"Amazing when you are in labour, poor before and..."

I just had my second child at the PAH. I feel the standard of care while in established labour was brilliant and could not be faulted. However how I was treated before and after varied massively, from being grabbed at and patronised to just being ignored. I understand that the hospital is understaffed by the nature of the NHS at the moment but being in a rush does not mean staff should treat patients with a lack of respect, especially overnight. The worst example was the midwife who repeatedly and without asking just grabbed and squeezed my breast and shoved the baby on to breastfeed. This would have been fine if she had asked or if I had asked for help. I hadn't. I breastfed my previous child for over a year and was confident I know what I am doing. But at no point did she stop to ask, she just grabbed at me and having had no sleep, not eaten and being severely anaemic I didn't have the energy to protest. If this had been the first 'help' I had had with breast feeding I really think it would have upset me. Overnight there are so few staff that you need to ask for pain meds at least half an hour before you are actually in pain, and even then may not get them at all as frequently the person just doesn't come back. After the birth I was told not to eat for 9 hours. Until a Dr came in and asked if I was eating and drinking well and it turned out I should have been told it was OK to eat hours before but the midwives never told me! Also it took 12 hours after being prescribed iron tablets for anaemia to actually start receiving them. In three days I didn't manage to find a time when there was any warm water for the shower. Which is OK, but a bit worrying when you have been told to wash your stitches in warm soapy water. The only real wash they got was the bed bath on labour ward. I was discharged with the wrong medication. I would recommend the PAH for emergency care in labour. I couldn't recommend them for post natal care. Some of the staff are amazing but the overall picture on the post natal ward is not enough staff which leads to delays in treatment and pain.