"Aftercare following birth was not good."

I was admitted to the Labour ward, and gave birth to my not-so-litttle girl at 14.10 on Saturday 16th Dec 2017. I laboured well and gave birth with only gas and air but unfortunately I sustained a third degree tear and 1.7L blood loss on the birth, which was due to a double episiotomy and a large baby (10lb 6oz). The care and efficiency of the staff on the labour ward and in theatre was great and couldn’t be faulted. The only slight disappointment was that my husband was ushered into a random ward wth a newborn baby to contend with, and was given no information about me, which was very distressing for him.

Immediately following birth, my bloods were cross matched for a triple blood transfusion, but apparently policy is to not give bloods unless the patient is symptomatic of being low on blood / iron. By the Sunday evening, my iron count had dropped to 62 from 126. I wasn’t feeling great, but I didn’t know how to expect to feel after 24 hours of no food, giving birth and lack of sleep.

On Sunday evening we were moved to the post-birth ward, and on Monday morning a doctor told me that I’d be having th triple blood transfuion because my iron and blood was so low. By Monday lunchtime, the doctor told me that her request for bloods had been refused by the consultant because I was young and healthy, and an iron infusion was prepared instead. The prescription for the iron infusion got lost, so it wasn’t administered until Monday evening.

I was discharged Tuesday night, and I felt truly dreadful for the best part of 6 weeks following the birth. This impacted on my relationship with my baby as I was unable to care for her, my breastmilk supply was impacted because I was so unwell and the whole experience was tainted because I didn’t feel well for weeks. I even tried to readmit myself on the night we were discharged because I felt like I was going to pass out.

I wish someone would have taken the time to explain how I would feel, if I went for the transfusion over the infusion and gave me the choice. I understand that the infusion is better in the long run, but I would have felt instantly better with the transfusion- which is what I would have opted for given that I had a newborn and a third degree tear to look after.

I also don’t think I should have been allowed to go a week overdue with such a large baby, and more options should have been offered at week 36 when I was sent for a large baby growth scan.