"Dreadful experience"

While I understand the NHS is under pressure with Corona virus, I felt really let down with the birthing experience. Was booked for induction but went into labour spontaneously and was left for hours in those small claustrophobic areas, where the only privacy is a curtain. In the birth center I asked twice loud and clear for epidural, only to be pressured not to have it and I gave in not having it. My midwife acted like she had better things to do. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that it was a retired midwife that came to help sometimes. When baby came the midwife grabbed my nipple forcefully, hurting me so much and forced my baby's head on it, several times. The way she spoke to me was very aggressive, pushing and squeezing my nipple like it was a piece of rubber. The advice from WHO is to let the baby reach the nipple, is to latch naturally and never force baby's head or traumatise the nipple. This has caused me emotional trauma to go through such painful experience when I was supposed to bond with my newborn.

In the postnatal ward, no one had time enough to support breastfeeding or to reply to my concerns or tell me when I was going to be discharged.

I just thank that my baby was born healthy and my partner was with me for delivery.