"My Birth Story, Raigmore Hospital"

I was admitted to Raigmore hospital after my waters broke. I was initially admitted to ward 10 as 9a was closed due to staffing issues. The next day I was moved to 9a. My labour did not progress and therefore I had an internal examination performed by a nurse. I was told I was 1cm dilated and fully effaced and the nurse proclaimed “this baby is not coming today”. I was then given a prostaglandin pessary. During this time I found the nurse to be exceptionally unprofessional. They treated both myself and my partner, and their colleagues around her, with little respect. Their words and actions did not make me feel at ease as a patient in Raigmore hospital.

By around 6. 30pm I was in severe pain and was having very frequent contractions every minute. I had a CTG and was told that I was having an overreaction to the prostaglandin pessary. I was not examined. I asked for entonox but was told I could not get this in 9a (why was I not moved to the labour suite? ) and I was told by the same nurse it was diamorphine or nothing.

Prior to going into labour I was asked to do a birth plan. In my line of work I am fully aware that things do not always go to plan. The only thing in my birth plan was that I did not want an opioid due to the risks of respiratory depression in the baby and vomiting side effects. I was backed into a corner however, and given the amount of pain I was in; I had no choice but to accept the diamorphine.

For the next three to four hours in ward 9a I was basically ignored and my babies heart rate was not monitored. As a first time mother, I was scared and alone. I told my partner to go back to the hotel to get some rest, as they had said that the baby was not coming today. By 10. 30 I had called my partner back as the pain was too much and I was not coping. I was told I would be put up to labour suite at 11pm. I requested more diamorphine as I was in such pain. I was given more diamorphine at around 11. 30pm. Again, I was not examined. I asked my partner to get a midwife as I felt the urge to push. The panic was very clear on the midwife’s face as they discovered I was fully dilated on examination. I was pushed in the bed straight up to the labour suite and begun pushing in the lift on the way up.

A midwife and their student nurse took over. Thankfully they were an exceptionally good midwife and their words and actions put me at ease and made me feel as though they were completely in control. The heart rate kept dropping during contractions. My baby was born within 1 hour of me receiving the second diamorphine injection. She also had the cord round her neck. She took a long time to resuscitate and doctors were called in.

My main questions and concerns are as follows:

• Why was I given not only one, but two doses of diamorphine without a prior examination given the level of pain that I was clearly presenting? YouI don't think you need to have medical knowledge to know that this could have put my baby's life at risk given that an opioid was administered so close to her birth. Do you have protocols to ensure that a patient is examined regularly when giving opioid analgesia?

• Why was I left in ward 9a for such a long time given that it was clear I was in the later stages of labour? It is humiliating to be this vulnerable in front of a room full of patients, their partners and friends

• If my baby had been born in ward 9a, would she have survived given how long it took to resuscitate her?

• Why was my babies heart not monitored for 4 hours?

In general I feel very let down by the care that I received in ward 9a that day. I was really looking forward to the birth of my baby and this experience has ruined it for me. It would have liked to have been given the opportunity to have had entonox and as natural a birth as possible. I feel if I had been in labour suite and had been examined and told what was going on, my experience would have been completely different. Instead I felt scared, humiliated, alone and embarrassed.

The care performed by that nurse needs to be addressed so that they do not make the same mistakes again in the future. I think heir attitude towards patients and staff also needs addressing. I certainly would not want to have them look after me again in the future.