"it was hospital policy to not provide c-sections based on maternal wishes. She agreed to transfer me to another hospital"

A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2018 and 2021:

First child born in 2018. Gestational diabetes but the hospital could not provide appropriate food. Failed attempt to break waters was not realised for a day. I had been induced on a Friday and was finally taken to theatre on early hours of Monday morning-after 3 epidurals and weakness from no food and a large light crashing down next to my bed from the ceiling.

When taken into theatre I was given something to numb me but they gave me too much and I lost feeling in my body from my jaw down. Baby finally delivered by forceps but not the end of my trauma. Baby needed antibiotics.

While still with a catheter in I had to wheel the baby to the ground floor for the injections at midnight. I was bleeding all over the floor. A doctor rang the midwives for help for me to get back to the maternity ward but they responded saying they were too busy. Doctors were not allowed up to the ward!

The baby was weak due to sepsis but when I tried to tell the midwives he wasn’t feeding I was ignored. It was only as he starts getting over the sepsis and started turning yellow that they believed me. The story goes on but too much to put.

When pregnant with baby 2 I made it clear I wanted a c-section and was clearly traumatised from previous experience. I was ignored.

Despite signs of gestational diabetes, they refused to test me due to covid.

Eventually after a lot of arguing and having to reiterate the trauma the hospital put me through the last time I got an appointment with a consultant. She made me repeat the same story of the trauma to tell me that it was hospital policy to not provide c-sections based on maternal wishes. She agreed to transfer me to another hospital.

After weeks of chasing and starting to shout at midwives I was finally moved to a different hospital at 36 weeks where they instantly gave me a diabetes test after one urine sample. I did have diabetes.

Baby born via c- section after discussion with consultant at Northampton. Thankfully both my boys are now healthy.

Treatment at John Radcliffe maternity was horrendous and traumatic.