"After the delivery, I was not stitched properly. My partner had to seek additional help for proper stitching."

A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2024:

After reading a lot of other people’s stories and what they went through, along with how they were treated and also watching the ITV clip, I felt like it was time to get my story out there as well, sooner rather than later. This is rather long and I’ve probably rambled a bit but this is my story, this is how both my daughter and I were failed.

During my pregnancy with my youngest, I encountered several complications, including anaemia that required an iron infusion and polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid). A couple of weeks before my due date, I spent a night in the hospital due to low heart rates for both my daughter and me. I had always expressed my desire to avoid a C-section unless absolutely necessary.

On September 28, 2024, I went into labour and headed to the hospital. Upon arrival, I was quickly taken to triage, where I was monitored for contractions. Within minutes, I was moved to the labour ward. My first midwife was wonderful; she kept me calm as I sang and laughed, even at 6 cm dilated. However, after a shift change, the new midwife informed me that my cervix had shrunk to 2-3 cm and my labour was not progressing.

My daughter seemed to be moving in circles, missing the exit. When she finally descended into my pelvis, the doctor urged me to push before my body was ready, leading to me inadvertently pushing her back into my pelvis. The midwife, who was with a trainee, initially encouraged me but then became dismissive. At one point, I was told to stop pushing because something was wrong, and the doctor prepared forceps.

After what felt like an eternity of pain, my daughter was born sunny side up and back to back. She came out grey and silent. The midwife rubbed her to stimulate a cry, and after a few moments, she opened her eyes but remained quiet. During this time, my partner heard the doctor express concerns about her survival.

After the delivery, I was not stitched properly. My partner had to seek additional help for proper stitching. He was then told to go home as I was being moved to the ward, but I was left in the labour room for about three hours due to a lack of available beds. I was in significant pain, unable to reach my daughter, and confined to bed with a catheter and IV drip.

When the midwife returned, I explained my pain levels, and she fetched the doctor. He sat at the end of my bed, and after some intervention, I felt slightly better but remained weak. I was finally taken to the ward around 5:30 AM, after giving birth at 2:19 AM. For the next 12 hours, my daughter struggled to feed.

We were discharged around 7 PM, and during a Day 5 check with the community midwife, we learned from the medical records that my daughter’s heart rate had dropped dangerously low multiple times during labour.

Throughout this ordeal, I repeatedly requested a C-section due to the complications, but my previous natural births were used to deny my request. I was also refused an epidural, which I initially opposed but needed as the pain escalated. Instead, I was told I would receive morphine, which I never got.

I felt unheard and unsupported throughout this experience, and my partner, who acted as my advocate, was also dismissed.

This journey has left me feeling let down by The John Radcliffe Hospital, as my concerns and those of my partner were not taken seriously, impacting both my daughter’s and my health.

After all of this 11 months down the line I’m still trying to have a strong bond with my youngest the way I do with my eldest and I’m slowly getting there but the memories and flashbacks don’t go away easily.