"Maternity services at Southern General Hospital Glasgow"

I have had a mixed experience at the Southern General. I am 19 weeks pregnant and have a heart condition. I am under the care of the cardiology maternity service. I have only seen a midwife once since falling pregnant and feel like I have been left vulnerable with no support. Each time I have been to the hospital for scans, I have not been treated as an individual. I have rarely been asked how I am keeping, staff have spoken over me to each other using medical jargon, and they have expected me to know about their maternity system without giving me any explanations. I am a learning disability nurse and have wondered all along how patients with learning disabilities would cope in this confusing service. I have not been told anything about how to keep myself healthy and safe and had little opportunity to ask questions to ease my anxieties. I must add, a receptionist in the ante-natal clinic could not have been more brilliant. She went well beyond her call of duty and provided me with all the information I needed to know and even dip tested my urine for me!! She took me into a side room and gave me a cuddle. She was the first member of staff to treat me with respect. Its unsung heros like her that make a difference!!