"My poor experience of child birth"

Basildon Hospital maternity refused to admit me for three days, despite the fact I was having full strengthened contractions minutes apart and had been since the first day. They ignored that I have a history of prolonged labour and difficulty in childbirth in which my previous child had gone into fetal distress from where they had left me in labour for too long, as they admitted themselves at the time. They ignored a problem I have with my cervix dilating and used that as the only guide to labour. They didn't check my contractions at any time during my attempts at having myself admitted during three days of full blown labour. (My mother, a Nurse for over 30 years and a former staff member at Basildon Hospital, had to monitor my labour because they didn't).

When they finally admitted me, I was not admitted to a labour ward and was seemingly dumped on a ward which was situated far away from the delivery suites. I was offered no pain relief except for one paracetamol tablet and an empty canister of gas and air which I had to point out to the nurse was empty. She didn't bother getting me another one, despite frequently begging her for pain relief. Despite the fact that I was on all fours and crying in agony and telling the nurse I was having the urge to push, I was told that I was being hysterical and that I would probably be induced a week later. This in spite of the fact I knew I had been in full blown labour for three days and she hadn't checked my contractions or performed an internal.

They forgot I was there and turned all the lights off and I nearly delivered my baby on my own and in total darkness. I buzzed for the nurse and this was ignored for a long time before someone came to see me. She seemed annoyed with me and I felt I almost had to beg her to check me. She did and said I was delivering there and then. She told me not to push and I was made to walk, while in absolute agony and trying not to push (which is virtually impossible by that point), all the way down the ward, down a corridor, down a flight of stairs where I nearly delivered as people walked passed, down another corridor, and into the maternity suite.

The midwife practically barked at me to get on the bed. I was given no help with this despite the fact I was delivering and they were the only words she spoke to me. I was exposed while I was naked and bleeding in the shower as the same rude midwife opened the door without knocking and yelled at me to hurry up. People walking past the shower room could see me naked and bleeding all over the floor. I was also exposed while breastfeeding my son on the maternity ward when a midwife threw my curtains open during visiting hours.

They didn't check my bloods to see if I needed a blood transfusion, despite the fact that I had needed a blood transfusion with a previous birth which they failed to give me. Even when I mentioned I hadn't received the blood tranfusion to them when they were discharging me I was ignored on the ward, despite the fact that I was in extreme pain and could not walk. Again, I was offered no pain relief. This was also ignored. My sheets were blood soaked and were never changed. Most days, I didn't get a drink and left the hospital dehydrated which my GP commented on when he saw me.