Accessing your labour notes

[Wigeon]

Just thought I'd post to let people know that it's relatively straightforward to get a copy of the hospital notes from your labour as I've just done this.

I didn't have a traumatic delivery or anything, I was just interested in knowing everything about my first labour (and am pregnant with DC2).

I wrote to the "Access to Health Records Administrator" - contact details were on my NHS Trust's website (found by searching subject access request). I had to fill in a form, specifying exactly what parts of my records I wanted, and pay a administration fee of £10. The form also said I needed to pay a standard £25 (or was it £30) fee for photocopying, but when I rang up to challenge this - after all I only wanted about 5 A4 pages! - they were pretty reasonable and said I could pay a far reduced fee given the small number of pages I wanted (the photocopying and recorded delivery fee was £4 in the end, on top of the £10).

Once they had located the records, they had to clear their release with the relevant consultant, and then posted them out to me (I think they are worried about patients potentially requesting records in order to make a complaint, although of course they would still have to release the records).

It was all pretty straightforward and very interesting reading my notes as I hardly remmeber anything of my time in hospital whilst in labour as I was having frequent strong contractions.

I found out I was pushing for 1hr 35 mins (it felt like a lifetime so I am slightly relieved that it was a pretty long time), how much blood I lost (not much) and how frequent my contractions were when I got to hospital (all the blimming time).

I would recommend anyone to get a copy of their records if they want to - you don't have to have a "reason" (like a traumatic delivery) and my request was dealt with though an obviously very well-established procedure.

Thank you for this!
Am seriously thinking of requesting mine! x

Good luck with it! I found it quite emotional reading the notes (even though it was a normal delivery and I don't feel at all traumatised by it) - possibly because I am pregnant and hormonal with DC2. But am very pleased I have them - it's good to know what went on and it felt odd that the hospital knew and I didn't.

Seen your profile - I have an Eva .

Glad it was easy for you to get yours - it was a real pain getting mine. It's taken over a year and I still haven't seen the records I requested. I'm guessing it depends on the PCT , but mine seems to have a 'left hand doesn't know what the right is doing' issue.

I was given a pamphlet after the birth about requesting records, and wrote to them, and they gave a form to fill in. After waiting a while for it to be processed, I then got a letter saying I would have to contact the hospital directly instead. So another letter, another form, another long time processing. Eventually I got a call saying that I couldn't come in to see my records (which the pamphlet said I could) so they'd photocopied it and sent it out to me. Of course, they photocopied the wrong information - I'd asked for birth/post natal notes on DS1 and DD2, got pregnancy and labour notes of DS1 and DD1 (oddly the cover letter had the correct dates information requested). DD2 was the important one for me as I'd reacted badly to the injection given to speed up the placenta (ended up needing a hospital transfer, a manual placenta removal, and blood transfusions) and wanted to get clear information on it as the information on it wasn't in my white book notes (they stopped just before she was born and start again after I'm in recovery. nothing was written down about the placental delivery in my white notes which upset me as that's the information I'd need if I were to have another).

I've given up fighting them for now, I'll try again if I'm ever expecting another blessing.

That sounds rubbish - what a cock up. Although sounds like just very very bad admin rather than an intentional attempt to withhold your notes. You probably don't have the energy to make a complaint about the records administrator!

Lol! Think you replied to one of my posts re our traumatic birth story!

I was given mine when I was discharged.
It was very interesting (and frightening) reading them, as DS's heartbeat disappeared off the monitor for a while, and suddenly the room was full of people. I was high as a kite on G&A so don't remember much. DH by this time was a quivering wreck, so there was no point asking him about it.
Thankfully they found his heartbeat again, and I was whisked off for an EMCS.
My notes said the tracing was 'suspect/pathological'.

I got my notes last week. My birth wasn't very traumatic compared to others I've read about but there were a few things that were bothering me (a year after DD was born). I cried and cried over my notes and felt much better for having read them. I'd encourage anyone to get hold of their notes. It's funny how impaired your concentration is when you're in labour. Sometimes it's not the same at all when you read about it afterwards in a calm mood.

I thought about requesting my notes but I fought that maybe they're full of medical terms and acronyms that only a midwife/doctor would understand. Is this not the case then?

Mine cost me nearly £50. Worth every penny though. DD was forceps/3rd degree tear/MROP but it made me feel less like I'd 'failed' when I saw the MW had put that I had been pushing well.

Cinnamon mine are fairly easy to understand, the only acronyms really are things like VE. You can always ask around on here if you're not sure what somethign is anyway :)

Cinnamonbun - actually I understood quite a bit (probably almost all) and I am completely un-medically qualified.

I asked on this thread exactly what Flisspaps suggests!

Fifty quid, Flisspaps!! I suppose if mine cost £14 in total, and I was only in hospital for about 8 hours with a straightforward delivery, and yours was more complicated, then the notes are longer and therefore more expensive for them to photocopy.

Is there anything you can do if your notes are wrong? My say I had ARM (artificial rupture of membranes) but I didn't! Just about the only thing my body did unprompted was pop my waters.

If that is incorrect, what else might be wrong in them?

herethere I was wondering the same thing, how accurate are they? I've heard women say that things they felt were important (often things important to them -like kangaskhan/felt was bad practice) left out?

I've been thinking about requesting my notes but I'm a bit scared about what they say. I still feel like I did a bad job and I got the impression the mw thought the same so thats probably what it says in my notes . Think Steph in obem only worse and not pushing properly! Do the notes usually have details of the phone calls you made to the labour ward before you were admitted?

My notes started at the point I'd arrived at hospital. No records of the three phone calls I / DH made asking if I could come in ("no, you're a first timer, stay at home!" was the answer - probably rightly so in retrospect). They were also remarkably free of "opinion" on whether I was doing well or not - very factual (eg recording the baby's heartbeat, that I used gas and air, how frequent my contractions were etc).

My notes were very factual as well and didn't give personal opinions.

It's very sad that you feel like that nevereatyellowsnow. If the MW really felt like that then she should have been helping and guiding you, not judging you. I feel it is more a reflection of her midwifery skills than on you.

nevereatyellowsnow you can'gt have done a 'bad' job, there are no good or bad jobs in having a baby! iliketomoveit is right, its a reflection on the poor skills of the midwife

How long after the birth can you apply for your notes??

Thank you for this I would really like to get mine from both births albeit tip first one 15 years ago. I just remember the room filling with doctors and them taking him away to examine but I never knew why he became distressed. Second time round was shorter labour but baby was blue and unresponsive and given oxygen and eventually taken to special care. Glad I did not bow to the constant pressure from midwife to have home birth. Especially in second floor flat! Im definitely going to request notes thank you.

Mamas12 - immediately after I should think.

missalien - glad it was useful starting this thread!

I'm so glad you started this thread. I've got an appt to speak to my consultant about my fear of labour tomorrow so am going to ask if i can see my notes.

I too accessed my first birth records easily when I became pregnant this time. I had a lot of unanswered questions regarding a hurried second stage of labour where I was essentially threatened by the midwife to achieve what she was wanting from me. I needed to know why the hurry, was DD in distress, for how long was I fully dilated etc. My community midwife wrote to the hospital only behalf to request an appointment with a consultant which came back quickly. That gave me a lot of answers and I could finally know for certain that I was bullied unnecessarily (as I suspected). What followed was another appointment with the Consultant Midwife at the hospital who went over my notes in greater detail and explained how the guidelines that the staff were working under 4 years ago made this situation I experienced not that uncommon. She apologised on behalf of them too. I really appreciated the time spent going through this and it certainly allowed me to move on. I'd urge others with questions to access their records, I had no idea you could do it until the person I've hired to be my Doula told me & I'm so grateful! I've never paid for a copy of my own but tbh it was more helpful to have a professional go over it with me. I'd hope other areas would operate a similar policy and that this is standard.

I query how correct mine are. My waters broke at 5am and contractions were 3mmins apart after this. I'd been contracting for 30 hours at this point. When I was 8cm or so they m/w came in and asked when I thought i had gone into labour. I said the contractions became terribly painful after my second sweep at 5pm the previous day when I was 3cm. She said, too early. So I said early hours of the morning, she said too early. So i said 5am when waters broke, nope too early. So I said when I was assessed and found to be 5cm and admitted - 8am? And she said too early!?!? They put on my forms labour commenced at 9.30am which is so not true.

My son was born by ventouse ay 8.30pm after i was given syntocin to speed things up. I'd pushed for 2 hours and it just wasn't happening.

So, according to the hospital he was delivered in 11 hours. According to me I would say from midnight onward I had been in active labour, so 20.5 hours at the very least. As I say i'd been assessed to be 3cm the day before!

I really want the notes from my DD's birth but I think the hospital/trust/people involved would rather pull their teeth out than let me look (they were grossly negligent).

I dont know how they'd handle a request under these circs. Probably just endlessly fobb me off. or just make them up

Are these notes different to the yellow maternity notes? I had those at home until I was signed off by the midwives - would be interested if there are any other notes on us though.