"Happy home birth, but bad experience of hospital postnatal care in Derby"

I had a successful wished-for home birth without pain relief.

However the midwife was not skilled enough to carry out the necessary suturing, so she waited a further couple of hours for the next duty midwife to wake up before phoning her to do the job. But when she arrive she was not competent to do the job either.

By this time my natural endorphins (pain relief) was wearing off and I was starting to feel lots of discomfort and was unable to enjoy my baby. The midwives called an ambulance and many hours later in Derby City Hospital I had an epidural, becaue with such a time delay I was now in a lot of pain, and had to stay in hospital overnight.

During my stay, I received little care - no pants, and was left to walk down the corridors with my baby in one arm, catheter in the other, dripping blood because they failed to provide me with pants and pads.

I had a "nurse" visit me in the night who I am sure was a man dressed up as a women, and felt very frightened.

Earlier in the day, while preparing for surgery, the doctor, referring to my baby crying, told me to "shut it up". I got the feeling that I was being mistreated because I was a natural birther, which takes the control from the medical profession. There was certainly a total lack of respect and dignity towards mother and child, and I was concerned about the suturing.