Can anyone answer this...?

[jerin]

Hi all

I had quite a traumatic birth with my DTs and just wondering if anyone can answer some of my questions..... I'm planning an appointment to talk thru the birth but my friend who's a nurse keeps telling me to put in a complaint. I certainly wouldnt want anyone else to go thru what I did but dont want to start a complaint if there really arent any valid reasons. I'm pretty sure when I talk thru my birth the midwife will defend the hospitals actions so just wondering if I'm just dwelling on something that was just one of those things...iyswim

My DTs were born at 30 weeks. My DS1 was born at 32 weeks after a fairly fast labour. My pains were put down to a water infection but waters broke on way to hospital and DS born an hour later.

Went to hospital with twin pregnancy as small brownish blood (think I had show with DS but hospital dismissed it - born week later)
They couldnt get trace on both babies (usually leave you hooked up 20 mins) but just heard heartbeats and said v.v.active.

I had very low pain, right down in cervix which I'd not had before but no stomach pains. back ache quite high. They gave me internal examination using instrument and was sooo uncomfortable and painful, said my cervix was at 6 o'clock. Then examined me using hand. This was then repeated by another doctor, instrument and hand. Could this have started my labour?? My DT1 was born with severe bruising to his head and I was told it was where he had been pressing against my pelvis but I'd never had any pain or discomfort from him. Could the examinations caused the bruising?
When the midwife came to discharge me I couldnt move from the bed as had such a long sharp pain -she put it down to spd. It was my first contraction. Didnt realise at time -had just been reassured that all was fine but within 5 mins in the car realised I was in labour. DT1 delivered 3 hours after discharge (back in hospital thankfully) Should they, given my prem history, have kept me in? Believed my instinct? My doctor, second to examine me that day, would not meet my eye in the following weeks whenever I saw her in the corridor.... i know she recognised me... and I know its not in her job description that she has to ask how we're doing, but was it a sign of feeling guilty??
Thanks, need to stop thinking about it but just feel guilty that they didnt take me seriously and dismissed my worries.... if I'd kicked up ore of a fuss maybe I couldve had the steroids and held onto them for longer....

Bumping for you.

This is really tricky. You do have a history of prem labour so perhaps they should have been more cautious but you sound like you laboured quite silently, as you often do with premmies. Twins they do tend to be more cautious and at least keep you overnight. Prem babies are often bruised after birth and if your cervix was closed it is unlikely that any examination bruised him. You should discuss this with the hospital and you have got cause for complaint but to be honest these things happen at the best of hospitals. They will never get it right every time.

PS Doing an internal would not have started your labour if your body was not already going into labour.

Thanks.

Thanks MadScot - sorry I didnt reply properly before. It's good to know that they didnt start my labour off and it would've happened that night had I gone in or not. Instinct is a truly amazing thing - I just knew. Makes it such a shame that no-one trusted my instinct that evening which I was later told my several midwives on the ward is often very accurate. A shame I wasnt seen by one of them. I feel annoyed at myself that I didnt stand up for myself better and insist on staying in..... and most annoyed at my doctor who was unhelpful ante-natally and plain rude post-natally. Infact I think a huge amount about the way I feel would have been alieviated had she just once, asked me how we all were. The doctor who delivered my babies that night was so lovely, always asked how we were doing, picked up on when we were having a bad day and comforted me and really cared. That made it so hard for me to understand how my doctor could say nothing each time she passed me and would always leave me in tears with her attitude (being so hormonal and having such a stressful time). I did meet with consultant who raised her eyebrows a couple of times when I told of the treatment from her..... would my doctor have been spoken to about this? I really would only like for her to change her attitude and realise what a difference she could have made in that situation.... thanks again x

Hi Jerin,
I'm sorry that you felt he birth of your twins to be traumatic, but I have to agree with what madScot has said.
It's difficult to sat whether that should have kept you in for observation or not due to your history, but obviously the internal examinations showed no signs of labour at all. It's a shame that more than one uncomfortable examination was performed but i'm afaid this can be common practice, and even one examination could have 'stirred things up a bit'. I very much doubt that the examinations were the cause of the bruising. Even one examination could have made labour kick off slightly sooner than it would have done, but only on a cervix that was on the cusp of labouring anyway. If you had stayed in, I don't see how it would have changed the outcome of your twins being born 3 hours later , and any steroids would have had little time to work on their lungs.. . . .
. . . .

. . . ..Hindsight is a wonderful thing, especially when it comes to birth and babies, but if everyone who had an instinct was kept in hospital I think the wards would be bursting, so decisions need to be made on harder facts. The midwives you spoke to afterwards would have most likely agreed with the examining doctors decision if they had been there at the time too.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that a change of attitude from the rude doctor could have made all of the difference for you. I'm happy that you seem to have also had care from other nice midwives and doctors as well, who likely know the rude doctor well and also despair at his/her attitude at times. It's entirely up to you whether you put in a complaint, depending on if you think it will make you feel any better about things.

Best wishes to you and your family,
Lou x

. . . ..Hindsight is a wonderful thing, especially when it comes to birth and babies, but if everyone who had an instinct was kept in hospital I think the wards would be bursting, so decisions need to be made on harder facts. The midwives you spoke to afterwards would have most likely agreed with the examining doctors decision if they had been there at the time too.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that a change of attitude from the rude doctor could have made all of the difference for you. I'm happy that you seem to have also had care from other nice midwives and doctors as well, who likely know the rude doctor well and also despair at his/her attitude at times. It's entirely up to you whether you put in a complaint, depending on if you think it will make you feel any better about things.

Best wishes to you and your family,
Lou x

Thanks Lou..... makes me feel better to know that it would have happened anyway. And I know that decisions are made with info available and you cant treat everyone with a 'what if' as the wards would be bursting (and they usually are already) I think I'm honest and realistic - I always knew I'd have them early although there was nothing to say I would - but that day - I knew. And so therefore i do think that most of my upset is caused by that doctor - i dont know what the best course of action is.... if I were to make a complaint what would happen??

I'm really not sure what would happen. I'm guessing you'd get a letter from the hospital explaining that they are sorry that you feel the way you do, but not actually accepting any responsibility at all for the outcome. The doctor in question may have someone have 'a word' with them if the complaint centered on their attitude, but I suppose how serious that word was would depend on if they have received any other complaints, or already have a known bad attitude. That's just my guess. x

Jerin,

If you are unhappy about a certain doctors attitude then please, please, please make a complaint about it. So often nobody say anything cos they are scared to and I bet all her colleagues complain about her attitude regularly. If a client makes a complaint it holds more weight. Try to go through a patient liason service if your hospital has one. If not write to the consultant you spoke to and tell then this was a huge problem for you and impacts on how you felt about all the care you received. You really shouldn't feel guilty as none of it was your fault.

Forgot to say earlier but I hope you and your DTs are doing ok. xx

PS If writing to consultant also ask if the unit has access to testing for premature birth. Fibronectin tests are a fancy way of giving a +ve or -ve result (not 100% as can give false results.) Not all hospitals have this available due to funding and resources but if they do have it and they did not perform one on you with your history then that is a whole other issue....