"Birth in Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield"

My daughter was due in Sept 2007 and I was registered to give birth at Barnet Hospital. She decided to come on the due date but Barnet Hospital was full so I was sent to Chase Farm Hospital.

The midwife that did the initial check was so hostile, you’d have thought I was having her husband’s baby. She asked me to lay on the bed in the labour area and threw the baby monitoring belt at me and asked me to wrap it round my tummy. I wanted to ask her how she expected me to do it all by myself but I was in too much pain to let her know my opinion and in any case I was at their mercy. Thankfully my sister was there with me as my husband couldn’t make it back in time. She did the belt for me.

The midwife confirmed I was 2cm or so and I was admitted. I was left from 11pm when I arrived with no checks or anything else after the initial one. At about 3am (4hrs later), I felt something trying to come out (this is my 1st baby) and I asked my sister to look, she saw something white and ran out to get the midwives who according to her were surfing the net looking at photos. It was a panic trying to get everything they needed for the delivery as it was too late to get me into the delivery ward area. My daughter arrived 4 minutes later, well according to my sister’s watch as the midwife did not even know what time the baby came as she was in too much of a panic trying to get one thing or the other.

I tore badly and needed stitching up. I was moved into a delivery room and was being stitched up by a consultant when she was called to assist someone who’s baby had a shoulder dislocation or something. I was left with my legs spread wide open for a fair few minutes; not complaining about this though as I do understand a baby needed help but there could have been another consultant…

No one showed me how to breastfeed or anything; I quickly taught myself and thankfully my daughter was good at it. I was moved to the post delivery ward area; my beddings were blood stained and I asked for another padding to replace the soiled one but nothing came on the day or before I left the hospital the next day so I had to sleep on it as it was. No one even knew when I left the hospital with my baby. They were all too busy.

I hope my experience was a one-off. I will definitely not be having another child in that hospital neither will I recommend the hospital nor choose Barnet Hospital and run the risk of them been full and transferred to Chase Farm again. I would probably choose a birth centre next time or have my child abroad.