Given birth in the UK in the last 2-3 years? Want to say something about your postnatal care, in hospital or when back at home? NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

Mumsnet HQ are gearing up for a new campaign about improving the quality of postnatal care in the UK - you may remember contributing to this thread about it last year, or filling in a survey in October. (Many thanks to those of you who took part.)

What we need now is some women (or their birth partners) who've given birth in the UK in the last two or three years, who have experiences they'd be willing to share - on TV, in newspapers or on the radio.

PLEASE NOTE: at this stage you'd just be expressing an interest - we'd never put you forward for a media opportunity without checking first that you're happy with the media outlet, the set-up, the timing and everything else. We also will not share your name or contact details without getting your permission first in each instance. Putting your name down at this stage doesn't firmly commit you to anything at all.

So if you've got something to say - good or bad - about your postnatal care, and in principle might be interested in talking to the media, please add your name here or email us on [email protected].

We're particularly interested in women who have something to say about:

their stay on an inpatient postnatal ward after birth;
their experience of getting breastfeeding established with the help of healthcare professionals;
their experience while their baby/babies spent time in intensive care;
their experience of getting support (or not) with mental health problems;
their experience of short and long term healthcare for birth injuries and traumatic births

... but if you have something to say about another aspect of your care, please jump in!

One final thing: we're likely to be concentrating on the NHS, because that's where the vast majority of women give birth in the UK. (But if you have experience of things like independent midwives delivered through your local NHS services, again, please feel free to jump in.)

Thanks

MNHQ

[akated]

Happy to help

[danigrace]

Happy to help. Not yet given birth myself (currently pregnant) but birth partnered a friend in December (when I was in early pregnancy). At the time I wanted a hospital birth but what I experienced put me off completely to the point I'm insistent on having my first at home.

[ThePug]

I'd be happy to share my story anonymously - fairly horrendous demonstration of understaffing on postnatal ward where I was being kept for close monitoring after developing complications resulting in EMCS but in reality midwives too busy to check on me and I was found in a coma (relating to pre-existing medical condition) by the person bringing breakfast round. I was in hospital for 9 nights and baby for 7, with his first 3 in NICU, so plenty to comment on!

[abcBears]

happy to help

Had horrendous birth experience, emergency c-section, awful (short) post-surgery stay on a ward, gave up on breastfeeding because of lack of privacy, ended up with months of PND without any help whatsoever.

I am now furious about the experience and hope things will improve for other women, no one should be treated like that nowadays.

[shrunkenhead]

I'd share but dd is 8 now so not eligible for this questionnaire.

[Amaksy]

I'd be happy to

[Blahblahblahyadayadayada]

Happy to.

[Ginfox]

Happy to help too: one relatively easy-sneezy birth; one absolute nightmare of a pregnancy followed by EMCS and NICU/SCBU.

Add a bit of PND/PTSD - what more do you need!

[Natsai1]

For my second child, the initial postnatal care was almost non existent. My delivery was without complication unlike my first so I was discharged about 4hrs after giving birth which I was happy with as I preferred to be home than an inpatient. After giving birth and checking my baby, I didn't see my midwife again. Another midwife came after a couple hours to go over paper work. When asked about my midwife, I was told she went home as she was on an early. As a healthcare professional myself, I found this unacceptable. The least they could have done was introduce the incoming staff during the handover period. I was given no breast feeding advise as this was my second child so the assumption was that I have experience. I put my child on the breast not too long after birth. I only had a care assistant who visited to ask if I needed help cleaning up or if I wanted something to eat. The Care I received post discharge by my antenatal midwife and community midwives was excellent. Given loads of advise.

[kungfupidge]

happy to help xx