Maternity services are 'shockingly poor' in UK says damning report

A damning report into the state of UK maternity services has found that poor care is frequently tolerated, with women giving birth treated as an 'inconvenience.'
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The Birth Trauma Inquiry heard from more than 1,300 women who've experienced traumatic birth, while exclusive new analysis by this programme shows how one in nine maternity services in England have been 'double-downgraded' by the regulator since 2022.
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[@QueenBoudicca125]

They can say they're exhausted all they like, but it doesn't excuse bullying patients and treating women giving birth with contempt. It doesn't excuse having a receptionist shout at me for wanting my partner in the room whilst i have an examination because i have a history of CSA. It doesn't excuse hearing the staff talking about my autism in a derogatory way. It doesnt excuse being denied physio for PGP thats getting worse as i get heavier because they arent taking my pain levels seriously. I work for the NHS covering a service by myself. Do you not think i dont know how tired we are? How underpaid? Underresourced? Ive never once taken that out on my patients. Ever. Its a disgrace and i think its that we admit that some of the staff that are left now are just not very nice and have only stayed because they know their attitude wont carry them in any other field. Whereas the NHS closes ranks and protects toxic and incompetent staff.

[@i_kissed_a_pixie1537]

That’s terrible 😞

[@s.y.4968]

After 3 children I can absolutely attest to the fact that maternity care in this country is absolutely atrocious

[@veverest2155]

I’m 22 weeks now, but had my son in the states and will be having this baby on he NHS. I am terrified and already was before all this came out.

[@s.y.4968]

@@veverest2155 I hope everything goes well for you. Make sure you have someone with you, who can advocate for you.

[@user-kl8hf6fs7o]

@@veverest2155I gave birth in May last year. The service was absolutely incredible by the NHS. My partner and I couldn’t stop talking amongst ourselves about how incredible they are. It depends where you are. I’m in Scotland don’t let this scare or stress you.

[@ScottishRoss27]

@@user-kl8hf6fs7o Birth Registrations in 2023 Scotland 45,914 Finland 43,320 out-birthed by 5,65 percent or 2594 Kuwait 39,901 out-birthed by 13,1 percent or 6013 Uruguay 35,643 out-birthed by 22,37 percent or 10,271 Singapore 33,541 out-birthed by 26,95 percent or 12,373

[@londonbabe2467]

Sadly doctors don’t give a xxxx. They’re in it for money and to get their private practices going. Destroyed deliberately. Women should be looking after wo😢men. It’s ONLY WOMEN who understand WOMEN

[@brockit79]

Anyone who's been in hospital knows how scary and abusive those places can be.

[@cryptonut9732]

My wife’s experience was extremely traumatic. I do not wish it upon anyone.

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

My daughters too mate, it’s a disgrace nowadays

[@monikacorgi]

Why did you make her pregnant? A man who respects his woman would never put her into such awful suffering

[@Sophie-cw7bf]

Sorry to hear this sir 😢😢😢

[@paulatreides0777]

Everything in the Uk is breaking down and degrading.

[@theonlylordoflight5101]

Maternity nurse told us our baby wouldn't survive due to too low down in womb. Said we would 100% have a miscarriage. She told us just to pray and in Gods hands with no real empathy. We sat in that car after that meeting contemplating do we just abort with the advice we were given... We've now celebrated her 2 year old birthday a few weeks ago. Maternity services in this country are appalling beyond belief and we could list other terrible experiences.

[@spacecaptain9188]

Dude was talking about how women should be listened to, then he repeatedly interrupted and talked over the woman he was interviewing.

[@ayshaaslam3817]

The midwives can be so evil when a fellow women is at her most vulnerable

[@ordinarybread]

my midwife left me when I was 10cm, my husband and step sister nearly delivered my son, she came back in and I screamed at her I am PUSHING, where have you been??! She said no you're not. I was distraught! My son got stuck and I needed an emergency C-Section soon after. They also let me go 36 hours with waters broken, which left me and my son open to infection risk. PALS were so unhelpful, I ended up being shoved off and offered therapy, that's fine, but it solves nothing.

[@nom278]

I had almost I similar experience to you.. it was awful... hope your doing better... its been 5 years down the line and I can't forget it....

[@rosyapplekitchen635]

Pals is the biggest waste of money in the nhs full of formalities but no substance

[@shebhajain]

I had the exact same experience like you, how is that even possible.

[@JupiterThunder]

Funny (peculiar) isn't it, how everything used to work 40 years ago, but now everything is broken.

[@m.p4603]

I think you're looking at it a bit too much through the lens of nostalgia, but at least until 14 years of the Tory regime started in 2010 things were better in some aspects. Not everything.

[@mmf8432]

I had two of my children in Germany and my youngest in England... There are worlds in between. I was literally sent home less than 24 hours after a c section. In Germany they keep you in about five days, even if it's an ordinary birth without complications. The nurses help you recover from the birth, look after baby, you don't need to bring anything for baby, clothes, nappies etc is provided. You're sent home with loads of freebies and you get a 24/7 number for a midwife in case you need more help. Here I felt like I was inconvenient to the nurses and hospital.

[@minorcadence1]

These 5-6 day hospital stays after delivery were commonplace in the UK in the 1980s. It is well known now that hospital stays increase the risk of infection and complications following surgery. Why would you want to stay any longer than is absolutely necessary when you are (presumably) otherwise healthy and can recover in your own bed? I was out of hospital 4 hours after (non-obstetric) abdominal surgery for this reason in Australia, so it isn't just labour ward that send otherwise well people home to recover. Whilst it would be nice to have the support of the midwives on the ward with a new baby, a 5 day stay is also exposing you to risk to save you a few nappies for your third child. I do agree community midwifery needs to be better so that people can have the support of midwifes postpartum. Perhaps if the UK increased its income taxation to be 5-10% so on par with Germany then it could pay for better community services for new mothers.

[@KasiaQobadi]

You are right, there is higher risk of infections during hospital stays nevertheless risk of bleeding and post surgical complications are significant as well. If anything wrong is going to happen in 3-5 days after C-section with a baby or mum you would never survive in UK calling ambulance and waiting many hours for their arrival. It’s very scary to go into labour in the UK however I had amazing experienced nurse in Cardiff who came over to help her younger colleague and been soo great and professional ❤

[@kookiebun470]

If you are stable why would they keep you if you if they are many women waiting to be admitted. They normally give you a direct telephone number to call in case of emergency or if you have concerns.. District midwives also do follow up check up & home visits including the health visitor.

[@lauraalyce6689]

I think the most shocking part about this to me is that all these heartwrenching stories sound familiar to me. Like ive heard them before. They are just like multiple birth stories I've heard from friends and family. This kind of treatment is widespread. In my county, EVERY maternity service is rated as inadequate.

[@abdell75roussos]

Spend more money on it. With your Jewish leaving, and semiopen brders tothe world.... best of luck, but its what you wanted.

[@borja1000]

And this is AFTER they locked Lucy Letby away.

[@AJ-hi9fd]

You mean the ‘Scapegoat’

[@crystalheart1186]

I was before Lucy letby.

[@AJ-hi9fd]

@@user-fe1gb9uc1t I think @borja1000 is just outlining how the nhs works, it likes scapegoats because that way they can fool the public into thinking ‘problem solved, nothing to see here’

[@user-ey8jz1zr2b]

It’s almost as if it may have just been an incredibly incompetent unit…

[@robinholland1136]

These personal stories are awful and shouldn't have happened. However, remind me which party has been in government for the last 14 years. The Tories have always hated the NHS and have always chronically underfunded it, both in terms of material resources and recruitment, training and retention of experienced staff. That's where the real responsibility for the decline in services lies.

[@fawnieee]

It's a typical Tory tactic. They want to privatise the NHS so they can line their pockets. Underfund a national service, point to the service when it stops working due to underfunding and say "see? Free things never work!" And then privatise it in a way that only benefits the Tories and wealthy. The Tories want the American model in Britain. They've fought against the NHS since it was a thing. In the 70s the NHS was one of the best healthcare systems in the world, now it's equivalent to third world care... All because of the Tories. Unfortunately, people are buying into their propaganda that privatisation "works" better, as if America doesn't have one of the worst healthcare systems and treatments in the whole of the west. But Tory propaganda is working and people are believing it.

[@robinholland1136]

@@fawnieee All true, unfortunately. We have a Health Secretary who, more or less, wrote the book on privatising NHS services. The great Tory hero, Mr Churchill, voted against the creation of the NHS 21 times. Many of the current bunch have connections with the US insurance industry. A couple of days ago, I went to see Michael Sheen playing Nye Bevan in the play 'Nye'. It should be required watching, just to remind everybody how the NHS was created and what it was like before it came into being. I'm with Nye Bevan on many things. Here's a quote from him that could have been written today: "So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin. They condemned millions of first-class people to semi-starvation. Now the Tories are pouring out money in propaganda of all sorts and are hoping by this organised sustained mass suggestion to eradicate from our minds all memory of what we went through."

[@veverest2155]

Can there be a class action suit against a political party? The only way to fix it is to hold those responsible, accountable

[@robinholland1136]

@@veverest2155 I'm not sure of how class actions work, but I imagine that it would be virtually impossible to hold any of them responsible. They have power, money, friends in high places and massive support in the media. And, as many of them are millionaires, they would have lawyers coming out of their ears. I think the only way of even remotely getting back to some kind of sanity is to vote them out of office, so that they don't return to power for several decades.

[@ellaa.k.t6998]

Compassion has nothing to do with funds!

[@al1356]

Maternity care in the UK is a disgrace. I remember a specialist nurse having a go at me whilst tending to my premature baby. Such a lack of understanding of a new parent in a very emotional and difficult situation, always haunts me that I didn’t say anything to her or her seniors. Happy to say my baby is now 8 and is the best gift god ever gave me.

[@ScottishRoss27]

No single UK health service or maternity service. Can you please state which NHS it was

[@HellCatt0770]

I was sick and my baby 2 months premature. Shouted at for getting out of bed and shouted at for not being in SCBU at the same time!

[@ScottishRoss27]

@@HellCatt0770 In Scotland parents get free Scottish Baby Box and the Scottish Child Payment and double the free early learning & childcare than in the rest of the UK.

[@Laura329]

Same. Spent my time trying to bond with my baby in SCBU and didn't take painkillers which I was criticised for in my notes. Baby fell asleep in my arms so was 5 mins overdue a feed and the nurse scolded me for it as she would have to try and wake him up. Apparently it messed up her schedule for feeding other kids 🙄 honestly I don't know how I didn't rip her throat out that day. I reported her to a senior member of staff which made things worse as she had 3 friends working in the SCBU who absolutely gave me daggers at every opportunity afterwards. Ended up with PND and I've had that thrown in my face during my second pregnancy 12 years later which was horrible. I'm pregnant again and absolutely dreading the mental health card being played against me again.

[@blank12358]

So God impeg, nated, you? Definitely one to ponder!☺

[@samgrainger1554]

When you don't have enough staff you CANNOT look after everyone properly.

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

Plenty of staff, they’ve just gotten lazy after watching the diversity hires do nothing all day

[@Peter-mj6lz]

Why can’t you have enough staff?

[@user-kl8hf6fs7o]

⁠I gave birth in May last year. The service was absolutely incredible by the NHS. My partner and I couldn’t stop talking amongst ourselves about how incredible they are. It depends where you are. I’m in Scotland don’t live this scare or stress you.

[@snyadmin]

Scotland has a different culture of care (mirrored in their voting) and has had governments that have protected essential services from the worst of Tory barbarism.

[@christinefiedor3518]

But it depends where in Scotland you are. Care is only as good as the team providing it!

[@crystalheart1186]

I’m already scared of what happened. My dream became my nightmare. I thought I was going insane. Nobody listened, but I knew I couldn’t be they only one. I just wanted mums and babies to be safe. I was scared...for mine and my babies life. He said if he killed me he could say my baby was dead and take her! I screamed for help. There was nobody there but him. My arms already strapped to the bed. Paralysed from the waste down. Listening to somebody praise Hitler... I was... broken every day after that.

[@missqt48]

I lost a child (miscarriage) in England, completely neglected and ignored! It was a nurse in charge (who looked like my aunt) that came to apologise to me, on the behalf of her colleagues. There was no diagnosis and the doctors made me feel like I was crazy. I had my next child in wales, where I was diagnosed with high risk pregnancy (weak cervix) and the staff were AMAZING while I carried my rainbow baby! My baby was full term and healthy. I also had my last born in Wales, unfortunately she was born at 25 weeks (cervix issue) she was delivered by a junior doctor, less than an hour after arriving at th3 hospital. The whole team did a phenomenal job because my daughter just celebrated her 5th birthday, zero medical complications, or birth related disabilities. Thank God I moved! I feel much more comfortable, knowing my needs are met during a hospital visit.

[@Stavraetina]

I also had an outstanding experience and was really impressed. I am in the south of England and gave birth in a hospital rated outstanding for its maternity services.

[@kim-urban-edwards2083]

The horrfying thing is that this COMPLETELY echoes my experience of non-maternal medical treatment over the course of decades - just treatment related to problems that are predominantly female medical problems.

[@fawnieee]

Statistics continue to prove how much healthcare provides for men only and women are left seriously lacking. Pain relief wasn't even tested on women until 1994, and every treatment and medications are continued to be treated on men only. The medical world is made by men for men, and women are treated as second class citizens. Doctors would rather call us hysterical than address real issues. More funding and research has gone into ED than it ever has female specific issues like PCOS and even female specific cancers. Women need to wake up and realise that we are horribly mistreated in the medical world, we need to fight for our rights. Just recently, a new study showed that pregnant and birthing mothers are the most verbally and generally a bused patients in the entire medical community. Women need to stop pretending we've met equality, because we haven't, this world is very much made by men for men and we're not even an afterthought.

[@ankaviva]

Right. That's why many of us choose not to have children in the first place.

[@Evelyn-bc1bn]

My thoughts exactly, it’s not just the maternity services that are ‘shockingly poor’.

[@etrikaboulkiza9109]

I almost died from their incompetence. Is the NHS hiring to tick the boxes and not providing proper care/training/priorities. A+E stops being emergency services when a Stroke patient arrives with the ambulance and waits for over 12h to be seen

[@ellaa.k.t6998]

We need private healthcare! NHS had no competition for years, so they got worse and worse....

[@i_kissed_a_pixie1537]

I’m a former NICU nurse and frequently noticed the stark disparity in care between our unit and the maternity ward, just beyond a set of double doors. The difference wasn’t due to the staff competency in this case but the funding allocated. I distinctly remember taking a baby back to her mother; the moment I entered their ward, the contrast in temperature from our climate-controlled environment was striking. It was sweltering, and I couldn’t fathom how the women, babies, and midwives endured the heatwaves. Returning to my unit, I felt distressed and guilty. This experience pales in comparison to others I’ve heard, but it underscores the lack of support. Even today, women’s healthcare remains a low priority, which is incredibly disheartening.

[@mariamomer7875]

I completely agree with you. 2 years ago I had a very traumatic birth due to I've been delayed for almost 50 plus hours after my water broke to be admitted into a room so I can be induced, then being in labour for almost 12 hours afterwards my baby was distressed and I had to be rushed into emergency c-section which all resulted into my baby being born unable to breathe, had a systemic infection and admitted to NICU and needed to be sedated and had antibiotics for 5 days. What got me through all this nightmare was the level of care, compassion and warmth that my baby got in NICU, the staff there were the best in everything, very qualified, very compassionate and really knew what to do and took good care of my baby from the first second.

[@i_kissed_a_pixie1537]

@@mariamomer7875 ❤️ it’s probably one of the most challenging experiences you will go through as a mother! I’m so glad your baby received the best treatment. I really wish we could keep all mothers and babies together and both of them get the same level of care and support.

[@syedsamibukhari4031]

Maternity labor in a rural setting in Pakistan with an uneducated but extremely experienced local midwife is far better than here in UK as my mom gave birth to 6 siblings with no complications, great aftercare and healthy diet. We had three kids between 2015 and 2020 absolute trauma and horror.

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

You have NO RIGHT to complain🤫

[@everydaywinning]

​@@Man_fay_the_Bru on what grounds?

[@lewisswadling6851]

If they are paying taxes they do. ​@@Man_fay_the_Bru

[@brooklynpearce273]

I agree with this. Also pakistans health services is improving whilst the UK is declining.

[@agnediciuniene9861]

Yeah,you can go live in Pakistan any day.

[@user-xl8gu8zj7c]

The whole UK services including judiciary are disgusting constantly violating essential human rights, filled of apathy and totally out of touch.

[@gisellefrederick6702]

It's not the pandemic. It's Brexit. The staff that held up our NHS left for other EU countries where they are well-paid and do not require expensive visas.

[@katieb2098]

I recently qualified as a maternity care assitant and I was horrified by how horrible and psychopathic the staff are ,I worked in other sectors of healthcare but maternity was awful , I recently spoke to a nurse practice amd she said the same thing its full of bullies .. lots of narcissistic midwives who drive kind staff away . If you want the sectors to change start cracking down on staff who are not fit to work in certain areas. Some of the midwives were just awful people. You get the odd earth angels but it's a cut throat environmental amd they wonder why they can't retain staff .

[@ThatgirlnamedAnnie]

terrible timing for this to come out when im 13 weeks pregnant with my first. but i am glad to know the truth. under absolutely NO circumstances will i tollerate being gaslit or spoken to like rubbish when i am in labour. i would much sooner deliver my child alone with just the help of my husband and mother. i will only listen to what my body tells me to do

[@jennyyyyyx]

I know it’s not for everyone but you should explore the option of having a home birth, I’m due any day and the care I have received since going down this route has been phenomenal in comparison to the giving birth in hospital route

[@brooklynpearce273]

I'm 17 weeks with my 5th and dreding it.

[@ridasarani7204]

Same - I am 26 weeks right now and yesterday went to the maternity care unit (as I felt less baby movements). The horror there was unbelievable. The midwife shouting on concerned mothers (one of them said she didn’t feel movement & they did a scan for her but she wasn’t very satisfied. Rather than reassuring her the midwife said “what do you want? Do you want us to get the baby out now and give it to you?” 😢 .. this was so rude. Another lady was in Trauma and the midwives were mocking her the whole time.

[@CritterHeadquarters]

I can well believe this after my own birth trauma and being ignored as i repeatedly raised concerns that something was very wrong, i was ignored and both myself and my daughter nearly died that night. My body hasnt been the same since.

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

My grandson did, they gave us photos of him& he looked like he’s been a ah salt ed( this yt man🤦‍♂️)

[@NadiaHassan-km7gg]

Thank God never lost a baby, but I can relate to the mistreatment of some maternity nurses unfortunately.

[@kookiebun470]

They are midwives not nurses

[@MailasPresent]

I am crying at this because after losing my daughter, I was disrespected by one staff member. I had my son a year after and I saw first hand again the disregard for many other women in pain.

[@pondeify]

after Lucy Letby i've lost all respect for the NHS

[@ZsofiaHorvath-yn5hm]

Generally, the health care is substandard in the UK. We foreigners travel home for medical treatments.

[@supremecheese5447]

Everything in this country is finally starting to break down but nothing is going to get better for us 😟

[@TheMensRea]

We've been destroyed from the inside out.

[@elysiaxox]

Perhaps the NHS is being purposely neglected to push the general public into privatized healthcare. We’d have to pay expensive health insurance like the USA 💔

[@chloegreenfield9866]

Passionately agree

[@chloegreenfield9866]

So sad to see it unfolding like this

[@tuka24a]

Do you think that going private will improve the health services ?😪

[@drmichaelalatsaris1231]

3rd world experience twice here in Scotland. Disgraceful. Too busy with life to complain so they got away with it.

[@drmichaelalatsaris1231]

@@user-fe1gb9uc1t personal experience so the comment stays at it is. Sorry if it disappoints you

[@saoirse6872]

Beggars belief we are funding other maternity wards and programs to train staff for other countries but we can’t help our own says it all very sad indeed.

[@etiennedubois4050]

Poor poor Britain. Literally poor poor Britain, sliding away to a 2nd rate country within a prosperous region in the world.

[@user-fg3bn6nj8v]

Lived in France, Australia, and Vietnam. All much more pleasant places than Britain.

[@ScottishRoss27]

*England

[@Burglar-King]

@@ScottishRoss27 Scotland is just as bad. Don’t think for one second they are not. Eleanor Best and Stacey Smith are just two.

[@ScottishRoss27]

@@Burglar-King Scotland England Child Poverty Targets enshrined in Law Scraped in 2015 Scottish Infant Feeding Survey Scrapped in 2015 Public Breastfeeding anti discrimination law Not followed Free Personal Nursing Care Not followed Nursing Bursary £10,000 £5000 NHS parking charges abolished Charged Mitigation of UK Bedroom Tax since 2013 Over 500k households victim Scottish Maternity Grant £754 Maternity Grant £500 Free Scottish Baby Box Not followed Scottish Child Payment Not followed 30 hours per week free childcare 16 hours per week School Uniform Grant £120 £87 Free School Meals Primary 1 to 5 Primary 1 to 2 Free National Bus Travel to U22's Not followed ScotRail Kids for a Quid Scheme Not followed Free NHS dental care up to age 26 Not followed Education Maintenance Allowance Scraped in 2010 Music Tuition fees abolished Charged Voting Age 16 18 Free Entry to Museums & Galleries Charged Free University Tuition to Scots £9520 a year Lowest Income Tax Rate 19% 20%

[@abdell75roussos]

In went woke. fourteen thousand millions, and your channel four support this. Maybe try printing money.

[@renatas2198]

My experience in one of UK hospitals 7 years ago was traumatic, disorganised, not enough nurses available post birth, anesthetic administered too late, spent over 12 hours in active labour and some mistakes such as delayed doctor, resulted in myself getting into a critical condition. There was not enough funding and care, there was not enough checks on mothers and babies. Also we are being asked to sign papers that we are happy with the hospital treatment whilst under effect/influence of epidural drugs. No one is available, when trying to call for help. I met many other mothers having a similar experience in other hospitals. It's a disgrace. Its s a very rough way to deal with new mothers and welcome a new child into the world.

[@melgrant7404]

Shift work influences your welfare. When I had my daughter she was in distress and the nurse didn't do enough and preferred to wait till the end of her shift and handover to the next nurse on shift to deal with it.

[@ellaa.k.t6998]

I pay over 40% of my salary as tax in the UK, I worked for 18 years, never needed NHS until I gave birth.... And they butchered me, permanently scarred me, traumatised me !! I wish we did not have NHS, rather I could pay less tax and go private ! NHS is a joke in this country! Incompetent staff with zero compassion all around from the management to doctors to nurses...!!

[@Domino_20]

BINGO!!I am the same! After 2 pregnancies i am telling future mothers to give birth abroad or save up for private care.

[@tomasklovas5560]

I feel sorry for you, I've witnessed it twice when my wife gave birth to our son's, absolutely shocking service, women and babies are put at risk of death every single day

[@onx99]

The NHS is only like this because of 15 years of underfunding and stealing funds to give to private companies that put profits first. I still have faith in the NHS, just not while the Tories are in charge.

[@phabebarcelona863]

❤😢 so so not nice how painful for you How sare they how could they smh

[@davidjames3787]

I agree about the lack of compassion. I had an operation in 2007 and was in agony afterwards. The person in the next bed, (not me) called for a nurse on my behalf and the nurse told me that I must have a low pain threshold.

[@vejaisahadeo7235]

A relative's normal pregnancy turned out a baby with Cerebral Palsy due to negligence by the provider. She was never compensated for the injury to the new born and completely ignored

[@stephlom]

I have a mild case of cerebral palsy for the same reason (Ireland 35 years ago). My mum has never spoken about what happened or said the words cerebral palsy.

[@vejaisahadeo7235]

You said something which is what allegedly the providers are telling the patients. 'Mild case' My relative was told that with time the infant will recover and being a young mom she believed. Being a RN in the US I knew immediately it wasn't going to happen. Such negligence would have resulted in serious consequences for providers over here. The child is a complete vegetable

[@Gazshadows]

My wife gave birth to my son last year in Glan Clwyd Hospital in North Wales and all the staff were fantastic.

[@pondeify]

you'll regret bringing a kid into this world. selfish

[@poetryinaction2088]

Wales is not England and thank goodness you have better community there

[@Gazshadows]

@poetryinaction2088 obviously, the title of the video says UK not England 😐

[@poetryinaction2088]

@@Gazshadows it’s better to be in Wales and Not England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 I prefer the Welsh spirit of community

[@syedsamibukhari4031]

3 young children my wife gave birth to, first two were born in London and Birmingham, 4 days of painful induced labor, had her left fighting for her life for 12 days in ICU, Second children in Birmingham, cut the wrong vessel while we faced bullying, racist and intimidating behaviour including wife being asked to inject a shot herself in belly as she hesitated. Maternity in UK has been a horrifying experience in UK, even though we aftercare was even worst as mom battled respiratory disease for a year, sepsis, facial scars and serious depression while health visitors had no care and compassion towards mom totally ignored her. I thought dentistry was an issue here.

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

Notice nobody cares about your comment SYED🤫

[@jena.alexia]

The hospitals and staff are under resourced and overwhelmed. The NHS was once the gold standard of universal healthcare. Now it sounds like a basket case.

[@travelgirl6028]

3 and a half weeks in the hospital, trying to have an 11 pounds baby naturally. Got admitted with high blood pressure at 35 weeks.. you can imagine how dangerous that was for me and the baby.. they tried pills, broke my water with a rod, the baby was just not ready to come out. In the end skyrocketed blood pressure and had an emergency cesarean. I was passed out for 2 days. A terrible midwife told me off because when I got my senses back, I was asking for water.. extremely dehydrated and weak... i forgot to say during the operation they had to do adrenaline shots as I was burning up with fever.. my husband was crying as the machines were beeping. My heart beat was too low... that is my experience from NHS

[@DavidJohnson-dc8lu]

I never forget visiting someone at Homerton Hospital, and there was a woman who had a Caesarian she was left to rot in her bed with visible blood pouring out of her wound. She couldn't hold her baby, the staff completely ignored her, her husband was distraught, the other mothers dared not say anything because they knew if they did they would get neglected and when I questions the state of the woman, they made up some BS excuse and threw me out of the ward. The woman I visited caught an infection on her hand from the bedding, in fact all the maternity clothes she wore in the hospital she had to throw in the bin, she felt like she was being bitten. I think some of the NHS staff are mentally ill, they get a buzz out of people dying.

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

Couldn’t agree more, the woman that turned my nieces machine off seemed happy to tell us she’d be dead within a cple minutes, lots of psychos in hospitals working….I blame DEI

[@LadyLuck8_4]

So is it because the staff are overworked and don’t have time to provide adequate care or is it because they are being sadistic?

[@QueenBoudicca125]

​@@LadyLuck8_4I think the ones that are left are by and large sadistic and twisted.

[@DavidJohnson-dc8lu]

@@LadyLuck8_4 No, the woman was in the bed with blood pouring out of her wound, it was going through the bedsheets. She was close to the desk on the ward, and there was around 4 staff sitting at the desk PRETENDING to not see her. The senior midwife was there too, and the one who kicked me out. The only thing they were busy at doing was IGNORING the suffering mother in pain. I know EXACTLY what I saw. The mother needed her dressing changed, probably needed restitching at the way she was bleeding and needed to be in an isolated room to limit catching any infections due to her terrible condition. IF she survived she would be lucky, but for sure they were leaving her to be infected and probably get a bed ulcer too. IF she survived she would still be traumatised today, and that was a few years back.

[@purpleowl2075]

@@Man_fay_the_Bru Judging from the controversial German flag on your profile, it looks like you would blame DEI for everything - if anything, immigrants have significantly helped with staffing shortages - we'd be much worse off without them

[@shebhajain]

I gave birth in Queen Elizabeth hospital and I had the most traumatic experience of my life. They made me suffer for almost 2 days in pain and at the end ended up having emergency c section

[@jaysonjames1000]

My midwife illegally took blood from my placenta and tested it for drugs, when it came bk negative she claimed to the baby ward she was worried about my MH and placed a hold on my discharge for 3 days when they finally did let me go the ward sis took me in an office and told me everything LEEDS GEN INFER

[@CritterHeadquarters]

That's horrific, I'm so sorry ❤

[@jaysonjames1000]

@@CritterHeadquarters that was with girl 4 and a year later walked in the the delivery room on girl number 5 of 5...

[@mariarotaru2069]

My care at St Helier hospital in London was great except for a consultant who was patronising me and trying to make me feel bad, saying how anxious I was and that the hospital had been in place for 100 years, because I was asking questions regarding my C-section with placenta previa.

[@seahorsecampaign]

Horrible. And yet, not a single person in key decision making positions will be punished for this. Especially those who lead NHS.

[@pondeify]

my friend works as an IT consultant for the NHS - earning six figures and huge bonus he tells me basically they do no actual work,

[@kookiebun470]

@@pondeifyHe should be sacked for not doing his job as majority are overworked and with no overtime pay.

[@nataliewinzer6802]

I’m still suffering with ptsd from the recovery of my second and the very little help I received.

[@frocktopus9429]

I’ve not given birth, but (TW assault, negligence) have been sexually harassed and violently assaulted by nurses on an open ward with my carer there, no one is doing anything, no one will let my carer give a witness statement, no one will let me send them photos of the bruises, it’s left me bedridden for2 years and some other drs since won’t see me because I’m a “problem patient” I’ve been berated and denied healthcare for having that I tried to go to the police in my notes. I worked in the nhs for years and it’s so so dehumanising now, I’d have been sacked on the spot if I did anything a 10th as bad 15 years ago. My carer, g.p and mental health support worker are being so supportive but no one’s listening to them either. I was so scared when my sister in law went in to have my nephew, I’m so glad she was ok, my brother works in care so he knows what’s up and I’m glad he was there and she was ok. So much solid with any ogling in and giving birth, it’s so vulnerable

[@RantingCentre]

Don't worry everyone, at least the NHS are making progress by replacing the terrible and discriminatory word "breastfeeding" with the more inclusive word "chestfeeding"...

[@HellCatt0770]

Exactly! They don’t even recognise what a woman is! Doesn’t give me any faith that we are a serious consideration.

[@purpleowl2075]

No room for transphobia here - everyone knows the problem is Tory management of the NHS, not trans-inclusive care - not that the NHS is trans-inclusive

[@drmichaelalatsaris1231]

Traumatised mothers are not in the position to raise a complaint - so long it shall continue.

[@crystalheart1186]

I’m terrified of the hospital, I’ve struggling immensely with physical and mental health since. I’ve aged so quickly, I wasn’t listened to. I had a C-section with only one man in the room. He spoke some horrifying things. He knew trauma in child birth was dangerous. I didn’t realise how dangerous back then. He’s ruined my life. Along with all the people who didn’t listen to me. I was 23. I’m 28 now... 6 years of my life has been wasted by trauma, ptsd, nightmares. It’s constant.

[@RDCFemmes]

When a family acquaintance died due to negligence whilst delivering her twins. Having multiple conversations with women who had near death experiences, made me fearful to have children.

[@vickyrichardson7468]

After being in labour for 24 hours with no pain relief I received a bad tear. I was left in stirrups for over an hour with midwives arguing with doctors about whose job it was. I was hurried out afterwards without so much as a cup of tea. My stitches were done badly causing an infection that lasted months

[@sarahshahzad9071]

When my water broke at 15 weeks, they said they would test to see if it was amniotic fluid. After that, they made me sit in the waiting room for 7 hours and then said we couldn't check if it was my amniotic fluid because the lab had closed. They sent me home, and the next day my baby died, and I miscarried.

[@rosyapplekitchen635]

😢how awful

[@Aleinad7]

That’s so horrible, I am so sorry you went through this! You should sue them!

[@xr763]

my sister got sepsis after her first baby due to negligence at Homerton Hospital, she was sent home not knowing and had to be re-admitted after two weeks at home. my sister in law also had such a bad experience at Royal London Hospital that she had her next 3 babies at home.

[@Ck.R.G]

Recalling my birth experience. My midwives were amazing but one the nurses treated me badly, leaving me in tears. Our NHS really needs improvement and our politicians are doing nothing.

[@stevec6427]

My wifes experience was not good. Packed wards next to closed wards, only two nurses to look after 18 women, they were rushed off their feet all day and night and she was sent home too early because they needed the bed.

[@kookiebun470]

See you understood that they were understaffed but some patients & relatives wants a staff nurse to be at their bedside all the time. Not thinking about other 17 patients. They complain that nurses don’t care because they are looking after other patients as if they are the only ones that are poorly. It’s not a 1:1 care.

[@ikoiko7518]

I return to the hospital after 18 hours of losing water and they made me wait in the collider for 6 hours while I was experiencing contractions and terrible pain, there were tens of other women and their partners waiting and only one plastic chair was available where I could seat. It was a horrible start. At the ward the midwife was so rude she was making disgraceful comments when I screamed with pain. It all got so complicated I was taken to the theatre. At the Theatre though doctors were amazing. They treated with care for all of us me, my husband and baby.

[@KarolinaTL]

You will be fine. I am sure you will get a great midwife during your labour. Mine was great but the other nurses werent as good and probably other hospital staff but that’s fine.

[@hermajesty69]

What became of Britain is quite shocking and it’s only getting worse.

[@pondeify]

quite fitting that an indian should preside over it's decline to third world status

[@KarolinaTL]

Remember when a young nurse said when i was in labour that i have to control my emotions 😂😂😂 i screamed from pain but they refused giving me any epidural and when finally got me to the theatre the nurse said she will check on me in 2 hours. By look at my face she changed her mind and checked in 20 mins and was shocked i was fully dilated.

[@mazzymaz6158]

Currently pregnant and honestly my care was better during Covid than it is now. It takes several attempts to get through to the Maternity Assessment Unit. I dont have a proper midwife, and the one i do have is so rubbish- I asked her to complete my Maternity Exception Certificate which she said she would and she never did- for that reason Ive gotten 2 penalty charges. At my most recent appointment she didnt bother completing my MATB1 certificate which was needed by my employer so again I ended having to chase and a different midwife ended up doing it for me. Cant even get an answer back or a means of contact for the community midwife to find out about blood test results, glucose test etc nor has anyone bothered to try and contact me to update me on anything. Wait time in MAU was average 5-6 hours. Treating it like "A&E". I can definitely see the downgrade.

[@OakleyANDSittingBull]

“Is it really...?” YES. It’s called *SEXISM.*

[@Sarahc0407]

I was fobbed off and sent home on three occasions being told I had "post baby blues" or "exhaustion" midwives told me to calm down and patronised me as being a first time mum following a ridiculous prolonged labour in which i was left pushing for over 4 hours before a doctor was involved that ended in forceps, episiotomy and third degree tear with severe PPH following which i was in surgery for 4 hours and needed multiple blood transfusions and antibotics. Instead of accepting that advice i presented to A&E and was admitted into critical care in liver and heart failure with severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome and needed multiple medication to keep me alive. I also had multiple blood clots (PEs) in my lung with a lung infarct. It left me traumatised and i missed the first two weeks of my sons life, he was sent home with my husband. Thankfully I am a medic and was able to diagnose myself and push for help or I know I would not be here today. It took years before I built up the courage and had my second and the difference between my care was just night and day. I was so well looked after and I had no complications.

[@monikacorgi]

A courage to have second? lol It's so disgusting. How can 1000s of women across this planet end up as breeding cows? It's so so so disgusting and humiliating

[@yehldyehld]

Rishi responding like: "it's just a normal anxiety of life. Get back to work asap".

[@fawnieee]

6:46 awful reporter, keeps interrupting her. Let her speak.

[@muhammadjahidm]

Everything in UK going worst. UK is now poor among G7 and BRICKS.

[@elenaranete3419]

It's sad, it should not be this way. 😕

[@henachaudhry1235]

The lady speaks about her placenta not being tested I’m still waiting for mine it’s been 3months

[@TheMensRea]

I'm sorry but people need to understand the absolute horror that midwives have undergone in recent years with all focus being taken from the care they're trying to provide and stupid levels od management above them dictating bs. Two difficult pregnancies, two traumatic labours and births, but the care i received was sound, efficient and by dedicated staff to whom i will be forever grateful. STOP attackint the symptom and look to the cause! Ridiculous management levels, underpaid and overworked staff, demoralised staff and practices, constant passing of the buck. Maternal health has ALWAYS been precarious. My heart to all the mothers, all the babies who have suffered so much. Fathers too. Staff too. No good midwife wants to lose a mother or an infant 😢 ❤

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

Stop talking nonsense dear, they get enough money& there’s plenty of them too, especially of the diverse persuasion( what’s Actually ruining it)

[@TheMensRea]

@@Man_fay_the_Bru What a moronic response. Congratulations! You win a prize for sharing your ignorance with the rest of us.

[@everydaywinning]

You are 100% correct, the whole NHS is in shambles. Staff is over worked and that affects a lot more that what people think. The pay is awful as well, nurses and doctors are not well paid and a lot of them are now leaving and going to Australia and Canada, some even South Africa. The working conditions there are much better

[@janewayles499]

​@@Man_fay_the_Brumidwives do not get enough money. And wherever they are from women are grateful for their good service. I think your comment is racist and unnecessary. If men had to bear children it would be very different.

[@ciesheila]

The situation is certainly awful with the NHS not providing enough to support. They are overworked and frustrated but this isn't an excuse to treat women, their patients, with disrespect and indifference like many of the stories we heard in the video and read in the comments. Empathy should always be there for the patients, instead they use their work/life frustrations to justify not caring, that is NOT OK!

[@sammym9259]

The way I'm traumatized by my birth experience and no care after...😢I'm just thankful i made it out of surgery alive with my baby. If it wasn't for my extensive medical background n nursing myself n my baby...i dragged myself outa bed within 6 hours post op...because of the state of the unit and the suffering of other mother's...discharged myself couldn't give a toss..horrible staff in the nhs

[@ShahidaSabir-vn6bg]

They almost killed me during delivery and while i was getting unconscious due to blood loss, they told me they put wrong stitches on me . Later on i found my vaginal cut was opened and i have to go for another surgery after 10 months

[@AlesyaAlexandrova]

I have a history of precipitous birth and also have autism, so don't display pain in the usual way. When I came to hospital with my third birth, I had a note stapled to my maternity notes explaining this, and I reiterated it to the triage nurse. I asked for epidural and informed that last time I have given birth on the floor, so I would like her to make sure it doesn't happen again. You know what she said? "Let's hope it doesn't happen". And you know what? It absolutely did! I had no epidural and no one believed me despite I kept telling them that I have history of giving birth too quickly

[@MARACoach224]

Both my childbirths were traumas. After the first I thought there’s no way it would happen again but it did. I could never risk my life and my baby’s like that with a third. I love the nhs but I hate what’s happening to it.

[@Renf-sk5li]

I was so lucky to have impeccable treatment during my labour and delivery, but the postnatal treatment was severely lacking. The postnatal ward was short staffed, the doctors and midwives had clashing views on everything, the infant feeding support was rubbish and the postnatal mental health support is nonexistent.

[@AbigailBrown-wk7xl]

My heart goes out to this lovely lady . This woman is a voice and strength for so many woman. This woman is incredible. This woman should have been given respect and dignity. This woman is a becon of hope for so many woman . Such a brave woman .

[@elven_music]

I have heard some horror stories from other mothers who gave birth in the uk. I'm due this year, I'm trying to not let it taint my view and hopefully have a positive experience. The early pregnant assessment unit were nothing but lovely to me when i was going through pregnancy loss last year. So I'm hoping this is the few not the many. I'm wishing all mum's a healthy and happy experience.

[@mothergingie5765]

Living in wales my story doesnt count in this. 7years later I was awarded a settlement but no court or real answers. The whole concern procedure is awful

[@fleurcraven9862]

So sad to read these comments, I had a lovely experience when I had my son. So sad 😢

[@_Ali.]

Having 3 experiences with the same hospital over the course of 5 years and losing a child in hospital along the way. I can say NHS maternity is atrocious. Some of the nurses, midwives and doctors are amazing. But they are fighting a losing battle. Some of the doctors and midwives you wouldn’t wish on anyone or any child. “You didn’t request a scan” was one of the lines I heard afterwards. “I didn’t know it was my job to ask for a scan to be done to check my child’s heartbeat” I said and got a blank stare back. 14 years of Tory cuts, Tory policies and Tories stripping the carcass has brought us here.

[@hazelsulmn123]

It is absolutely harrowing the care I received during the birth of my first baby. I birthed my baby on the efin floor. I was never listened to by the midwife. She wasn’t there at any time I needed her. I birthed my baby with only my husband. Scary. No help or encouragement was offered from anyone. Bad maternity services. Don’t even get me started when it comes to the experience of coloured women, it’s bone chilling. I want to sue.

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

The nurses were clrd I take it, utterly inept

[@everydaywinning]

Who uses the word coloured in 2024 other than racists???

[@sammym9259]

​@@everydaywinningI'm happily proudly coloured aannddd😊 i don't feel offended being called coloured. South African coloured ppl are actually a race. Y'all are too sensitive

[@sammym9259]

What she's saying is coloured women gets treated worse than Caucasian women..but i disagree i think immigrants of all races gets treated differently

[@everydaywinning]

@sammym9259 we are not talking about South African colored, I am from Zimbabwe and we use coloured people for mixed race too. However, in the UK it is an offensive word used to describe people that are not black. We are comparing apples and bananas here.

[@qauqau8449]

During hospital days..after dilevery no one cares...we are just burden for them..upon calling them again again someone will come with a weird behavior

[@robertat3650]

Agree. I had a horrible experience

[@rebeccavantassell5377]

I had horrific birth trauma 10 years ago. I still suffer from flashbacks and physical injury. I want to add my story to these women. I’m tying for another baby now and I’m petrified about the future care I will receive.

[@monikacorgi]

A mentally stable woman would never do this to herself. How can you even try to get knocked up and be a breeding cow again? It's disgusting

[@sevecc939]

Having a baby is very high risk, but it is not treated as such by our government and services are not funded properly. Staff are burnt out and get compassion fatigue. I would love to train to be a midwife, but not in a million years would I do it in this country. I was lucky enough to have good care in birth, even when I had an emergency with my first child. But the aftercare on the post natal ward was non existent. You are exhausted and there is nobody there to help you. My second birth went well, but my birth injuries, despite being minor, were not dealt with adequately. Why do we accept this? We always say how luckh we are to have 'free' maternity care, but the NHS is not free, we pay via our taxes. I understand it would be £££'s in other countries, but we should at the very least have a service which is safe.

[@olgamoresco5086]

My experience was awful in 2012! My family, in medical profession in another country, were shocked of how rubbish was UK maternity care

[@ElectronInc]

Is there not a single public service (except Westminster et al) not in poverty ?

[@Stormcrow-dc3ez]

That was the plan with ‘Austerity’

[@mus139]

Broken Britain.

[@msbee-xj8ni]

I am pregnant 21 weeks, around 19 weeks I went to the maternity triage because I had some discharge and I wanted it looked at in case I have an infection. The consultant did a smear like test dry swab. Obviously, I was tensed, and she impatiently was telling me relax you will only make it harder and more painful for you. I understand they couldn't use a lube due to checking for infection, but she didn't have to make me feel it is my fault for being tight as I was tensed, scared, and anxious that it made it hard for me to relax. It made me feel embarrased, guilty, scared - that it was my fault somehow. I had red spotting a few days after, which resulted in another trip to the maternity triage and another smear like test. I now wondered if it was because of the first consultant doing a dry swab forcing into me that made me bleed. I can't even imagine what these women giving birth who had awful experience feel like. This is scaring me when I give birth.

[@Daisy-tl2lh]

my grandmother was an English midwife, one of the first to be state registered in 1920, she must have looked after hundreds if not thousands of mothers and their babies during her forty year career always at home and sometimes in very basic conditions. She told me she never lost a mother or her baby and always had a doctor on call if she needed one

[@simplelifecooking413]

This is the very reason I drop out from nursing. The evilness in nursing is too much. They are supposed to be caring and compassionate, but it is the opposite

[@hilaryjohnson2386]

14 years.

[@Boo-pv4hn]

It’s sad that a review isn’t done just to stroke care. It’s unbelievably poor, I was shamed repeatedly and told to clear up my own sick when the medication they put me on was making me sick. I was told I do realise everything isn’t just about me and I’m in a stroke ward.. as if I didn’t realise from the huge limitations it had put on me, I was one of those patients, as if I was being selfish for repeatedly pleading and getting upset because I was in constant pain from them repeatedly not handing me correct medication or my pain meds on time, I was ridiculed and shamed in front of other patients so much so that I was joked about which made me self discharge much earlier then I should have and so many more issues, I tried to complain repeatedly I was told it was taken and put as a complaint but it never was, if I’d of died in hospital no one would of ever known.

[@teoandreea4309]

I gave birth twice naturally in Yorkshire, Wakefield, and all through the pregnacies, and during labour, the midwives were extremely thoughtful, empathetic, and knowledgeable. I feel bad for the good midwives who do such a hard and dofficult job. I don't think they get the recognition they deserve.

[@kookiebun470]

Maybe you are also a nice & understanding person. I know others want a 1:1 care as if they are the only patient in the ward. But yes there are some not so nice midwives and we often hear about them and not about the great ones.

[@Mmm-gy3cf]

I heard it’s so poor but I was so happy about everything and everyone’s help from first to last of my maternity journey. Actually it depends on that particular person who served her in specially in her hospital.

[@leemackie8434]

I totally understand my birth 25 years ago was horrific I died for three minutes on the operating table from internal bleeding not picking up after the first operation just after the birth at 32 weeks on ward breech both no drugs told when asked for help an hour before the birth and told I was a lot of trouble. My son is Autistic. That was in Australia 🇦🇺 so I understand and can’t believe it’s all still happening across the world.💔🇦🇺💓

[@abigailagnew]

absolutely shocking and heartbreaking🥺🥺❤️❤️

[@grahampritchard5284]

Is it a "training" fail or a "Managment" fail or a lack of proper leadership?

[@HellCatt0770]

Poor recruitment choices definitely play a part

[@hazelsulmn123]

Lack of proper leadership. These people are after money that’s why they are not funding the nhs well to thrive on itself.

[@Man_fay_the_Bru]

@@HellCatt0770definitely, never had the same shite when matrons ran wards

[@everydaywinning]

It's all of the above. I personally think staff shortages and shitty pay are the main cause of this mess. Its just like any job, if you are well paid and don't have to do work for 2 people, you do a better job.

[@sajjadnaeem7821]

I have had 5 children in Slough. All different ages. From 21 to 5. The experience was terrible for all 5. Begging for pain relief for hours no anesthetist was ever available as they only had 1 in the whole hospital. Forced to go home after 2 hours of giving birth but couldn't walk or even go for a pee.

[@bethanhamer.8669]

Not enough midwives ,mothers choice to have a C-section . Previously sections were done for emergency reasons not on demand ,basically double the amount of work with the same amount of staff 😢

[@RoxanneLavender]

I had 3 midwives harassing me whilst pregnant but not even measuring my bump, weighing me, they ignored my medical conditions and just tried to chit chat with me about random stuff. In the hospital i also had 3 midwives, they ignored me whilst chatting about their weekend plans for hours, when i needed something they yanked me about so roughly they bruised my entire arm black, and i am a brown skinned woman, i've never bruised black before in my life, that midwives obviously hated me for being a burden to her. Not enough midwives isn't the issue. Hiring 20yr old girls who hate pregnant women and don't want to work is the issue. If they just hired women who have had children there would be an innate compassion there to push them to do their jobs, but they don't, the whole system is full of 20yr old girls with no kids, no life experience, and underdeveloped brains.

[@Stormcrow-dc3ez]

Actually, I’m not sure we are more work on the wards from my experience. Perhaps a little more work for surgical teams initially, but then emergency C-sections or having to stitch up tearing from a natural birth would take as much resource time or more. We are well contained. Turn up at the appointed time, wait for a slot after the emergency C-sections (understandably), spinal block, short abdominal surgery and sent to the ward. Once the catheter is removed we are back on our feet and off any pain meds within @ 4 days or less. The midwives give us no quarter and have us push through any pain pretty much immediately - careful to avoid a mild bleed when socialised that any pain you experience doesn’t matter due to your choices! Couldn’t help but notice I was pretty much independent on the ward within the day - taking myself to the loo, attempting to feed and change my baby, etc., while many of the other women were struggling still, having bleeds, etc.

[@bethanhamer.8669]

@@Stormcrow-dc3ez I was only referring to the amount of c cections carried out today . In theatres we never did half the amount of c sections . Elective lists are at least two days a week on top of emergencies , no extra time or staff have been given to allow for the fact a woman can demand a section wether it is clinically needed for mother and child . It’s major surgery , many risks involved . At my trust we are doing double amounts now . I guess I’m old school and if there is no need to have a section , give birth as nature intended . We have had incidences when emergencies have been blocked in theatre by electives . We really try but one day I fear it will end in a death . I’ve had a c section btw for fetal distress , it was terrifying . Post op complications , can’t see why someone would choose it but each to there own . They just never considered they would need more theatre staff to cope with demand

[@QueenBoudicca125]

​@bethanhamer.8669 I'll be having one scheduled. The amount of stress the antenatal department has put me under with this pregnancy I'm not risking it when it comes time for the main event. I don't trust the midwives to even do a blood draw at this point. Which was only done once at the start of pregnancy and the stupid woman went straight through the vein. Never had my urine dipped. Never been weighed. Nobody said anything at my anomaly scan, I had to call to ask about it after. They refuse to send me for physio for PGP which I'm off work today with because I couldn't drag my left leg out of bed. I'd rather give the responsibility to a surgeon who does the procedure day in and day out than trust the judgement of those witches, I mean midwives. I've been refused to have my partner or a chaperone in the room with me when being examined despite being a CSA victim. And I've had my neurocognitive disability openly mocked too. Ther services are a disgrace. The staff that are left are horrible and it will be blamed on "burnout". I run an NHS service by myself. I have never once taken the state of how overstretched, underpaid, and underresourced we are out on any of my patients. Not once. Not ever. It is not acceptable.

[@Stormcrow-dc3ez]

@@bethanhamer.8669 That is a fair point about the lack of appropriate staffing and resources relative to numbers. When I went in electively I did wait much of the day whilst the emergency sections were carried out and was then slotted in when they had the time, so hopefully by that point they had a good grasp on any developing situations / emergencies and were able to appropriately prioritise those. I had elective as my family has a history of difficult births, causing in a couple of cases anoxia, brain damage etc. I was older - 38 so higher risk, and I was giving birth alone as a single parent so I had nobody to advocate for me and my child if things started to go wrong. Wrong, if I wasn’t able to self advocate in stage 2 labour, could have potentially caused my child to be damaged and I was terrified of that. Not trying to browbeat you to approve of electives here, just saying for me personally there were some considered choices here and a weighing up of risks…