"Giving birth"

I went into labour in the evening and laboured through the night at home. I was in contact with the maternity unit in Perth, who advised when I would be able to go in. We arrived at the CMU in Perth around 7am and were told I had to give birth and be ready to leave by 4pm that day or I would have to be transferred to Ninewells. This was due to sickness and staff shortages which I understand are unavoidable. However if we had been told this on the phone before coming in, we probably would have made the decision to go straight through to Ninewells which would have been less disruptive.

I cannot fault the staff at the CMU, they were supportive throughout the whole process and this issue was not their fault. However, having a deadline put on my labour was stressful and upsetting and I felt a deep sense of dread at the thought of having to be transferred in an ambulance without my husband and having to lie down in the pain I was in.

I was transferred that evening and the staff from the CMU came with me and stayed with me at Ninewells until there was a staff changeover. They were fantastic, as were the paramedics who transferred me. Once the staff changed over, they continued to be kind and supportive including the midwives, students and doctors.

Our only issue here was the fact that it was a very hot day and the temperature in the hospital was unbearable. Luckily we had brought a fan with us which brought some relief. However we felt incredibly sorry for the staff having to work in that temperature, it doesn't seem like a safe environment for people to be carrying out a highly stressful job. With increasingly hot summers, I think hospitals really need to consider investing in air conditioning for the summer months as it is incredibly uncomfortable for both staff and patients and I would imagine unsafe for newborn babies too. This unbearable heat continued throughout our stay. Aside from this our care was fantastic and we are very grateful to all the staff who supported us throughout the experience.