"Absolutely shocking"

My experience of an appointment, labour and subsequent delivery at this hospital were truly awful and traumatic. I had a growth scan a week before my son was born. My scan was done very quickly, however I then had to wait nearly three hours to speak with a consultant who just said yep all good bye. This wasn’t until I heard one of the triage midwives say to another midwife that she would knock out the next person that stared at her because of the long wait. She was not aware that I had been moved to sit just behind them as I was very hot. Disgusting!

I then had to hear them mock a lady who was pregnant and called up because she had had a small knock to her tummy and was concerned. A week later, I returned in labour. I was offered only paracetamol. As I progressed, I was chucked into a tiny room in the delivery suite with a bed and chair and nothing else. Certainly not the birthing ball or pool I was told about. A midwife went to check my sons heartbeat and was unable to locate it. After a few moments of utter panic, she realised her device had a low battery. I begged for pain relief as I progressed, but nobody seemed able to make a decision on anything I could be given except gas and air. Eventually, I was given an epidural of which had no effect. It was topped up twice before they realised I was in no less pain. A rather vicious midwife then came in to break the rest of my waters. She didn’t acknowledge me, did what she needed to do and caused great pain. I’m aware that’s normal, but to not even talk to me? Disgraceful. I was then told to push push push. They discovered that my sons head was at an angle and that he wouldn’t come through. They then insisted on having me push from around 3pm until 10pm that night for absolutely no reason as he wouldn’t budge. Consultants with bad attitudes, shaking their heads at me when I stopped concentrating on what they were saying as I had a contraction, filled the room as they decided what to do. I was told I could either push for another hour (why on earth would that suddenly work!) or I could be taken to theatre for a spinal and forceps delivery. By this point, my waters had broken nearly 46 hours earlier and my son still wasn’t out. Following his birth, I was told I haemorrhaged and had sepsis. I was then thrown onto a normal ward where I was pretty much ignored for two days after. My sons heartbeat was checked and his temperature, but it took three days for a peadiatric doctor to check him over. My treatment was so poor even in this ward that I then begged the head midwife to discharge me. Luton and Dunstable was no good for my physical health or my mental health. I would sooner crawl into a bush and give birth alone than ever put mine or my unborn child’s health in their hands again. There were of course a couple of members of staff that were good, but I am unable to name them.