"No one came and I kept knocking it [cannula] so removed it myself"

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

I had a planned c section with my 2nd child due to being told a vbac would be risky due to his size. I was happy with this as it also made planning childcare for my eldest was easier. The surgery was calm and incredible. Our little boy arrived and he was perfect. This was around 2pm.

The aftercare was awful. I was popped in a side room after surgery and didn't see any staff until around 7 hours later when a midwife came in asking if I had walked yet. She then proceeded to lift up my blankets to check the bleeding. She left and came back with another midwife, lifted them up again and said "see? Is that too much?" The 2nd midwife said it was fine and they both left with no explanation.

I asked for something to eat around an hour later and was told there were no sandwiches in the fridge.

Two lovely midwives came to move me up to L5 around midnight and got me a menu to order food.

I asked for some warm water so that I could clean my baby's bottom and was told "you should have brought wipes". I didn't ask again and used water from my jug.

I was asked to take baby for his checks down the corridor. I ended up sat outside an examination room with my newborn for 50 minutes waiting. The hearing test lady was looking for me and had seen us waiting 4 times before she went in and asked why I was still waiting. She told them it was unacceptable.

I had been told I could go home by the doctor on morning rounds and someone would come to remove my cannula, that was actually falling out. No one came and I kept knocking it so removed it myself.

At around lunchtime I was told once I had had lunch that I needed to wait in the day room for my husband as they needed the bed. He arrived around 1.30pm and my bed was still untouched with my used sheets still on it. I could have stayed there.

Once we were home, baby wasn't gaining weight as they wanted so I had to take him every 2 days to be weighed in Wallingford. I was struggling to breastfeed and told them on day 6 that I was supplementing with formula so baby wasn't hungry.

The midwife (who I'm sure wasn't actually a midwife) told me that I had to decide one way or the other. My breastfeeding journey ended that day.