So...is it normal for the hospital to just make up stuff in your birth notes then?

[chequersmate]

I got my notes from DD's birth, hoping they may shed some light as to why things went the way they did....

Well, there is very little detail regarding her head positioning and what the Dr did with the forceps (the Dr told me her head was in the wrong position and I couldn't have delivered her naturally, but there is nothing about this in my note).

Just looked through them again in their entirety and there is a section regarding the amount of pain I was experiencing - apparently it was zero for the final four hours - this despite the fact that I quite CLEARLY remember that my epidural wore off and they refused to top it up despite the fact that I was in agony - I most certainly remember what crowning felt like, and also what it felt like to be stitched - my notes say I asked for two lots of voltarol. Why would I need it if the pain I felt was zero?

There is also an interesting section which is a tick box saying that they have discussed with me: co-sleeping (they didn't), car seats and car safetfy (they didn't), smoking (they didn't) contraception (they didn't) and all manner of other stuff. This has been dated the day before I went into hospital

I just wondered if it is standard for them to make this kind of stuff up, does anyone know?

It's what isn't in my notes and the fact that I have been recorded as experiencing no pain which I am particularly unhappy with.

There was certainly made up/inaccurate stuff in my notes. If I had planned to go back to that hospital, I would have taken issue with it all, but frankly just couldn't be doing with it.

For instance, in mine they said that DS had come to the ward with me, then gone to SCBU in the afternoon. He never even went to the ward, was taken to SCBU 2 minutes after birth and stayed there. Other stuff was also totally wrong

Wotcha starlight.

That sucks! I think, if I'm correct I remember from previous threads they did that dodgy fundal pressure thing on you for your first, didn't they?

They just do whatever they like then lie about it later, it seems.

(allegedly)

Yep I paid Starlight. Don't know why I bothered now tbh.

Cmot, that's really bad.

God knows. I haven't seen my notes but I know they recorded that I was induced with prostin gel, but I wasn't.
It's just laziness as far as I can tell. The midwife filled in the notes before she realised I was already in labour (although I had told her; I guess she didn't believe me) and didn't correct them.
It's unfortunate that I spent the next 24 hours being treated by the staff as though I had been induced, including being stuck on CFM...

MrsHappy

That's really bad

Makes you wonder what else they get wrong.

Almost makes me want to start a campaign about it - but then perhaps if maternity services were better funded they'd have time to fill out notes properly. Not their fault I guess.

My notes had made up stuff in them too. Saying that things had been discussed when they hadnt and getting things wrong. Though interestingly they did write down some things that would have been indefensible if I had sued them.

Big portions of my notes were fabricated. They claimed that I was letting DD scream with hunger (I was trying to bf and had buzzed for help). They also said that I had complained about the ward when I hadn't. I was really upset about the whole thing because it made me out to be a neglectful mother who was incredibly rude to staff when I had actually spent 3 days desperately trying to get bfing support (never happened, but that's another issue) and was unfailingly polite, even when I probably shouldn't have been.

I do worry about what problems it might cause if someone looks at the notes next time around, although I did complain to my consultant so hopefully it's been taken on board.

Thanks everyone.

It worries me mainly I guess because, like you Starlight I'm trying to resolve my issues with DD's birth before I think about another one.

I keep being told: 'talk through your notes with someone'

Then I read them, and they're like a fairytale, I just can't see the point

Starlight - I haven't talked to anyone at the hospital, no.

I guess I'm worried that they're going to try to re-write history and I don't want to sit there with some m/w or whoever it is who wasn't even at the birth telling me that it didn't hurt and x, y, z when I know that they are LYING.

I'm glad I found this thread.
I thought some things on the notes from my dd's birth didn't ring true, but had no way of knowing if I was right or not.. looks like I may have been right after all.

Oh yes a few wrong on my 1st load of notes. Said consultant has "felt unwell so had asked Mrs s to proform CS". What happened was we had a huge row with consultant over the CS and blood issues, which ended with me in tears and him calling MR S, and therefore delaying my ECS by 20mins, with DD1s HR at 200bpm!

Also neglected to write about mw and dh holding my legs during 2nd labour as consultant was insisting on stirrips but i had spd Also didnt mention huge hole in placenta, that they missed and the fact dd2 wasnt breathing at birth!! shocking really.

Thanks Satrlight, I might do it. But I'm not ready yet.

Just as an aside, I think I remember a thread of yours from when I was pg about them pulling on the cord to deliver the placenta.

They did that to me too - again, not in the notes. Is that normal, d'you know, for them to do that?

Oh yes, mine were a pile of shite too. They said "no complications" on them, whereas I had retained placenta and horrific pph (for which they didn't get any blood to me for 4 hours). I was in such a bad state they called my parents to fly to England and when the midwife came in the next morning she said she was surprised I surviced the night.

Oh, and they also wrote that they gave me 6 litres of blood transfusions, but only gave me 2. So I got discharged with a haemoglobin level of less than 7.

But because of the "no complications" in my notes I had no follow up from my GP or the communty midwives.

It's not particular to childbirth ime. Due to dd's medical problems, she has a huge medical file and I have a collection of letters from various medical professionals: they make very interesting reading indeed

you know i dont think ive ever seen my notes from ds' birth. i'll be asking to see them this time after reading this thread.

i was given mine to go though after both births.

I didn't know you could see them. How do you go about it?

Starlight

I understand what you mean about the staff being worried. When I was in hospital for the birth of my second child a couple of midwives had said to me "So you are the one with the (undefensible aspect of labour management that they recorded in the notes)" While it gives me no pleasure that I had such a horrible experience, I did at least have a bit of confidence the second time that people were being a little bit careful.

In my first labour my son nearly died due to mismanagement by the midwife. I had a shoulder dystocia which for some inexplicable reason she ignored as he was coming down. When she finally called a more senior mw (who then called the crash team and about 10 people rushed into the room) they managed to get him out with an apgar score of 1. They had to resusitate him and he didnt breathe for 8 minutes. Thankfully he was ok in the end with no serious after-effect - which the paed later told us was extremely lucky.

All very dramatic. Not a word of it in my notes.

They lie (by omission) to cover up cock ups, or did in my case anyway. My notes also said he was treated in special care (needed 4 hourly injections) when in fact it was full and I had to walk up there every 4 hours with him.

Hospital where I had ds2 was much better and the notes seemd accurate.