"Birth at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital"

I called the QEUH around 2:30am with my waters having broken. As a first time mum, I called the maternity assessment ward immediately for advice. I was told if not in any great pain (I wasn’t) to attend the hospital at 9am the next morning where they’d check for infection/progress. 

I attended the next morning and was asked to take off my bottom half clothes and get up on a bed where a fetal heart monitor was strapped to me. The midwife returned after 30 mins and said everything was fine and to return at 8:30am the next day to the labour ward. Why was I not checked for infection? Why, when heavily pregnant, was I asked to remove my clothes only to not be examined?

I returned home and by 12:30 my contractions were very sore. I called maternity assessment at 1pm and was advised I could come back in ‘if I really felt I needed to’. On arrival (bearing in mind my husband couldn’t come in) I had a severe contraction in reception and had to be wheeled to the assessment ward. When I arrived, I sat on a wooden chair surrounded by women in early pregnancy having severe contractions for over 20 minutes by which point I was visibly distressed. I was then taken in to a side room and asked to go and put on a new maternity pad. In the bathroom I began bleeding with my mucus plug coming away. I was then taken to a bed - still in maternity assessment. 

For the next two hours I had severe contractions and asked the midwife multiple times for pain relief. I was told I could only have one tablet until someone was free to examine me despite repeated requests for an epidural. I was also given into trouble for moving the fetal heart monitor and told to ‘lie still’ despite the fact I was in agony and couldn’t lie down. 

Eventually the midwife came and examined me - I was 8-9cm dilated. They then gave me gas and air. I asked if my husband could come in and they said yes of course your husband could be here as if he could have been all along. Unbelievably the midwife then went on a break.

A doctor arrived not long after maybe five minutes by which point I was pushing. To reiterate at this point I am still in maternity assessment and not a labour ward. I was then wheeled to a room where my daughter arrived not long after - my husband was there for 1 hour before I gave birth. 

I have so many questions as to why they failed their duty of care that day. If I broke my toe and arrived at hospital, the first thing I’d be offered would be pain relief. Why were my repeated requests ignored? Why did no one think to ask if anyone was with me when I was alone and distressed? Why did no one check me that morning when I suspect I was already 3-4cm? 

I have a beautiful and healthy daughter and the doctor who birthed her was wonderful. But I am still angry about the level of care I received and will will be requesting a different hospital for my next one. I think it would really help to understand why this happened and what the midwifes logic was.