Has anyone put a complaint in about their maternity care

[WilliowGreen]

I had quite a bad experience when I was in labour this was due to a total lack or care. I had a specific birth plan which was drawn up with the support of the supervisor of midwives which was ignored and they dismissed my concerns and left me alone until my baby's head was crowning. At this point they noticed there was meuconium and he was in distress. He didn't cry for while after he was born and they took him away from me to help him start breathing. I am not sure what they did but he is fine now, My community midwife suggested that I put in a complaint to the head of maternity services.

I would like to do this but I feel very anxious about doing so. Has anyone done this? Do you think it was worth it?

I had a brief reflections meeting with matron of midwives and a consultant obedtritian (sp?). They apologised from my treatment and told me what they would put in place to prevent it from happening to other women.

I felt much better but I was also seeing a post natal clinical psychologist and I think without that as well I would have felt worse after the meeting.

I did. People were spoken to, who then lied. So, I didn't really change anything. But at least the ones who wronged me knew some women will report them, so, maybe they have taken that on board.

A similar thing happened to me and my family have been urging me to complain but I haven't yet.

My waters broke at 35 weeks and I didn't go into labour so they kept me 24 hrs then induced me. I had a wonderful midwife. At around 5pm while I was on hormone drip my baby's heart kept dropping. The midwife took action and they stopped the drip. The doctor said they would try again in an hour, but if I wasn't in labour by 8pm they would do a csection as it was 48 hrs since waters went. Shift changed at 7pm I had an awful midwife and a student. Both ignored me when I was stating concerns about the baby's heart dropping at around 7:30pm (I had learnt the difference in sound as I'd been rigged up for most part of 2 days) and kept putting the drip up. I then asked to go to the toilet and told them I was bleeding. Was told not to worry. I was left until 9:30 when a doctor came and checked the baby's chart and examined me, I was bleeding heavily had no pain relief despite my husband prompting them and was only 3cm. I ended up going for an emcs and my baby wasn't breathing for 5 mins. I wasn't even told, they only told me as I kept asking repeatedly why he wasn't crying. He had swallowed a lot of blood.

I would also like to know whether a complaint would be worth it and how to go about it as I can't help thinking things could have been worse.

I sent a letter that said it was not at this stage a formal complaint but that I would like answers. It very much suggested that it could become a formal complaint if I wasn’t dealt with properly. Actually they took it seriously and by the time I had another child two years later they had changed some of the things I had complained about.

anotherangel2 I am worried that talking about it would make it worse. I would like to see my notes but I don't think there is much in them as they weren't there when I was in labour.
I am seeing postnatal mental health which does help.

I have looked at PALS website which tells you how to complain and written down what happened. I am quite scared to send it in. They suggest you say what you want to happen as a result of your complaint. I am not sure what to say about this other than I don't want it to happen to anyone else. I was lucky that it wasn't a lot worse.