"I requested a Caesarean…I was denied and forced into an induction"

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

When I went overdue, I requested a Caesarean instead of being forced into induction which I did not want, due to the statistical rate of extreme interventions that scared me. I was denied and forced into an induction.

Left to hyper stimulate for 10 hours (1 minute on, 40 seconds off), and treatment to help stop it never came. Pain relief denied. Eventually when baby went in to distress we got moved from a shared labour ward to a private room, where I was given an epidural. This epidural took away my ability to move, but not the pain.

So for a further 7 hours I was contracting, with no progress. Eventually baby went into distress again and I showed infection markers so off we went for the c section I had requested, but an emergency, rather than a calm, planned version. I was treated like a piece of meat.

Grateful when our daughter was born safely and healthy. Moved to recovery ward, no food or water provided when requested, husband kicked out half an hour later due to the time of day. I still couldn’t move. Eventually got moved to a ward with other mothers and babies where I was told to get up and move around, and then left to it.

Needed help to get items out of case and MSW told me I’d need to do it for myself. After major surgery, bending over to get items out of a case is torture. No assistance was offered with breastfeeding, despite multiple requests. No assistance with anything for the 48 hours I remained imprisoned in that stifling hot ward. Told not to urinate without asking for a bowl first after catheter was removed, but nobody responded with a bowl, and then got scolded for not using the bowl for them to review. Meds constantly late, despite chasing, and just no care.

The trauma of the birth, my husband being sent away, and no help at all meant I struggled to bond with my baby as the difficulties feeding, moving and performing basic tasks caused so much pain.

If I am brave enough to have another child, I will not be returning and will request for referral elsewhere. We got off lightly, but it was far beyond not good enough.