"Easy delivery but complications following"

I had my baby in the abbey wing, midwife led unit, the birth was straightforward but the after care was very poor. I had a vaginal delivery with a great midwife in the abbey birth centre. She welcomed me into the birth centre and made me feel very comfortable, my labour went very smoothly until she was with me. However, her shift ended and I was left with another midwife and student midwife. They were average, they were not as helpful as the first midwife. The student midwife was deliverin my baby and she failed to tell my that I needed an incision earlier, she mentioned I needed it a few minutes before my baby came out. It was such ashame as she was inexperienced and the other midwife failed to notice her mistake. I delivered my baby vaginally without any pain relief.

After all the midwife checks, I was told I had a third degree tear and had to be stitched in the theatre, which I was not expecting. My baby was taken away from me, and was not able to feed her. I was taken to the theatre and was only able to feed my baby 5 hours after her birth. My baby did not feed well and had to be given formula, which I was not keen on. My baby did not take breastfeeding easy and found it difficult, due to poor skin to skin as soon as she was born.

Also whilst in the recovery unit, the health profession there was very unhelpful. They did not help to breastfeed my baby, with no previous experience of breastfeeding, I expected them to help but they didn't.

They treated me very poorly, did not give me any food after the delivery and stitches. They did not help me to feed my baby and didn't even give me water for 2 hours after coming to the bed. There were two nurses/midwives who failed to look after me, they were there to help me but completely ignored me. I found it extremely hard with a few hours old baby who wouldn't feed and being shaky from the spinal injection and hungry. I did not expect this sort of care from this unit, especially when your in such a vulnerable state.

After being sent to a ward, my experience totally changed and was much better than previously. However, due to poor feeding my baby developed jaundice. I was emotionally broken and could not accept this, but this was like a chain. After my baby's Borth,

I did not have much skin to skin, no feeding for a few hours, poor feeding after that, which lead to jaundice for my baby, she had to be admitted back into hospital for a day and under the blue lights.

It was such ashame that I was treated very poorly at this maternity unit.

I was expecting much better care and support from the health professions.