"A little kindness goes a long way"

My daughter had a c section in Whipps Cross hospital very recently. The experience was not a particularly pleasant one apart from the staff in theatre who were very nice and made her and her partner feel comfortable and well cared for.

The Doctor who came to see her before the c section was not very nice at all and although my daughter had been told the risks of a c section, the doctor was quite unkind telling her that the baby could be cut or they could damage her bowel or bladder! Not a thing to be told moments before being taken to Theatre, especially after the risks were explained the week before at the pre op. My daughter certainly didn't want a section but unfortunately had no choice as her baby was breech.

There were no beds on the postnatal ward and so she was kept in recovery for 10 hours after the operation which meant that she was taken on to Magnolia Ward at 10pm. I obviously stayed with her just to make sure that she was settled before I left and was told by a rather rude midwife that I had to leave as visiting finished at 10pm. Fair enough but if my daughter had been settled on a ward earlier then I would not have had to still be there at 10pm. It is impossible to leave your daughter crying and very anxious just because, through no fault of ours, there was no bed available on the post natal ward. To this midwife it was obviously just another night shift but to my daughter it was a very traumatic and unknown experience. It is all very well being told to ring the alarm bell if you need anything but being left alone in bed unable to get out to pick up your baby is very worrying especially for a first time mum. A little kindness goes a long way and if you are unable to offer that then maybe Midwifery is not the job for you!

My daughter was discharged the next day which was a good thing although not really well enough she was able to receive the care that she deserved. Overall we are very disappointed with Whipps Cross Magnolia Ward however when we returned a couple of days later because of a problem that was caused by wrong information the staff on Mulberry ward were much more pleasant and helpful.