W Channel would love to hear your stories/experiences about being on the maternity ward

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Childbirth can be an incredible time, filled with a host of different emotions for all involved, including the midwives who help many get through it all. Each person’s experience on the maternity ward is unique to them, which is why to celebrate the launch of the second series Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, airing Mondays at 10pm, W Channel would love to hear your heartwarming midwife stories from your experience being on the maternity ward.

You can watch the trailer at the top of this thread. App users please watch the video here

Here’s what W Channel has to say about Emma Willis: Delivering Babies: “Last year television presenter and mother of three, Emma Willis, spent 10 weeks working on the frontline of a busy maternity unit. Now, in a brand new eight-part documentary series for W, she’s been given the chance to return to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex to complete her training.

Over the course of 16 weeks she will immerse herself in the role, supporting the hospital’s charismatic midwife team. From elective caesarean sections to natural births, complicated theatre procedures to water births Emma will share the pressures, the fears and the joys of bringing new life into the world.

Don’t miss the return of the award-winning series Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, new and exclusive to W - Sky 109 | Virgin 125 | BT 311 | TalkTalk 31”

Perhaps you have a funny story about your partner’s reaction to you giving birth? Or perhaps you are the partner and have a story to share about being on the maternity ward, watching your loved one give birth? Or maybe your midwife did something that really put you at ease or had you uncontrollably laughing?

Share your stories on the thread below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnet user will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

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I had 2 very different experiences. With ds I was admitted for an induction, midwives were great but very overstretched. After giving birth I was put on a ward with intercom buzzers, the one in my bay was broken so every 15 or 20 mins I was awoken by someone saying you pressed the buzzer is everything ok. That combined with waking every time anyone's baby cried meant I was desperate to get home ASAP.
With my dd I was in for less than 6 hours, my best friend had qualified as a midwife weeks before and in her first shift as a qualified midwife I went into labour. The staff were great and went into another ward to find my friend who delivered my daughter, it was great as she got to be part of it and my dd was the first baby she delivered as a qualified midwife. I couldn't fault any of the staff.

I was a planned C section and had great care from the midwives, particularly the students. DS was inconsolable one night (long stay for me) and the midwives took him between them for a couple of hours for a cuddle and walk around to let me sleep! They care to say goodbye after ridiculously long shifts and didn’t make me feel stupid for asking for yet more pain relief post partum!

My midwives were fantastic and so helpful. My partner managed to fall asleep several times when I was in labour, complaining he had a headache. I didn’t give him much sympathy, as you can imagine! (He did have a concussion from whacking his head a few days prior though). I had a lot of intervention and although there was a lot of waiting around initially due to lack of staff when things started happening it happened quickly and everyone was so good. Thank you lovely midwives!

Didn't make it that far!

I'm afraid I had bad experiences too. I had my subsequent births at home with doulas to ensure the same didn't happen again. I felt manipulated, ignored, medicalised, belittled, underestimated, criticised and mocked.

Such a shame because I am positive many midwives are wonderful and have women's best interests at heart. But as many of us have posted, we don't always get the care we should be able to expect as the norm.

Really amazing care and treatment during a stressful and complicated birth

Very mixed experiences from me too.

Baby number one - noone took much notice of me. Stuck with a student who had never seen a birth before. Noone believed I was far along but it was a four hour back to back birth. No support until pushing stage.

Baby two:. wonderful midwife who praised me and made me feel I could do anything. Labour a couple of hours start to finish.

Baby three:. A witch. Told me I wasn't in labour (tip to any midwives out there - don't tell a mother who has had two quick births already that she's not in labour ). Sent me home as she wanted to go home to sleep. Got home, in pain and was about to sneak back to the hospital without telling her when waters went. Rushed to hospital and baby born within about half an hour.

The most worrying thing is that I know of a girl about to start training and she is so very far from a lovely person.

Everyone was really amazing and caring at the ward. If I had any problems they would quickly help and reassure me. It was a very good experience.

Baby number 1 - no beds free on maternity so they put me on the antenatal ward. I was in full labour and there were absolutely no staff around. I sent dh off to find anyone as my waters had broken and I needed to push. I was crying and alone and naked form the waist down when an aggressive man pulled back my curtains and told me to shut the fuck up as his wife was trying to sleep. A woman who was in for monitoring removed all her monitors and came to help me. My baby was delivered into her hands and we were both sobbing, not knowing what to do. I gave birth in front of a room full of people with no professional to help me. It was 45 minutes before anyone even came to cut the cord. I still have panic attacks thinking about it. If there had been any kind of complication I dread to think what would have happened.

I refused to even consider getting pregnant again until I knew we could afford to do it privately. I had dc2 by elcs and it was so wonderful in comparison.

I don’t blame the midwives at all, they were dealing with other women and couldn’t split themselves in two. But maternity services are not fit for purpose. It’s horrific to think how many people are going to be seriously injured or worse before the Tory’s actually admit they’re deliberately underfunding the nhs and do something about it.

The births of my 2 DCs were quite different. With my first I went into labour in the middle of the night and when I arrived at hospital I was a bit frightened of the unknowns of labour. The 2 lovely midwives who assessed me were kind and reassuring and told me I could stay rather than going home until I was in established labour. The delivery midwife and the midwife who cared for myself and ds after he was born were lovely.
My second labour was awful, I was supposed to be induced but just avoided it by going into labour at the hospital. I was left on the antenatal ward for 12 hours with 5 other pregnant woman in the surrounding cubicles (who were not in labour or anywhere close to labour). It made it a very stressful experience as I felt squashed in the cubicle and trying to breathe through contractions without disturbing anyone around me. Delivery again was excellent but postnantal care after both births was awful. I repeatedly asked for support with breastfeeding and didn't receive it so ended up giving in a giving a bottle.

I would add after watching Emma Willis, the maternity assistants on the postnatal ward, in my experience at least, were lovely, caring and hard working people who at least tried to support as many mothers as they could.

My water broke on the steps of my local fishermens museum so an ambulance had to be called, the midwives on the ward were so lovely they kept calling me The Fishermans Wife and it’s stuck ever since!

I was induced and took a reaction to the pessary. Ended up with contractions 2 minutes apart. They gave me injections to slow contractions down but they didn't work. One of the auxiliaries (Zoe) was amazing. She let me borrow a tens machine, I don't think I could have got through without it!

I suddenly got embarrassed and worried about exposing myself to a whole room of consultants. One of them told me: ‘Well I used to say in healthcare, you’ve seen one vagina you’ve seen them all but last week a woman came in with my first ever “vagazzle”...wanted her baby born in a “puff of glitter”...I’m pretty sure I can handle whatever you have down there!’ I laughed so hard I farted. Ice well and truly broken.

Baby 1 - no, the midwife was awful. I was not listened to and ended up with a cascade of interventions. Without pain relief. I was too exhausted, drained, battered, bruised and traumatised to do anything about it afterwards. Now, 10 years later, I am angry.

Ok, now for the positive story, baby 2 born by elective section (because of the above). The midwife was just brilliant. She made me feel listened to and was kind. When she left, she told me to keep up with the oramorph and if any of the other midwives said I couldn't have it, remind them that a C-section is major surgery and pain relief is key for a good recovery.

Now, the second midwife is the kind of experience you should get all the time - but she shouldn't have even had to warn me I may have a battle to get the pain relief needed.

It is sad to hear the stories where the midwives and nurses weren't friendly and supportive. I had the opposite experience, they were honestly so kind and caring and made the experience the best it could be and were so good at keeping me informed of everything and in the loop. I honestly couldn't praise them enough.

I've had three children all delivered in hospital on a maternity ward. I was lucky and had no complications and each of the midwives I had were lovely, quite no nonsense but kind with it.
With my third the maternity ward had been developed and was midwife led which I thought was much better :)

I didn't have a great time with either child. The births themselves I felt well supported (there were complications).

My first born was an emergency c-section and I couldn't move to pick my baby up after the op but they made my (now ex) go home as it wasn't visiting time. I had to buzz the nurses to lift my baby to me. They were huffy and grumpy. I had absolutely NO support when trying to establish breastfeeding.

With my second I haemorrhaged after a forceps birth. Aftercare was almost non-existent despite the fact I had over 100 stitches and became anaemic and had developed a nasty infection. My baby cried ALL the time and the nurses used to tell me off. He had, and still does at 7, reflux, but I didn't find this out until I took him to the drs when he was a few weeks old.

Most of the midwives seemed to be young girls that wanted to spend their time standing around chatting, I was getting more and worried and then an an older midwife came in and said "Don't worry my love I'm coming in with you I have had five children I'll stay with you" she was brilliant

I had my DD at home but had to go to hospital after birth for stitches. Just remember a lot of waiting around. I just wanted to go home and sleep as was exhausted

Not a good experience at all I'm afraid.

Well no body believed I was in actual labour (pre term 28 weeks) despite it being my 5th pregnancy/birth. By the time I was examined surprising enough I was right. They wasted that much time the cervical cerclage I had in was infected I was rushed in for an emergency section instead of planned so my DH missed the birth of his likely only child.

Myself and DS both had sepsis after the birth no one told me I read it in his neonatal notes, the aftercare was horrific and 2 paracetamol was considered adequate pain relief for a third Caesarian. I remember ringing DH 50 miles away at three in the morning begging him to bring me any form of pain relief in. I would of took heroin in that moment.

Once in neonatal my son was put in the same cot my older son had died in 2 years previously (that’s a different more harrowing story and probably not in the spirit)

I’ve had grounds for legal action twice, I’ve never acted on those grounds simply because 11 years ago they saved my life with a blood transfusion after my first child and 6 year ago they saved DD’s when she became distressed at 30 weeks.

Thanks for all your posts and congratulations to @Flamingo84 for winning the £300 voucher!

Congratulations @Flamingo84

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much! My DS is having his first birthday this week so that’s fantastic news

All went well but it was mostly a blur!