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Horrifying story about how neglect by midwives caused a baby's death.

81 replies

Aloha · 17/06/2007 15:23

I have to say, the attitude of these midwives sounds completely familiar to me. I feel so lucky that I got my caesarean.
When my friend had her baby at the Royal Free I was shouted at for getting her some food because 'she has to get up and get it herself' - she was alone apart from me and had had a baby a few hours before.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article191790 7.ece

OP posts:
Pixiefish · 17/06/2007 15:26

OMG- that is terrible

WideWebWitch · 17/06/2007 15:26

How awful, they must be utterly traumatised. Wtf is going on with maternity services? It's outrageous. The more I read about hospital births the gladder I feel that I had both mine at home.

WideWebWitch · 17/06/2007 15:27

The parents must be traumatised I meant. Couldn't care less how the mwives feel tbh, they sound vile. (I'm aware that many, many midwives aren't btw)

LynetteScavo · 17/06/2007 15:29

If the baby hadn't died, and they'd gone home with their new born telling of the midwives apauling attitudes, no doubt they wuld have been told, "at least you got what you wanted in the end"

Pixiefish · 17/06/2007 15:31

I have to say that when I had dd at our local hospital all the staff bar one mw were absolutley fabulous (the one mw that was a bit abrupt was on the after ward)

Really hope they're still just as nice as it's soooo scary to red something like this being 19 wks pg

Budababe · 17/06/2007 15:32

How shocking.

BrothelSprouts · 17/06/2007 15:34

I've been lucky in that the vast majority of midwives I have encountered have been kind, professional and thoughful.
How on earth did these two women end up doing such a vital role, when it appears they are heartless and unprofessional?
No doubt the hospital will blame staff shortages, but this clearly goes a lot deeper than that.

Aloha · 17/06/2007 15:38

The doctor was to blame too, for the induction going wrong, by giving her the wrong dose of drugs, which put her in agony and the baby in distress.

OP posts:
roisin · 17/06/2007 16:09

That link doesn't work for me

roisin · 17/06/2007 16:09

Oh, it's worked now. Obviously just a blip.

roisin · 17/06/2007 16:11

What a shocking story. That's awful.

tortoiseSHELL · 17/06/2007 16:12

God, how awful. Totally unacceptable, shocking behaviour.

fryalot · 17/06/2007 16:20

I had the exact same attitude when having dd2 - luckily she was fine (no thanks to the midwives who refused to listen to us)

holsnovell · 17/06/2007 16:24

thats disgusting how they were treated. that poor couple

mytwopenceworth · 17/06/2007 16:26

appauling but doesn't surprise me. crap care at ds1 birth nearly killed him and me.

coppertop · 17/06/2007 16:31

Sadly parts of that story are familiar to me too. I was induced but the MW refused to believe I was having anything more than twinges and made me feel like a cowardly little schoolgirl - it was my 3rd induction FFS! I was quite literally tearing my hair out with the pain as she wouldn't let me have an epidural and instead kept cranking up the drip and b*ggering off to make arrangements for some party her daughter was having. It was only when dd's head appeared on the bed that she ran out into the corridor calling for help. The whole point of the induction was because dd was such a high risk for shoulder dystocia.

I really feel for the couple in the article. Their treatment was horrific, both before and after the birth.

geekgirl · 17/06/2007 16:39

god, how sad

unfortunately I can really envisage this attitude, having experienced it first hand (even had the exact same comment about 'not being in real pain' and being a wimp when I was screaming the antenatal ward down during the induction).

Was also told off for not managing to put the baby into the bassinette on my own - 4 hours after a serious pph, 3 day labour, with a catheter bag and a drip stand attached to me. The midwife v. helpfully told me I'd 'have to learn to cope eventually'.

My subsequent babies were born at home.

lucyellensmum · 17/06/2007 16:41

I think there was negligence and unproffesional behaviour in all parties concerned!! Terrible, those poor poor people.

I have to say that i have noticed this across the board, with nurses doctors and midwives. 95% of them are wonderful but the attitude of others beggars belief. You feel so helpless and at the mercy of these people during labour, at least that was my experience, i often wonder how far i came from a tragedy as my birth was traumatic and whilst the staff were wonderful, i did sense an air of "oh fuck, i can't believe this woman has been left for 27 hours in labour and the baby has still not engaged, now what the fuck are we going to do" from the doctor. I remember him getting cross with me because i hadn't been pushing, i was told not too!!!! Even though i had been telling the midwives for the past hour i wanted to push, he thought id been ODing on gas and air, i'd had none!! I took an instant dislike to him, arrogant bastard, i remember saying to him, why the hell are you here, there must be something wrong, i dont want you here, and him getting more cross because he thought i was being shy about him having his arm inside me like a pregnant cow - believe me, i coudlnt have cared less, i thought my baby was going to die!!! They didnt keep me informed at all, i could hear the heart rate falling and then they kept losing it, i was terrified. There was a general round of panic and fetching of stirrups from the other delivery suite (the ones in my room had gone missing!) to FINALLY intervene, and it was while this was going on i thought, Fuck you lot, im going to do this my self, it was when i took control in my mind that i managed to give birth to my DD naturally, so while i had spent my whole pregnancy thinking i would have the baby in hospital, i wish i had her at home or birthing centre as i feel if i had more control i would have pulled myself together more and probably popped her out in a few hours! All my poor DP could remember was there being a bible beside the bed and because we were so badly informed that our baby was going to die! THANK GOD, i actually think my experience wasnt that bad, it just felt that way, my birth was recorded as natural with no problems. My wonderful baby girl was born and the first thing i said was, is she still alive, but that was all forgotten when they handed me a screwed up little olive of a baby, masses of black curly hair and long black eye lashes (she is platinum blonde now aged 22 months), nine pound nine ounces (no wonder she got stuck!) but no stitches (proud, umm, i think)

Sorry to hijack this, probably not the place but it did make me think, im just so sorry for these people. I hope they all get the sack!

bumperlicious · 17/06/2007 16:47

Oh my god, how awful. Due to give birth any day now and stories like that just make me want to cry

auntyspan · 17/06/2007 17:13

Gosh it's so difficult - you need to balance knowing what you want and putting that across to the professionals, to not appearing to be a fussy "know-it-all" who immediately gets the back up of the midwives / doctors.

They must see hundreds of panicking first time parents and this is how they handle them. It's when overworked staff start assuming things that these things happen unfortunately.

Dreadful dreadful story

cornsilk · 17/06/2007 17:39

That's absolutely disgusting and so sad. Luckily I had helpful and attentive midwives for my births. In fact the midwifes who delivered ds2 were absolutely excellent.

Pinkchampagne · 17/06/2007 17:43

That is an absolutely shocking story. How awful.

hatrick · 17/06/2007 17:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

edam · 17/06/2007 18:15

RF is pants.

Not at all on the same scale, but when I was in A&E (having been run over while heavily pregnant) the nurse was very dismissive. When they decided I'd torn all the ligaments in my ankle, he said 'oh, that's nothing, I did that playing rugby and came to work in the evening'. I was in screaming agony and couldn't walk! Being hit by a sodding car is very different to bloody playing rugby (and I doubt he was tackled that hard if he could go to work afterwards. And her certainly wasn't pregnant. Git.).

Boco · 17/06/2007 18:25

How awful.

Had a totally nasty woman midwife with dd2 - another induction gone wrong - worst pain i could ever imagine, was seriously considering leaping from a window at one point. She actually told me to be quiet and not make so much noise - she was so nasty.