“I overhead the registrar mutter to the midwife that I should have had a caesarean two days ago.”

A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2019:

My first child was born in the John Radcliffe in 2019. My pregnancy was considered low risk, but I later found out that my platelets had been dropping throughout my pregnancy. After 3 days in labour in the JR and over 24 hours after my waters had broken, I was finally given an emergency caesarean. I overhead the registrar mutter to the midwife that I should have had a caesarean two days ago.

I was still given a local anaesthetic (although the following day I was told I should have had a general anaesthetic as my platelets were only 43 x 10^9/L). I lost almost two litres of blood during the caesarean and was terrified listening to the two doctors panicked and shouting to one another. 

I was discharged just two days later after two blood transfusions with antibiotics to take at home. On my first visit to the Horton hospital to have my stitches removed and baby weighed – I was sent back by ambulance to the JR, barely able to stand, with a temperature of 41 degrees and midwives who were confused as to why I had been sent home. When I got the JR they stopped my antibiotics, despite having an infection and I was not given anymore until 3 days later.

In the weeks and months that followed, my husband and I were both traumatised by this experience, replaying my time in the JR over and over. My health visitor arranged counselling which helped until my second pregnancy. During my second pregnancy, we were both anxious and barely slept due to the fear of a similar experience.

I am very grateful that I left the JR with a healthy baby, but I want to share my experience as I would like to help ensure that all families receive better care in the future.