Just had my first DC and I am really unhappy about my care during the first stage of labour as basically I was completely ignored, left in pain, made to feel like I was ‘making a fuss’ and the midwifes refused to take the pessary out several times when requested. I’m going to request to see a copy of my notes (asked in the hospital but was told I couldn’t as they had been filed away) and I am going to enquire about having a debrief (if my hospital do them).
PROM late at night. Was told to ring in the morning so I rang in the morning and told to come in late that night.
Was told that the propess would not cause contractions but would soften my cervix and cause mild cramps, was monitored for an hour and then taken to a bed on an antenatal ward. Was scanned before propess put in and was told my baby was back to back. There was no comment made about this and no discussion around pain relief.
Within 10 mins of me going to bed contractions start and I cannot stay on the bed so ring the bell (I don’t want to wake the other women in the room by screaming). I get a birth ball and two paracetamol. Contractions become even more intense and am stuggling to keep quiet on antenatal ward. I am on the floor bent over the birthing ball trying to breathe. Midwifes come and put me in the bath as ‘nothing is happening’. I am now squashing my bump into bath to try to get pain relief. Contractions becoming even more painful and 2 mins apart. In between contractions I am falling asleep and I am stuggling to keep my head above water. I ring the bell a couple more times and I ask when can I have the propess out, and then request to have the propess taken out a number of times. I am told they ‘can’t’ take the propess out as I ‘won’t even be 3cm’ and all my hard work will be ‘wasted’ and at least I was in here as normally I would be a home. I told the Midwife I was in so much pain that it felt like I was dying. Still not pain relief offered, Midwife refused to examine me and I was told I was not in active labour. I am told I am not in active labour as I am not screaming and I am doing really well with my breathing. At the this point I am scared to ring the bell as he midwives have offered no help or reassurance at all. I carry on and the contractions and pain become even worse. I decide to scream as I think this is the only way the midwifes will pay me an attention and I start to feel the urge to push (I think this was about 30 mins after I last pushed the bell). Midwife comes and reluctantly examined me as I tell here I am pushing. Midwife exclaims surprise as she examines me as I am 10 cm dialated! I’m hoicked out the bath and bent over a wheelchair and wheeled round to the labour ward at high speed! From being taken off the monitor until pushing I think there was about 4.5 hours. My notes state I spent 1 hour in active labour 
. Once I got to the ward I was finally offered gas and air.
Basically by the time I got to the labour ward I was completely exhausted as I was left to thrash around in a bath for hours and was unable to push my baby out and ended up in theatre with forceps and an episiotomy. This may have happened anyways but I can help thinking it I was listened to whilst I was in labour I may have got to pushing in a better state.
During the pushing stage it was mentioned contractions were too frequent therefore had I been overstimulated by the propess. As I was in so much pain (and couldn’t get out of the bath) I had not had a wee for a number of hours and have become dehydrated (they struggled to get a drip in) and had ketones (as my body had used up all its energy and the Midwife was trying to feed me sugary food to give me energy)
Is this induction normal? I would have never have agreed to being induced if I had been told this was a procedure where it was not possible to stop? I think I was just excited that my baby was on its way so didn’t think to ask questions before it began.