How do you get your notes from previous pregnancy/labour?

[Linnet]

Could someone please tell me how I would go about getting copies of the notes from my previous pregnancy/labour? I'm very interested to read what is written in them and wonder how I would go about getting them. Do I write to the hospital and ask them? or can I ask my GP to locate them for me?
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Manfwood]

Think you have to write to the hospital chief executive. A friend of mine is doing this as had traumatic labour possibly due to drug trial etc You are legally entitled to all your notes but not sure if you have to have a good reason. Look on the AIMS website - association for improvements in maternity services - think there are some notes on there about it.

Good luck

[kaz33]

You have a right to your notes - you do not need to have a good reason.

When I was discharged from hospital i was given an info sheet with details of how to get them.

I suggest you just phone up the hospital reception as this is the sort of question that they should be able to answer.

Then again, when you get the notes you can't read the writing.

[Mo2]

Write to the Head of Midwifery at the hospital. They might ask you to sign some sort of form, and even pay an 'administration charge' (mine was £16, but I was later told by a friend that that wasn't strictly correct I should have been charged!).
If interpreting them is a problem, I think you have the right to ask the hospital (again head of midwifery) to go through them with you?
Good luck!

[SoupDragon]

Mo2, I think you get charged the admin fee after a certain length of time and maybe also for any photocopying.

[Gem13]

I managed to hold onto mine as I ended up at a hospital outside my Health Authority so I brought them home from hospital.

The hospital gave me photocopies of the birth notes, we asked at the birthing unit for photocopies and DH photocopied the pregnancy ones (3 different lots). No one has asked for them so we still have the originals.

Next time I would definitely do the same thing again. I was wobbly about the birth for a long time (several months) and we asked a local MW to come round so we could discuss why certain things happened. She couldn't get hold of copies of the birth notes from the hospital (bureaucracy, I presume) so it was good we had our own set.

Sorry, this doesn't help Linnet - but thought it might be of use to expecting mothers!

BTW - if you have any questions/worries regarding the pregnancy/labour I recommend you ask questions from your MW. I am not pregnant but asked at the local surgery for a MW to come and see me. It has helped me come to terms with what happened and provided some reassurance that the next birth won't necessarily be so awful

[Elderberry]

Try asking your midwife. Am pregnant second time and we went through last times notes together (she sent off for them from the hospital) as part of birth plan prep. Even if you're not pregnant I wouldn't have thought it is a problem.

[SueW]

You can write to the Data Controller at the hospital.

I got charged quite a lot for mine - 40 quid - and didn't receive all the pages and pages of monitoring that I know was made but got the notes themselves which was the most important bit.

It was interesting to read through them as I have had the timings wrong for years! I guess that's part of the problem with being in a half-dark room whether it's daylight or otherwise outside and not having regular meals offered.