"Totally let down by this midwife led Maternity..."

As a consequence of this unit's reluctance to help my daughter during her recent labour in the middle of the night recently, following a visit to the maternity unit, when she as in severe pain, waters broken some time previously, and unable to walk unaided, she was told to go home as there was nothing they could do for her at that stage. We reluctantly returned home as there was nowhere else for her to go as she was not allowed to remain at the maternity hospital.

Despite another phone call to the midwife a couple of hours later asking to be allowed to bring my daughter back to the hospital, as my daughter was in severe pain and was unable to cope - I was told to give her a paracetomol and there was very little they could do for her at this stage. They simply would not listen to what they were being told.

As the midwife unit felt unable to help my daughter,

I was forced to make the decision to immediately dial 999 for assistance as the birth was imminent.

The emergency operator called the paramedics and ambulance to help me with the imminent birth of my grandchild.

Fortunately, four paramedics and an ambulance arrived just in time to delivery my daughter's baby on the settee.

The on call midwife arriving a little while later, (the paramedics and on call midwife were excellent). What a waste of resources, when all it would have taken was a midwife in the delivery suite to help her through the birth if they had taken the time to be more empathetic and allow her to take up a bed for a couple of hours that night.

This should have been a happy experience for my daughter, on the birth of her first baby, but because she was let down by the maternity unit at St Michael's Hospital it turned into a very traumatic and frightening time for her and her partner with the prospect of having her first baby without any medical assistance.

Why don't these midwives listen to expectant mothers. Why do they think that a first time mother's labour should conform to their text books.

They don't. They took away my daughter's right to deliver her baby in a calm, peaceful, medically assisted environment. I would not recommend this maternity unit based on their unsympathetic, one size fits all attitude.