Our baby died due to failings in NHS care. Any mumsnet troops out there willing and able to help me force change?

[bubble99]

One of our healthy, term twins died recently due to total mismanagement of care caused primarily by understaffing. I have posted at length about this on 'Miscarriage and Bereavement'.

I would now like to start a campaign to raise awareness of the chronic understaffing in midwifery services in London and surrounding areas where the cost of living is high.

In particular, I would like the whole issue of London and Outer London Weighting to be urgently reviewed. It seems insane that hospitals are shelling out millions to pay for agency midwives and nurses when the logical course of action would be to substantially increase the allowance paid to staff working in areas where property prices/rents are higher. This would hopefully increase recruitment and retention of staff. In addition, nurse/midwives homes which have been sold off to private developers need to be replaced so that student midwives/nurses can afford to train and live in these areas.

Anyone out there prepared to help me with some research? We are prepared to use our own tragic case to highlight the issue in the national media.

If our son's death means that you and your unborn baby are safe during labour then his death will have not been in vain.

lol at you looking like waynetta slob!! Im sure you didnt at all bubble.

No, I bet you didn't either - I picture you as very, very together, elegant and gorgeous.

can understand you not wanting to jeapordise things completely, apologies for typos , am tired, am trying to rack my brains to think of other ways to approach this, to campaign for change but brain had gone on holiday at mo, will think overnight.

Spacey, (Bubble now launching into full mummy-mode) get to bed now. I'd even come and read you a story if I was there, not that I do that for my own kids .

Seriously Spacey, you've been through a lot over the last few weeks and I'm touched that you're helping me out.

HM. Oh the deceptive power of the internet I think I was gorgeous once, from 2-3pm in 1989 but it's been downhill since then. I've been looking at my post-natal flab recently and wondering, as we know we want to try for another baby, if I should address it. I should add at this point that since my first baby in 1997 it's been a permanent fixture. I can scrub up fairly well if required but that's about it. Celtic skin (a very attractive blue-white) feet like a Hobbit and permanent bad hair days. Thanks for the image though and yes, most of the time I feel fairly together.

Bubble, that's UNCANNY! You've described me, right down to the exact same hour of once-gorgeousness

(Have also harboured the same "is it worth getting rid of this if we're hoping to have another one soon" thoughts... )

i have been told!!! ok will go to bed, can i have the story about the saggy boobed, flabby stomached lady who wins the lottery and has loads of cosmetic surgery, turns out lovely and gorg, buys a big house in the country and dh gives up his job and we all live happily ever after....sigh...what ive been through is nothing compared to you bubble, you never cease to amaze me with your amazing strength of character.

You still up Spacey? Get to bed now or I'm taking your toys away and make sure you do a wee before you go.

Yes, it's been a shitty few weeks but I'm so grateful that we have Elijah. I feel so for jangus. First full-term pregnancy, goes into hospital and comes home empty-armed. I think of her milk coming in and no baby to give it to, it makes me so, so sad.

Doesn't diminish our loss but I can't imagine what she's going through.

HM. No way are you mingin' West London chicks are usually babes. Or have I been reading to many 'Heat' magazines Not mine, you understand, just find them in waiting rooms from time to time.

Oh, bless you, Bubble Hey, there's a pic of DS on member profiles for tonight only He looks a bit like me, only FAR cuter!

And he is as cute as cute can be. It can be so difficult to comment on pictures of people's pride and joy as sometimes they just aint cute. Was in M&S the other day and I saw a really attractive, uber-trendy couple pushing a state-of-the-art three wheeled thingy. I prepared myself to peek in and see a dream baby and it was really plain. I was so shocked. Lovely baby in the way that all babies are lovely, but plain and, if I'm being honest, bordering on the ugly. And it was obviously their biological child. So, you never know. But yours is a real cutie which means, despite your protests, that you are a total babe.

Aw, thank you, Bubble. I know what you mean...I have said all manner of 'Isn't he a real little boy?' comments in the past too, to my shame

OK, enough ego-boosting hijacking of your thread, hun!

OK. Off to bed now. The Footle needs a feed. Night night HM and all. See you tomorrow no doubt. XX

Kiss him from me, Bubble - night night hun xxxxxxxx

Bubble - let your mep know your story. Your post
Monday, 2 May, 2005 8:48:36 PM asks the important question why change isn't carried out across the board rather than each hospital waiting for a tragedy to happen. The nhs compares sometimes so pitifully with the health systems in other eu countries. There must be some eu minimum requirements for obstetrics. There must be something your elected representative could do to support you.

There are NICE guidelines re obstetrics - which, supposedly, cover pretty much everything.

The latest WHO report is on making every mother & child count. The following chapter has some good bits on the management of labour. If the WHO are talking about systems to improve care for mums & babies why is it that in the uk basic guidelines are not being followed or even implemented. Alot of the report is directed to helping developing countries but the uk is meant to be a developed country & it's not right that what has happened to bubble99 can be allowed to occur. Don't want to go & rant here as I repect this is bubble99's thread.
www.who.int/whr/2005/chapter4/en/index2.html

bubble, re; jangus, i didnt go full term with my first only 26 weeks and that was bad enough, i remember coming home to the pram i had bought and i still remember i had bought a couple of little mint green stretch suits, i sat and wept into them, so i feel so much for poor jangus, when you go into labour you think youve made it, you never expect to come home with nothing.re, cutekids btw, you will see that i have pics on my profile(fab four) and my kids look quite respectable, sadly i dont , they obviously dont take after me!I have this morning tried to ring Hinchingb rooke hospital to find out aboiut the bleep holder, but cant get them to answer the swichboard!! will try later.

Possibly Sheila Kitzinger who co-ordinates Birth Crisis could be a good person to speak with - rare blend of politics, feminisim, health issues, IMHO.

Bubble - I know you've already had offers from journos on here but I'd like to pitch in too. I'm the broadcaster type - maybe that would be another iron in the fire? Happy to put you in touch with potentially interested reporters if it would help. Also have contacts at the Guardian G2 section.
Thinking of you x

Any further forward?

bumping this thread up for you bubble.

Let me know if there's anything I can do - I do a bit of voluntary work with some birth trauma groups and brother is a DoH stats man and does quite a bit with perinatal issues - let us know if we can help. I so admire what you are doing.

Bubble, sadly I live in South Africa now so I can't help out, at least not in any practical sense.

Just wanted to say how much I admire your courage and willingness to share. I have followed your story and think this is a fantastic idea.

Best of luck
dejags

bubble 99 managed to get through to hospital where i had dd2 and asked to be put through to antenatal clinic, thenn i asked who would be the best person to speak to with a midwifery care question, she put me through to day assessment unit and i spoke to the midwife in charge, lied, said i was v anxious newly pregnant lady who was trying to decide which hospital would providewith best care etc, said i could have complicated pregs. listed my real life medical ailments etc and asked if there wasalso a bleep holder on 24/7 who wasnt supernummary, she said it wasa strangequestion to ask etc, but I said I had been advised by a friend to check this ...blah blah... long convo, anyway, she took my number andsaid someone would ring back..no one did, will try again tomorrow.