calling all midwives for advice- I want to see my birth notes??

[JoBaz]

Hi

Had my DS 11 mths ago & had a horrid time. he wa sin the back to back position when he was born by emergency episitomy & forceps as his heart beat dropped really low & they had to get him out. I still lay there thinking about what happened... why did no one tell me he was in this akward position & to this day I know my episitomy was big (as at gp postnatel 8wk check she said it was a very large scar)but I dont know what degree tear it was or anything.. I was so shell shocked after the birth & I just feel now that to read my birth notes would be the best therapy? why do they take them away & is there anyway I can read what actually happened to me & my body??surely?
even after the birth when I had pains all down by my bottom on the left side, no one told me it was cos the episitomy is cut back & then to the left into leg muscle..

Thank you for your help
Joanne x

can I just say, the 21 year period for seeking legal redress applies in relation to the child only - you've only got 3 years from when the damage became apparent if you want to sue for injury to yourself.

Just to add, Data Proection Act is the relevant act, fee is "reasonable" to cover copying costs, if you are unsure of the terminology make an appointment with your GP to discuss it. Thye are unlikely to give you immediate access, as they people who wrote the records need to check that there is nothing in the records that could cause psychological harm to you (they are allowed legally to remove things that they feel may cause harm but must be able to justify it). I'm a nurse BTW and have my records requested regularly as I work in Occupational Health manageing absence and my clients often want to know what I have said about them!! Since about 1990, you have had the right to the records (before that you had no right, so the midwife that told you they were hospital property is a bit out of date) but again you needed to apply in writing and pay a reasonable fee.

Re getting pregnant next time - I had am emercency section, and was told that I could opt to have my next by section if I chose as my section was for back to back, foetal distress but he was too high to pull out with forceps! So would reocmmend discussing with your GP now, so you can put your mind at rest.

Good luck, I think it would really help you get your head around what happened.

Thank U all so much for your advice, I will get onto this asap & keep U all posted

The hospital where I had both ds's offer a birth reflections service, where you can actually go through your notes and talk through the whole experience with somebody. Perhaps your hospital has something similar if that might help you.

apply for copies of your notes. contact your local nct (even if you are not a member). ask if one of their post natal leaders can review it with you. if you want a meeting with the hospital, they may also be able to accompany you. i'm in the process of doing same. i've got my notes but scared to look at them tbh.

When I was in labour with my first baby I managed to get a hold of my notes on the ward, it made me feel a bit better as I was getting really pissed off with what was happening and felt that they weren't convinced about how much pain I was in. Reading the notes did help a bit at the time.

It went downhill from then on and the communication from the midwifes got less and less until I grabbed one by the coller and demanded more info, I was on the table getting preped for a section by that time.

Hope you manage to get a copy, there is a website that offers advice for mums who had traumatic births, can't remember the name.

Where I live, the notes are kept by the patient until they are no longer under the care of the community midwife. I found mine very interesting to read, as I had a section, so it was nice to see everything that I'd "missed" written down. Only had them for about a week or so before I was put under the HV rather than community midwife, but they were handy in that time. Little things that I wasnt really paying attention to, such as "oooh, DH, so they cut me at this time, and dd was born just x amount of mins later" and "oooh, my placenta weighed x". I felt like I'd missed out by having a section, esp as they weren't very informative, so took them a while to tell me that she'd actually been born and was okay. SO the notes did help, made things clearer for me, filled in the blanks about what they'd done to me, as well as how dd was when she was first born (I didn't see over the curtain thingy).
I personally feel every woman should be able to have her notes without having to request them as many people do not realise they can obtain them, or how they do so. Like a photocopy of the notes when you leave hospital or something.

Good luck getting them, hope it gives you the closure you need

have read alot but not al lthe thread - my thrid birth - in hosp in England was emotionally my hardest. My dh and I were really unhappy about the mw - some of the things that happened and were said. I wrotr to the hospital a while after the birth - certainly months. I was quite satisfied with their response and it did help me to 'get over it'. They wrote back,answered my questions, told me they had spoken with the midwives involved and offered to meet me to discuss further, go over anything if I wanted. Hoope you also get a helpful response - I am really glad I didn't just leave it. Good Luck

I got mine by writing to the medical records officer to request them. In the letter I mentioned that I would be happy to pay photocopying charges. She sent me a straightforward form to fill in and I think there was a reasonable fee for copying. Got the notes quickly and did find them enormously helpful - seeing events from another perspective. Seeing written comments like 'R* coping very well' and 'coping brilliantly' also helpful.

Just looked the notes over and cried when got to:-
20.36: NVD (normal vaginal delivery) live female infant onto Mum
20.45: Mum and Dad delighted with their daughter

xx

eemie - now i'm all welled up too