"Examinations after my water breaks"

Around midnight, my waters broke at home.

I had rung my parent to come watch my other child for me! I made my way to hospital with my partner, contractions coming here and there but not consistent! In the evening, they had given me a drip for antibiotics to help with not getting an infection as my waters had been broken for 18 hours! - in this whole time (18 hours) that I had been then not once did I get a vaginal examination done! A few hours later, my contractions had got very strong and intense I knew I was in active labour and both myself and my partner had pressed the button in the maternity ward for a nurse. The nurse had come over and i begged to have my first examination! I was in tears and to the point I could no longer talk through the contractions! I was refused examination because they didn’t want to put me/baby at risk of infection (isn’t this why they gave me the antibiotics in the first place! And do they not wear gloves anymore) because in my eyes if I have had antibiotics and the midwife is wearing gloves I feel I shouldn’t of been denied an examination as a second time mother when I’ve asked! Not to mention again I didn’t have 1 examination since being there!

My contractions were never regular with my first which I explained to one of the midwifes! But the only check I got the whole time was a monitor done on my belly and because a “machine” said I wasn’t having regular enough contractions I basically felt I was told it’s not active labour!

It seemed they chose to ignore my feeling as a patient who knows my body better than they do! The fact they relied on a stupid machine to tell me if I was deemed active labour or not I feel is disgusting!

I questioned what happens if it gets to midnight and it’s been 24hours since my waters broke. Nurse said that’s when we will look at inducing you. I asked so at midnight you will start to induce me, I recall the nurse said yes but only if there is a spot on the labour ward for me! Otherwise they will just have to keep giving me antibiotics every 4 hours!

About an hour later the nurse had told my partner they need to go home as visiting hours are over although i was in tears from my pain and couldn’t talk through them! I had been at hospital for 20 hours at this point still not one examination!

I was left in my room on my own with a bouncy ball on the maternity ward having intense contractions!

I was crying in pain all alone I called a nurse to come back to the room to which I got another midwife this time in the space of a couple minutes from the last one refusing me! I begged this other midwife to please please check me! I couldn’t move and the pressure down there was painful.

They went to look for the midwife that was dealing with me to which the nurse came back (not the one that refused me) but the second one! They asked me to get on to the bed to be checked and straight away they said we need to get you to birth suite your 8cm dilated! Get your partner back quickly!

I called my partner who not long walked out the door probably 10 minutes give or take! After they got told to leave! I told them to hurry back I’m 8cm dilated! I walked from the maternity ward to the birth suit which was not a long walk at all, couple of steps! As soon as I got to the room I told the midwife I feel like I need to push… they told me to get on to the bed and push if I felt like I needed to push! 6 minutes later I had my son all alone by myself! My partner didn’t make it in time and was only 10 - 15 minutes from the hospital …

What I feel was the hospitals apparent negligence failed me, I believe I had poor care, I was not listened to as a second time mother … I had no support network .. I was there alone …

As a hospital and the person employed placed there you hold a position of both trust and responsibility to all that walk through your doors! Both these factors were not adhered to in our case, I feel this is a case of definite negligence and misuse of authority.

I was anxious enough about having my baby as everyone is and mentally. I had my support network with me to ease this, what should’ve been a wonderful beautiful experience for myself, and my partner turned into a show of refusal, misuse of authority and negligence that left us both mentally, exhausted and invisible.

I can only hope that another poor mum and her family never have to go through the experience me and my partner had to go through! I am traumatised from this and absolutely broken that my partner missed the birth of our second beautiful child and I was left alone to birth!