"Mix experiences during childbirth"

My experience started negative with the midwife on the ward being awful and patronising towards me. As it was my first baby i didn't know what to expect and continued until I felt the pain was unbearable. I was told to take 2 cocodomal and carry on! Fortunate for me at 7am the midwives swapped and the new one examined me to tell me I was 10 cm dilated the previous midwife had give me the induction pessary but never examined me.

I was made up I’d got so far and transferred to the delivery suite where I have to say the care was excellent. The midwife and doctor I had were amazing and even stayed over the shift for my birth (midwife was Debbie, doctor was a Scottish lady who was amazing!) My baby was stuck as my pelvis was too small but throughout the midwife and doctor were fab, the midwife never left me and the doctor checked every hour.

I had a difficult birth but a positive experience and really rated the hospital, until I returned to the labour ward! Some of the staff were lovely but I was left and eventually didn't urinate for a day and as a result now have to self catheterise. I had to explain my problem to each new midwife who responded ' i've never heard of that before' after being convinced it was all in my head i was sent home only to return to A&E the next day (A&E were fantastic I didn't even wait 5 mins and the nurse was amazing) to start the process again.

The midwife told me my 24 hour old baby couldn't return to the labour ward with me! Until a consultant over ruled her and said I could bring my baby back. I was bleeding heavily but told not to be stupid and get up not nice to bleed all over the floor in front of everyone’s visitors. After 4 midwifes telling me they couldn't teach me how to self catheterise and the people that could were busy! 3 days later an auxilary nurse showed me she was fab and taught me better than the experts. I'm still waiting for a urology appointment I was promised about self catheterising! I won't hold my breathe. I've since gone private even though ironically it’s the same doctors! So in a nut shell A&E and the delivery suite fab, labour ward poor!