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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Have you read your birth notes?

48 replies

bottomlessburp · 06/11/2006 23:42

I had emergency c-section 6 mths ago and whilst much less stressed about it all I was wondering if it would help if i could either read my medical notes or have someone go thru them with me. I think both options are available. Has anyone else done this or considered it>

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BIGlilBUBU · 07/11/2006 20:35

I wish I could see my notes. Ellasmum could I just go into the hospital I gave birth in and ask to see them? Or would I need to book an appointment?
I remember after I gave birth they took them, I hadnt realised they kept your notes. I was abit upset that I couldnt keep them. I loved looking through them and reading everything when I was pregnant.

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 07/11/2006 20:37

some information on getting your notes

Macdog · 07/11/2006 20:38

My birth notes were with my pre-natal notes. They were passed to me when I left hospital to give to my comm midwife. The last day she visited I got dh to photocopy the birth notes as they make amusing reading (dd arrived rather quicker than anyone expected!!)
Probably not supposed to, but not actually hurting anyone, surely.

BIGlilBUBU · 07/11/2006 20:39

Oh didnt see your post funnypeculiar, what did you say in the letter? I want a copy of mine but im not sure on how to go about it.

funnypeculiar · 07/11/2006 20:55

BIGlilBUBU - I rang the maternity unit up and asked what to do- they had a form that I had to fill out and get someone to sign for some reason!

BIGlilBUBU · 07/11/2006 21:00

Oh ok thanks, Ill do that. Cant wait to see them.

shhhh · 07/11/2006 21:04

You can have a copy but at a cost of around £25. The hospital keeps them for legal reasons ans has them for around 21 years as apparently if any legal action is required etc this is the timescale you/dc has to take things further.
This is what I was told by my hospital anyway.

BTW I did read my notes the day I was discharged. My mw offered them to me and tbh I didn't feel they were wrong etc. It was nice to read what was happening when at times I was to happy on g&a to remember little details.!

fishie · 07/11/2006 21:10

same as kidstrack, read my notes while i was in there as they wrote them. glad i did, several lies in there.

lulumama · 07/11/2006 21:13

i didn't!

don;t want to know what was being said about me while i was incoherent with pain!

after my first birth which ended in emergebncy c.s....the consultant debriefed me at the 6 week check....so no need

and this time...nothing i would want to question.

can see how it would be helpful though...

Linnet · 07/11/2006 21:21

I requested a copy of my notes from dd1's birth 6 years after the event. I did have to pay a charge of about £10 I think to cover administration and another charge to cover the photocopying of the pages, which differed depending on how many pages there were.

With dd2 I photocopied the notes before the midwife collected them on her last day.

pucca · 07/11/2006 23:14

If you request your notes do you get copies of all births? As i had a very traumatic 1st delivery (3rd degree tear) and a section with my second.

TheBlonde · 08/11/2006 09:04

pucca - if you had both babies at the same hospital you would be able to get both sets of notes on one application
you have to fill in a form stating dates and depts you want the notes from if I recall correctly

helenhismadwife · 08/11/2006 10:09

you do have the right to see your notes, I think most places ask that you put the request in writing, it is helpful to go through the notes with someone so that they can explain what terms mean or why something was done.

I was told that notes had to be kept for 26 years in case a child wanted to sue the people who cared for their mother.

Personally I tend to try and go through what I have written in the notes with the family I am caring for obviously not when in labour but after so I can answer any queries they may have and on the ward I sit with them and write them and tell them what I am writing, I dont feel its something to hide. There are normally two sets of notes, the main ones which never leave the hospital and have comprehensive details of your previous medical and obstetric history and the hand held notes. FOr some patients ie drug addicts those whos baby's are on the at risk register stuff is written in the hospital notes and only small amounts in the hand held notes because the notes often disapear.

the notes are supposed to be returned to the hospital/trust who cared for you during delivery.

Hope it helps you to read your notes

helen

Original poster

bottomlessburp · 08/11/2006 21:10

thanks very much everyone, i have written my letter requesting my midwife if poss to go thru my notes with me.feel loads better, DH just commented that he doesnt think will help, is it just my empathetic (not) DH or all men?!
lets see what the notes say, might be back on with a'cant believe that happened' thread as was not at all compus mentis from going in.

OP posts:

eidsvold · 08/11/2006 21:17

you can apply to the hospital and for a fee they will photocopy your notes and send them out to you.

I got mine as we were leaving the area and eventually moving to Australia and thought it would be handy to have to pass on.

Very exciting reading - not really.

My dd1 ended up in ICU so all my ward notes say - eidsvold not in room, eidsvold not at bed - could not give pain relief - probably cause eidsvold was in ICU/SCBU with her baby!!

Have yet to see my notes from 2nd birth and intend to query something with consultant next week as midwife made some comment about bleeding during 2nd c-section and I don't recall any comment made about that.

The Blonde - they should be one big file - I know here in Aus when I went to book in with this babe - they pulled out my old file so it would just be asking and they should collate all your notes and copy them.

Darciesmum · 08/11/2006 21:18

I have still got my pregnancy and labour notes and my DD is now 19ths old

pmoore · 09/11/2006 14:10

My hospital offered a debriefing session where you sit with the midwife that delivered your LO and they go through your whole admission from start to finish with your notes on the table to read. I went two weeks ago when LO was two weeks old. Very useful if you want to learn what really happened.

snugglebumnappies · 09/11/2006 19:50

As far as I am aware they are kept for 21 years, as a mum you only have three years to bring forward any litigation but the child has up to their 18th birthday for you to bring the case for them and then the same three years that you had on top.

I read my notes from my care of my ds who is now 11, they were rubish and completely inaccurate, the writting in the notes did not match up with what was showing on the CTG, eg midwife wrote contrations were 1:4 when they were 1;1 and I was being hyperstimulated with syntocinon, or the my blood loss was 500ml, well why did I need three units of blood when my Hb was 11.9 on admission. There was nothing about the three failed attempts the aneathatist had at siting the epidural that I didn't want but was told I had to have.......long story, but it makes me soooooooo mad. Read the notes about 2 years ago prior to planning my last pregnancy as I felt I needed t be much more informed about what had happened, as I am a midwife (trained after the crappy care I got!) I could see what had gone wrong despite the poor note keeping, if I didn't have this knowledge then I think it would have been a complete waste of time looking at them!

MumtoBen · 10/11/2006 19:14

HRHQ - yes I know it's from when you are 3 cm dilated. Contractions started at 10.30am. Waters had broken previously. 2-3cm at 2.30pm. Then kicked out of delivery suite. Contractions by then were 1-2 minutes apart, and I was in agony. Started pushing at 8:00pm. Then a midwife agreed to examine me - surprise, surprise 10cm. 8:30pm back to delivery suite. They admitted it afterwards, and said they were too busy to look after me.

rainbowgirl · 10/11/2006 22:29

does anyone know the policy on old hospital notes (4 years ago) at UCH? i need to get hold of mine my midwife says . i dont' remember ever seeing them, certainly never read the description of my emergency c-section, would no doubt make quite distressing reading..

TheBlonde · 10/11/2006 22:39

have a look at this

ellasmum1 · 16/11/2006 21:17

I was told at a recent midwife study day that law has changed and hospital has to keep birth notes for life, possibly because now child can sue for as long as they live, presume that is why anyway. If any of you get your notes to read alone and don't understand anything just CAT me or post on here. someone will always help. Sorry I didn't respond sooner, had no idea I had been asked any questions!

ellasmum1 · 16/11/2006 21:19

Oh, and when I discharge women from hospital I warn them that midwife will take them back to hospital when handing care to health visitor and tell them they can photocopy anything they want to keep.

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