How do I get my labour notes?

[Chulita]

I really need to chat the labour through with someone cos I'm having real problems coming to terms with and accepting how it all went. Any one know how I get a hold of the labour notes and whether I can have a chat with a midwife about them?

If you phone up labout ward within a certain period of time after the birth (can't remember but it's a few months) they are obliged to give you a copy for free. (They will probably think you want to sue them though!). They may be able to charge you a small amount for photocopying. I would have thought that you should be able to get someone to talk them through with, perhaps try the practice midwife or ask at labout ward? If you get no joy, ask your GP.

PALS at teh hospital you delivered at

also some do have a birth aftertrhoughts service or some such, and even if they don;t , you will be able to go through your notes with a midwife at a convenient time

I don't think there is a time limit as to when you can request your notes! As suggested above the PALS team at your hospital will be able to assist you in this. Most Trusts require you to put in a written request and will then normally charge you for the photocopying (often there are quite a few pages).

I would however recommend you also contact either your Head of Midwifery or the secretary of your Consultant to say you would like to sit down with someone to go through the events surrounding the delivery. They normally should facilitate this without too much trouble. Often medical notes contain a lot of jargon that a lay person may not always be able to decipher/understand but which is critical in understanding what occured. More so after you have read your notes try and list a series of questions that your would like further clarity on (if you can submit these in advance then the team can also identify the information you need to debrief with and can ensure it is available to discuss rather than wasting time at the consultation trawling for a critical piece of info).

It is very important that you get an opportuinity to talk things through when you are able to, preferably the sooner the better. We have all met women who have been so traumatised by what has happened to them at a previous delivery, often elsewhere and many years ago! It unfortunately can remain a perpetual source of distress which can persist for many years and sometimes sadly prohibits any consideration for further babies.
Sometimes parents just need understanding to bring them an opportunity to get closure and to move on.
Often an opportunity to sit and calmly talk things through as well as a discussion of how things might be handled differently with a future pregnancy helps in clarifying areas of doubt/anxiety and avoidable post-traumatic distress.