"Birth Experience to forget about - St George Hospital Tooting"

I would like to share my horrific birth experience at st George Hospital.  My experience was that they put babies at risk and mums under a huge amount of stress to avoid C section. 

I went to the hospital with my sister and my husband with contractions on a Thursday eve, early Dec 2019. Carmen Suite. I was kept there with severe pain for 2 days and provided with gas & air and 3 injections of petadine to ease the pain. The cervix was not dilated enough. The attitude of the midwives there was not great, I felt not much considered but this is not the main point. On Saturday, after begging again and again, they finally took me to the first floor for epidural and induction, they broke waters (which were possibly already broken, not clear) and started with oxitocyn 4 hours cycles to induce strong contractions and help dilating. We were checking on the monitor both the contractions figure and the baby heart beat. I asked several times if it was dangerous for the baby to be kept so long in broken (possibly maeconium dirty) waters and I was told that the baby was perfectly fine -look at his heart on the monitor he’s fine-. Well.. he was not.

Even when the baby heart beat decreased in intensity for a while they were still supporting a further oxytocin cycle to help dilating. Well, it did not.

They give you the illusion that you are in control but when you ask for C section they say there’s no doctor available (seriously???) and they have to ask for authorisation.

On Sunday afternoon after 26 hours of epidural, broken waters and oxytocin I was finally taken to the theatre for emergency C section. My son was finally born at 6pm.

Nothing to complain with anaesthetist and surgeon, the doctors have been great. My frustration is totally addressed to the midwives. They failed to manage, badly advised and badly supported every single bit turning what should be a beautiful life experience into a nightmare. 

My theory is not based on their little capability but on the hospital policy to avoid c section(to save money?!??) delaying the birth, trying to go for natural delivery over and over till the point that the mum is exhausted-knackered and the baby kept too long in broken waters bombarded by oxytocin.

The postpartum has been even worse. The baby did show low sugar values therefore they decided to keep him in high demand and then in special care and forced me to stay for further 8 days at Gilliam Ward in order to breastfeed. I just wanted to go home.

Again, the doctors downstairs were great, the midwives managing the G ward horrible (with some exceptions).They made me feel unwanted, not adequate. Pushing for instance on breast feeding not realising that at the beginning it can be frustrating. C-section recovery is not easy at all I had to be wheelchaired by my husband every 2/3 hours from 4th to 1st floor.

Midwives needed rooms and I was often told that I had to leave soon. But at the same time they didn’t let me go. 

When I asked for a room next to special care to get close to the baby I was told by the lady to-sleep on the Chair as they didn’t have any space.

Everyday a new doctor was turning up with new tests for the baby to be carried out. Everyday 2 new midwives to tell your story to. I’ve had the clear feeling that they were testing the baby to prove their theories and find new unknown diseases. One day a junior doctor from the newborn team turned up almost enthusiastic as -we found the disease that matches his values fall- she wrote it down for me. When I went to google it I realised it was a very rare and seriously scaring disease. She shouldn’t have informed a broken mum, already traumatised by long labour and birth, forced to stay in hospital about a disease you’re not sure about! 

My baby was thankfully totally fine. The only reason why his values dropped was the prolonged delivery.

To sum up I believe they delay labour and delivery to avoid c section putting baby in serious danger keeping them long time in broken waters. Also to keep themselves safe and prevent infections (it seems being an established procedure) they give baby 5 days antibiotics. They are reluctant in discharging babies causing a very traumatic postnatal to mums already proven and exhausted. All this seasoned by the rudeness of the midwives and women working a Gilliam Ward. I strongly believe mums finally go back home and just want to forget about this whole experience therefore they decide not to sue the hospital not knowing how and who to report it to.

Now, six months after my friend has just experienced a very similar birth at St George. Same prolonged story. Now I felt I had to do something.