"Having a baby at Kingston-a big gamble!"

Anything else?

I had my son at Kingston last year, and was treated so badly I will not have another baby if Kingston is my only option as a hospital.

It was a busy night at the hospital and the staff were clearly stretched to capacity. This seemed to mean that staff felt it was therefore acceptable to treat me with irritation and dismissiveness from the moment I arrived at the reception. The hospital was determined that I should have a 'natural' birth, even though I repeatedly asked for pain relief. I was ignored and made to feel a hindrance, the midwives quickly became irritated when I said I was in too much pain and needed assistance. My requests and wishes were not considered and I felt I was expected to 'shut up and push'.

My son and I were then stuck on the maternity ward for three days while staff completed the paperwork to enable us to be discharged. We had no medical complications, but it appeared that staff were too distracted to complete the administrative process.

Since the birth of my son I have been diagnosed by my GP with post-natal depression (PND), and I have been prescribed anti-depressants. I feel my experience at Kingston has been one of the factors which led to my ongoing pnd.

I suspect I would have had a different experience on a less busy night, but nevertheless I should not have made to feel a second class citizen.