Midwives not helping after C-section

[Emma5557]

Hello, before making an official complaint I want to be sure I am on the right side.
I got an emergency C-section at around 2am and after that I was moved to the post natal ward. The midwifes who followed me during the labour were excellent and told me to ask for help to the midwifes on the post natal ward anytime considering I could not move for the surgery. On the same day in the afternoon I got my catheter removed and I was able to walk, but still in pain while standing (obviously!). Most midwifes told me I needed to do things by myself like going from the the room to the end of the corridor to grab a bottle of water, or even lift up my luggage to take the clothes for my baby. How on earth am I supposed to lift a luggage after not even 24h from the C-section?!

@pincushion91 no partners have been allowed during Covid. The support staff should step up to provide basic support where partners aren't there, eg getting stuff out of the bag etc.

Gosh, this is quite a painful thread to read by some posters. I got shit care thus that is normal.

What happened if all generations of women just put up and accepted shit treatment in all walks of life?

We still wouldn’t be voting that’s for sure.

@Usermn78

This thread should be read out at nct classes, especially to the men.

Quite. I am really shocked by some of these responses. No wonder maternity care is so bad, if even MNers think the OP should just suck it up. What will is there for it to ever improve?!

I remember not being able to lift my baby in and out of the cot after my c section, I was kind of tipping him in at one point, you are so vulnerable

Gosh there are some really nasty posts on here
Yes @ivfbeenbusy I am talking about you,

And I only read the first page as I could bear to read the rest of the comments

If you need help, you need help, so ring that buzzer, then when home and you feel up to it write in, explain what happened and what and how you think they could do better

God this thread is so sad.
Please don't vote Tory again folks.
Enough is enough.

Can you imagine what postnatal care would be like if men had babies?

^^

Let's include all women's health problems in this discussion too. Just to up the ante

If you want to put the baby in the cot right next to your bed when you have had a section, you need to lift the baby and twist hard to the side. Bit hard when you just had the seven layers of your abdomen sliced into.

I had a great recovery physically, but in the immediate aftermath of an EMCS and no sleep for two days before, very little food and water, and a haemorrhage I NEEDED help in the hours after. When I asked for it I was treated with disdain. The bitch of a midwife who scoffed at me and told me "all the women in here have had c sections" when I was still numb below the waist and sitting with a catheter also put in my notes "Craic refuses to make eye contact" like I was some sort of psychopath. Hard to make eye contact when you're trying your best to hold back hysterical tears.

We compare it a lot to other abdominal surgery like appendix removal, hernia repair, etc., but how many of those patients who actually receive care in the days after have also been labouring for hours before and exhausted from the pain/effort? If anything new mothers need more help, not less.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I would fully support a Mumsnet campaign on this issue. I don't think women should be lifted and laid, but I do think we deserve to be seen entirely as patients for at least 24hrs after delivery and receive care accordingly.

I had the same experience. I had twins and one in nicu, one with me. I had to wheel twin 2 to nicu every 2 hours to do skin to skin with twin 1. Not a single midwife helped me apart from buzzing me in and out of the ward. Walking to get the meal tray and drinks was agony and nicu was much further. I also had to carry the car seats (with babies in) to reception as DH wasn’t allowed into the ward when we went home. Awful experience!

Twin mama xxx from another twin mama

Everything that Seasaltyhair said !!

Oh and I forgot to add... after waiting more than 1.5hours for someone to come after I first buzzed, a night cleaner offered to hand me my screaming newborn. A night cleaner.

FFS I am still traumatised.

It is amazing what women expect to have to put up with, as evidenced by this thread. It's as if we don't have the vote and pay taxes .

Yes, the NHS is underfunded but maternity services are really a whole new level of low in terms of patient experiences and expectations. The only conclusion we can draw is that the wellbeing and safety of new mothers and their tiny babies is just not that important.

I can’t believe you had to carry two car seats following a C-section, that is outrageous!

NICU was a fair hike from maternity ward so I was lucky that staff wheeled me down in a wheelchair for the first day or so when I was really in agony. But I absolutely would have collapsed in the corridor if I’d been left to try to walk it.

OP when you have got out of there and feel more settled after all this shit, please do complain to PALS. I hope the arseholes on this thread haven't upset you too much at what was already a very emotional time for you.

This thread has made me feel really pissed off, I agree with @Seasaltyhair

I've had 2 sections, one 6 years ago which was similar to the situation you are in now. The 'care' was non-existent but I am lucky because that section was easy and I was not in a lot of pain afterwards. My other section was last year during the first wave in the pandemic and the care was amazing, midwives were lovely and really stepped up the help because my partner wasn't allowed in. Same hospital both times. I feel so fortunate for the help because this time I was in so much pain, I really struggled. Took weeks to heal. There is no fucking way you should be lifting bags or bending down to get things! I know it is so hard when you feel so vulnerable but please try not to let them get to you and be polite but assertive.

It doesn't have to be like this and it shouldn't be like this.

@Twinmammma

I had the same experience. I had twins and one in nicu, one with me. I had to wheel twin 2 to nicu every 2 hours to do skin to skin with twin 1. Not a single midwife helped me apart from buzzing me in and out of the ward. Walking to get the meal tray and drinks was agony and nicu was much further. I also had to carry the car seats (with babies in) to reception as DH wasn’t allowed into the ward when we went home. Awful experience!

Shit. That is really fucking bad.

The acceptance of bad care on this thread is so sad. Please write to the trust with your experience OP and congratulations!

Clearly there are issues with after care in maternity services. The only way things will change is for people to share their experiences with trusts, granted you don’t have to name or complain about specific staff if it was apparent the issue was staffing levels but it’s really important you share your experience or nothing will change. If you experience nastiness or actual incompetence from staff then I’d name them.

A family member went for a routine check up procedure today and they explained they were nervous because of a previous experience years ago. The nurse took time to listen and persuaded them to write everything down before they left and shared this with their managers. This type of care/compassion should be what we expect.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I would fully support a Mumsnet campaign on this issue. I don't think women should be lifted and laid, but I do think we deserve to be seen entirely as patients for at least 24hrs after delivery and receive care accordingly.

I agree, this is what MN should campaign about. This bad care in the postnatal period is a danger to mothers and babies, and a very traumatic start to motherhood.

I really hope op wasn’t scared off by the first few posts and is home recovering this thread is actually terrifying.

@Seasaltyhair well said that woman, couldn't agree more

I didn’t have section but had emergency surgery post baby due to complications in labour. I was wheeled back to the ward with a catheter in, numb from the waist down and with a cannula in my arm, not my hand my arm... so couldn’t bend it.

Hubbie couldn’t stay, baby screamed and screamed wanted a feed, I’d dropped my phone. Couldn’t get off bed to get it as still numb from surgery. Couldn’t move. Baby still screaming an hour and half later when hubbie arrived back. He was fuming.... I’d pressed the buzzer but no one was free. They were down a number of staff members.....it was busy... there just wasn’t anyone available.
With both my DC pre natal care was amazing and I could not fault it any way shape or form. Post natal is a shameless, literally pop the baby out and done. My friends have all found the same!

@Grits. - glad you have said that about the variation in amount of pain between two sections.

I tend to think I have pretty reasonable pain threshold but dear god, the pain post-section when I sat or stood was SO bad, the worst pain I have ever experienced (lying still was fine) Paracetamol was a joke, it did nothing.

Ultimately actually my recovery was great once the pain subsided and I healed really smoothly, but the initial pain was overwhelming.

*shambles

They medicalise birth to a huge amount, we're examined and measured and examined again by a student and made to sit on the bed while a machine listens to the baby's heart, then we're torn and ripped and sliced and stitched and poked with needles and given strong drugs and wheeled about on a bed and have our feet in stirrups and have a catheter and then we're taken to the postnatal ward and it's.... well get on with it you've only given birth it's perfectly natural.

They also with mine gave me paracetamol, didn't touch the sides so asked for something more, midwife said yes you can have oramorph. 2 hours later I asked if I could possibly have the oramorph they mentioned and also my paracetamol was due then. Another 45 minutes to be sarcastically asked it I'd be willing to please try ibuprofen first before oramorph. This had never been given or offered before. At this point I'm almost 5 hours post surgery and I've had 2 paracetamol. It's a fucking joke and you're so tired and vulnerable you just accept it in the moment