"I have copies of maternity records that have been crossed out and changed"

A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2018:

I had my son on the 1st July 2018. My waters had broken in the early hours of the 30th June I went straight to the Wallingford birthing unit as I was advised they confirmed they had broken I was told to go home and if contractions hadn’t started by 9pm I would have to them go to the John Radcliffe.

I ended up at the John Radcliffe on the 30th around 9pm I was put into a side room and left to try and get sleep the only thing they could offer for pain relief was an ibuprofen. I didn't get moved into a delivery suite until around 10.30am on the 1st July, my mother called the unit because she wanted to come up and told her they would come and ask me they never did, they made me get out of bed even though I couldn't walk to try to go to the toilet they never changed or flushed and any of my cannulas the whole time I was there.

I was left in the room with my partner for hours at a time. I had one midwife personally ask me if I know if my back waters had gone I was never told anything the whole time I was there they didn't follow my birth plan. 

I had my son on the 1st July at 10.32 with forceps. They cut me and also had a third degree tear, they couldn't stop the bleeding and I was rushed into theatre I was in there for three hours. My partner wasn't told anything.

I finally came out of theatre and was brought round to the observation ward I couldn't move or do anything my partner was told to leave, my son was left with just a nappy, hat and blanket around him. That night he was sick and I don't know how I manged it but I sat up and grabbed him because if I hadn't he would of suffocated on his own sick.

I spent four days on the observation ward. I had to have two of three blood transfusions and an iron transfusion. They also had to check the blood that was given. They also failed to tell me that I had packed my uterus because of the blood lose control my uterus wasn't going down on one side, the whole time I was in hospital I was told nothing. 

I then found out I was pregnant again with my second child when working for the OUH. Because of the first birth, I was traumatised so I thought it was best to have a c section because it was planned. I told them I wanted to be put full under because I couldn't be awake – I had my daughter on the 30th June 2022 via c section. 

It turns out that when I had my son, I was left a whole down below coursing infections and menthol blood would come out of there never being picked up from the GP or the hospital with my second child. I then had surgery last year to correct it.

This prompted me to request my hospital records to find out that I was given a possible morphine overdose where I had 8 breaths a minute nearly killing me and my daughter when I had the c section and I also went into anaphylaxis shock when I was in surgery with my son most likely having an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic that the OUH are still not sure about and blame their system. That I find hard because I use to work there and used their system because I worked in the pharmacy as I am a trained dispenser and have a knowledge around medicine that’s what I had done for 10 years. 

After having my son I now have fibromyalgia and Hidradenitis suppurativa, this has affected my career and progression, discrimination and bullying in the work place. 

Even though I have physical proof of a third degree tear and anaesthetic allergy and two boxes of hospital records for my births, no one knows anything. I have kept it all.

They still say I only had a second degree tear and I have copies of maternity records that have been crossed out and changed.