"Prolonged induction of labour"

I was induced at 38 weeks on the delivery unit (apparently my baby was huge - she wasn't but that's another story). I did not want the induction, but was told it was vital and due to my education, I should know better than to refuse.

After all the emphasis of how essential it was, I was prepared, given a date but when that came, there was no bed.

The following day, I had to go in and wait around for several hours before the decision was made to induce me on the delivery unit.

It took 5 days, on a delivery unit bed before I eventually gave birth by c-section. On day 3, I was given a dose of gel at 9am. 6 hours later, no reaction to this. So at 3pm on Saturday, it was concluded that nothing further would be done on Sat afternoon / evening due to poor staffing.

On Sunday, the process was repeated. After 3 different people tried to rupture membranes, and I was not dilated enough, registrar decided that I could go for c-section at about 4pm. Was waiting for a slot in theatre, when consultant arrived and decided it was not safe for a non-emergency c-section to happen on Sunday evening, and reattempted to rupture membrane (this procedure was successful). This again was unsuccessful with progressing labour. Finally on day 5, I had a c-section to deliver my baby.

The care was ok, but there was no continuity. If there had been, the midwives would have seen my mental health deteriorate in front of them, as it was I saw 15 different midwives and 6 or 7 different doctors in those 5 days. On day 4, I said about 6 times I couldn't cope with any more procedures, but I was continually persuaded they would just "try one more time" - and by day 4, I was so exhausted and emotional, I had no fight left in me.

On the ward, I was left sobbing, exhausted after 6 days of no sleep with a baby I couldn't lift because of my c-section wound and who cried for 12 hours overnight. I had staff open the curtain around my bed, look at me sobbing with a crying baby in my arms and sigh and shut the curtain again.

The only time, I ever felt any kindness was the day I left the post-natal ward, when the midwife discharging me said she had seen in my notes that I must have had a hard time and would really benefit from contacting the afterthoughts service, and asked if there was anything I was concerned about before I left the hospital.

The experience has traumatised me, I still have nightmares and flashbacks and cannot even consider having a second child for fear that I would have similar treatment again. It's a shame, because my community midwife for ante-natal and post-natal care was fantastic, but the 7 days in the Rosie (5 ante-natal and 2 post-natal) have scarred me for life.