bothering them. Even though I couldn't move after the section. I felt like I was putting myself and the baby at risk doing things I needed to do but wasn't physically ready for like lifting them out of the cot or bending down to get stuff out of my suitcase. I feel more staff readily available will be so good for mums who are post delivery to provide that extra support. I felt the way I was treated really impacted my mental health and definitely impacted my recovery. I just want things to change so other mums don't feel like a burden or alone like I did.

I was left for hours post c-section also with no pain relief as they didn't have a second midwife available to give me stronger meds and 2 staff had to sign the medication out which meant I was in agony for hours and it felt like no one seemed to care no matter how much myself, partner or family members asked so much that it caused me to cry and want to go home at 10pm after I had enough of asking.

I felt my experience as a whole wasn't great, I think I was never listened to or taken seriously, everything I said I was more less dismissed every time.

I feel the pre and postnatal care needs to change.

They need more staff and more resources.

I also feel that someone should go through your birth afterwards too because I feel I have a lot of black spots I can't remember and I feel I carry some trauma from it too.

Also one staff member came in to examine me and insert a pessary, they had no bedside manners, didn't explain the procedure, just done it and walked out with no update. I had to ask the student in with them what's next etc, because when they walked straight out I just assumed they were going to wash their hands and come back but they just left. So the student had to go after them and ask the information I asked.