Share your maternity care experiences with CQC - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EllieMumsnet]

We are working with CQC (Care Quality Commission), who through a current campaign #yourbirthplan would like to make the public more aware of their inspection reports and ratings which can help women make informed decisions about where they give birth. With this aim in mind, they would like to hear your experiences of maternity care.

Here’s what CQC have to say: ‘’While women may have the choice to have their baby at home, in a midwife led unit or in hospital – we know that many are not aware. We believe that all women should be fully informed about the options they have regarding their choices over where they give birth – it is important that expectant parents are fully informed about the options they have available to them throughout their pregnancy and understand the benefits and potential risks of any choice they make – be this at home, hospital or birth centre.

There are multiple sources of information to help make a decision and our aim is to raise awareness including our inspection reports and ratings – as one of these sources, to help ensure they are fully informed of all the options available to them and have the best possible birth experience.”

Perhaps you want to share your experience of maternity care in hospital? Maybe you gave birth at home or in a midwife led unit? Or perhaps you want to tell us about your experience of how you chose where you gave birth?

Whatever your experiences are, share them on the thread below and everyone who comments will be entered into a prize draw, where one lucky winner will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

The CQC is responsible for inspecting all hospitals, including private hospitals, GP practice, dentists, care homes and home care in England. Its maternity service inspections include all services for women that relate to pregnancy, including ante and post-natal services, labour wards, birth centres or units and theatres providing obstetric related surgery.

Each inspection answers five key questions: Is the service safe? Is it effective? Are the staff caring and responsive to people’s needs and is the service well led?

My Derby maternity experience was great. From the check ups, scans and appointments including ante natal classes, where I felt my questions were answered and I felt informed - I did feel the pressure to breastfeed tho. That was pushed quite hard despite my reasons for not wanting to.
I had a spontaneous water breakage. Rang the maternity ward who asked me to go in to be checked over. Contractions began in the taxi to the hospital. As I was only 3cm and in too high spirits, I couldn't have a room as they were busy that night. It was manageable as I was able to roam the hospital corridors, listening to my headphones. I eventually had like a 2 hour bath and then went into a wonderful room where my son came 1.5 hours later. I would have like to have been in a room sooner but it wasn't a massive concern.
I consented to a male student helping with my obs etc but nothing else. So when he put his head round the door whilst I'm on all fours, the midwife swiftly asked him to leave! She had my back. Literally haha my midwife was caring and kind and very reassuring. I was showered afterwards and given tea with jam on toast. Everything with my son was explained to me - He had a heart murmur so needed to stay in longer. He was a bit mucusy so had to be on a tilt in his cot.
I felt the aftercare could've been warmer. I felt on my own a lot and didn't know how often to feed my baby etc.
I really wanted a home birth but was then made homeless 2.5 weeks before giving birth. The community midwives were brilliant and waited to make sure we secured ourselves a permanent home.
Overall. I was very happy with the care my son and I received.

all of my births were different- i think the key is to speak up and let the nurses/midwifes and doctors know your preferences etc
all my births were clc.

I had a c section book at 39 was as DS was breach. Went in to labour 37+2 and was contracting very quickly. I was pressured to try a vaginal birth even though that wasn’t my plan. When already in labour, it wasn’t ok to pressure me like that. I contracted strongly for 40 mins before I got to theatre. Was at 9cms. Really felt like midwives just wanted to tick a box and say they had delivered a breach. Rather than what I had wanted.

I had fantastic care in the run up to, during, and after the birth of both children. I couldn't recommend Leicester General Hospital highly enough.

I had a completely different birth to what I wished but it was still a great experience. I wanted a home birth and this was going to be the case until 3 days after my due date when baby showed static growth. We were told they would prefer us to have baby in hospital and my home water birth quickly became a hospital birth with failed forceps, epidural and c section. Hospital was obviously the best place for us in the end and I am completely thankful to all the Midwife’s that pushed for us to be in hospital, at home the outcome could have been so different. The aftercare in hospital was also fantastic. I was in for 2 nights and nothing was too much trouble for the ladies on the ward. Medicine, food and water brought to me before I thought I needed it and the ladies that came and took me for a shower on the first night were angels. They changed my bed and dressings, got all my toiletries ready and looked after baby while I became slightly more human. So all in all I can’t thank the staff of the Jessops hospital, Sheffield enough

I had all of mine at home as planned. I did have to fight a little bit especially for the first one. All in all the midwives were very supportive in fact the first labour the midwife stayed past her shift so she could 'finish the job'!

Not me but my DD
Failed by Midwife who ignored her pre eclamptic symptoms despite DD's concerns.
The hospital only showed concern when she went in with reduced foetal movements. She was then given medication to prevent her fitting, other medication to try and stabilise her bp and then taken for an emergency c section where they discovered the placenta had started to calcify.
All of which could have been better managed if her Midwife had done her job properly.

Aftercare left a lot to be desired but I'd be here all evening listing it all.

A handful of staff were fab but most were inexperienced and unhelpful.
The whole experience was bitterly disappointing

I had my ds by elcs just 11 weeks ago.
The care was fantastic. I ramble when I'm nervous which meant I asked the they're teams a lot of questions, the answered every one in a caring manner and making sure I understood what they were saying. The anthietist even took pictures for us as he was being born (I have one with the consultants hand actually in me).
The down side however is the after care. The midwifes were majorly over stretched. They were very keen for me to have liquid morphine when I asked for paracetamol, I said no many times as I didn't feel I needed it, it took DP being very firm with them for them to stop badgering me to have it!

With my first dc (now nearly 10), the care once I was admitted was fine. But I struggled with a vey protracted early stage of labour (it later turned out my dd was back to back) and the staff appeared oblivious to my obvious pain and sleep deprivation until my dh (who's a medic) stepped in. Prior to this they had very little to say other than that I should go home as I was only 1cm dilated. I was aware the hospital was very busy and the maternity wards / delivery suites full, and I do think this compromised my care (and my child's) as I was so exhausted by the time I was admitted that I could do little to engage with my labour. The birth was agonisingly long and painful and I had to have an epidural (and only narrowly avoided a section). Care in the case of my second child was amazing from start to finish.

My overriding memory (apart from several hours of agonising pain) of my first labour was how lovely all the midwives were, and the birthing centre for the short time I was in there. The doctors - not so much! I didn't have a birth plan as such as I thought going with the flow was best, but hoped for a birth centre birth. I was admitted to the labour ward at 11am and gave birth at 9pm so was there for an eventful 10 hours. There were no midwives available for me to use the birth centre at first so I started out in the labour ward. After a couple of hours I was transferred to the birthing centre and zoned out in the birthing pool until I was ready to push. Turns out DS1 was back to back and everything stalled so I was transferred back to the ward to be put on an oxytocin drop and monitored. The last few hours were agony and I couldn't get off my back or hold my own legs up on the slippy bed surface so DH had to hold them up for me (we originally agreed he'd stay away from the business end but that went out of the window). I asked for some drugs during this time - one midwife (I saw about 10 during my labour) said she'd sort out an injection but I never saw her again. So no drugs! After being shouted at by a doctor for not pushing hard enough and threatened with instruments and/or a section, DH pleaded with them for something to keep my legs up. Only then did they suggest the stirrups (which were attached to the bed) and once my legs were in them DS was out in 3 pushes! The pain stopped as soon as he arrived. DS2 is due in 10 weeks and while I miss the blissful ignorance of the first time around I feel more prepared for this one and know I can get through it! I will definitely head to the birth centre this time if all is well.

Wonderful midwives, ok birthing room, horrible aftercare for a night in dirty hospital with brusque staff.

Top London teaching hospital. Antenatal and birth care were good other than consent. Unless it's truly emergency and life or death, doctors should consider consent before intervention. Explaining we recommend A because of B, rather than treating women like small children.

Post natal care was appalling. After a 48 hour labour, no food or drink available at all, not even the magical toast and tea if been told about.

I had a spinal for emergency delivery and couldn't move my legs for hours afterwards. My baby was placed in a cot that I could not reach from the bed and definitely couldn't get baby out of to feed.

Breastfeeding support was terrible. A total lack of knowledge and in some cases damaging advice. One midwife told me I physically couldn't breastfeed because of my nipples....my DC doesn't agree 18 months on!!

No help to shower or with anything despite major surgery. No painkillers unless I begged.

Worse, no one told me what surgery I'd had and how I needed to look after myself. So no consent for that surgery, no-one told me what they'd actually done and I found out through reading my notes why I was in so much pain, it was awful.

Doh, just typed a really long answer for it to just disappear!!!??!

Anyway, in short - 2 great birthing experiences in a maternity ward! Fab midwives, great before & after care, amazing facilities. Everything exceeded expectations and I have very fond memories!

I had my daughter in hospital, no choice as was considered high risk. I had some really good care, and unfortunately some awful experiences too. One midwife told me I should count myself lucky to get a blood transfusion (after a 1litre PPH!) and another told me I shouldn't be allowed to have my baby with me as I wasn't breastfeeding (in no small part to the aforementioned PPH). I could go on but won't!!

For peace of mind I chose my local hospital, as it was fine for my mother and although her experiences with midwives weren't great (one was particularly harsh), I felt I was in good hands and was happy with how I was looked after

For our first child the midwife was like some evil character from a Roald Dahl book. I can't begin to tell you how awful she was, but in a nutshell she left us alone, my wife was in pain, I kept asking for help or something for the pain and she refused and she kept saying 'I haven't decided if I'm sending you home yet'. Twenty minutes later I knocked on the room were the midwives were (there were about 6 of them and there were no other Mums in the ward) all watching TV and drinking tea and chatting. A different midwife then said 'I'll come and take a look'. That she did and said 'OMG the baby's head is showing' and then called for help. My wifes allocated midwife hadn't checked once and was more interested in putting her feet up. After the event I wanted to make an official complaint but my wife said not to as she didn't want the hassle although she was equally horrified by her midwifes truly dreadful behaviour and attitude.

The care I received was very good. However, there were terrible complications. During the birth, both I and the baby were in distress, and the baby had to be delivered after, as my husband put it, I had been hacked about down below with a machete. A short time after my husband had returned home (obviously he was immediately recalled), I noticed some bleeding, and the nurse blanched. I had to have an emergency operation. If I had had my baby at home, I might not be writing this. However, my husband was allowed to sleep overnight on the floor beside my bed, and he insists I was sick over him in the morning.

Both times we opted to give birth in a hospital. All of the staff in the birthing unit were great, though their did not seem to be many staff on duty in the maternity ward itself.

The vast majority of midwifery care I have had has been fantastic, committed and compassionate.

Very long labours so saw a couple of midwives for each labour. Mixed experiences - some were often checking in on me and other times I had to send my husband of to find non existent staff!

The place I gave birth has since been shut. I found the most helpful of people was the trainees who seemed to disagree with a lot of decisions made, and confided with my husband that she knew our baby was not a breech baby.

I was 30 at the time and I am one of those people that are always naturally has low blood counts so i suppose they just wanted the baby out! My waters had broken and baby was comfy in there and didnt want to come out after the 24 hours - to cut it short they tried to progress the labour (that had not started) - it started then it stopped. I was given all sorts of injections ( on my birth plan it said gas and air only) and in the end i remember signing a piece of paper that felt like rubber and my signature was at least half the page as i was not even barely in reality i was so drugged up - that was to sign for a ceasarian which I had put on my birth plan to avoid at all costs. I was lied to about the baby being breech (the trainee midwife saw it and it was not). The actual trained midwife managed to shower me in my own blood when trying to get drips in both my hands - since this time I always faint at the sight of a needle! So I had the op done and the baby was put in my arms and I had to keep asking if it was a girl or a boy because I had absolutely no idea and kept forgetting what i was told. I was so ill from all the drugs that I could not pick up my son and was put next to the desk so when he needed feeding someone could pass him to me. I was unable to wash myself, get out of bed and use the loo (i could not even empty the pee bag). I was like that for nearly a week - even falling asleep when my mother had driven 45 miles to visit. I was washed by two lovely ladies (i cannot tell you how embarrassing it was and how bad I smelled and I will always have the greatest respect and love for that pair of ladies), and eventually was let home after refusing a blood transfusion but agreeing to eating loads of tablets for my iron and not drinking any tea. I loved being pregnant, I love my son, but that week of my life was dreadful - however out of it I got my son and I would not change it for anything in the world. I am still glad I went to hospital as I feel it might have got a bit complicated at home, but I would have liked to have given birth naturally. As for my son he turned out to be one of the most relaxed babies in the world, sleeping well etc, he was a dream to look after!

Overall the care was fantastic through a complicated delivery. It was afterwards in the ward when I was exhausted, struggling to feed my son and the overzealous midwife in charge told me 'you'd feel really bad if you leave and end up bottle feeding' that things went downhill. I stayed a second night, desperately roaming the ward trying to find someone to help me with the feeding, which ultimately I gave up on. Six months later I was still wracked with guilt.
With my second son I was more confident and had a fantastic experience, again with dedicated staff through the delivery and afterwards. This time I was pretty much been left to bond with my son after the delivery and without the pressure I found it much easier to breast feed.

My top tip is don't be too wedded to your birth plan. Have an idea of how you'd like it to go but be prepared for anything!

I was very fortunate to have my 3rd baby in a community midwife led unit with 3 beds, I felt safer and more in control than I had previously in a large unit

First DD was all planned, plans don't work! We wanted a birthing pool etc but this was faulty, but the midwives were fantastic, male & female, but my other half did a lot of the clearing up to keep himself busy... :) That's when I could get him off the gas & air! :)