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Share your experience
Have you been failed by OUH maternity services?
Families tell us all the time that they haven't been listened to by Oxford University Hospitals' maternity staff. But your experience is vital in shaping the change we're demanding - and you deserve to be heard.
Below you'll see experiences of families who have been failed. If you feel able to, please share yours.
Our voices are louder together.
You can share your experience anonymously - simply leave the contact boxes blank. If you're happy for us to get in touch, please provide your name and email address.
For safeguarding reasons, any names included in testimonials published on this site will be anonymised.
Testimonies
"The entire experience left both myself and my husband with post-traumatic stress"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2001 and 2002: Our harrowing experiences encountered at the...
Oct 9
"I felt imprisoned, not cared for. Abused, not supported."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2019: My experience of childbirth in 2019 was traumatic and...
Oct 6
"they put my baby to the side in a bloody blanket and forgot about him."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2022 and 2023-25: I lost a baby in 2022 and had a horrible...
Oct 4
"they were the reason why I got sepsis in the first place."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2022: I got to JR maternity and I asked for a water birth, so...
Oct 3
"The midwife told me it was “all in my head” and left me for six hours in agony with a hugely full bladder."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2023: In 2023 my bladder stopped working during the birth of...
Sep 26
"they went to certify him as having passed away to then look at me and apologise to say he was still alive"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2006: I lost 2 babies in the JR in 2006, both babies died...
Sep 26
"I feel my birth was stolen from me and the opportunity to have any future children."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2022: I was offered an amniocentesis at my 20 week scan as...
Sep 22
"I was a pre-eclampsia patient and even after ringing for assistance no one showed up for over an hour."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2024: There was no midwife available for me while I was in...
Sep 22
"I asked for a birth debrief and went in to, again, be shamed by the midwife"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2019: I had my first child at JR in 2019. There were a...
Sep 22
"My son was born with meningitis from the infection I contracted after having waters broken too early."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2013: I was induced on the Friday afternoon, and they left...
Sep 22
"he ended up with a pneumothorax. I am left with a prolapsed bladder"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2017: I feel let down by both community midwives during the...
Sep 22
"I knew I was in labour from the moment I arrived. No one listened."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospital Maternity Services in 1991: After reading some of these dreadful experiences, I had flash backs of the birth o f my 3rd child back in 91. I was due a home delivery as 2 of my births were low risk. However, I started contracting rapidly at 36 weeks, it was late evening. I decided to go to JR. On arrival I was told that I was not booked in! I explained this was my third pregnancy and I was sure I was in labour. T hey tol
Sep 18
"They had forgotten I was there, so I was there for a longtime vomiting"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2021: I gave birth to our daughter in November 2021 at OUH....
Sep 17
"I was treated horribly by a midwife… I believe she was racist and Islamophobic"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2014, 2017 and 2021: I’ve had all of my 3 children at OUH....
Sep 16
"I decided not to have another child as the thought of entering that maternity ward again was too much to bear"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2007: My baby was 10 days overdue and so I was booked in to...
Sep 16
"the matron marched onto the ward, flung open everyone’s curtains... stripping away any sense of dignity or privacy."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2015: I was induced with my first child in November 2015. As...
Sep 16
"I received little to no help in caring for my twins in the 48 hours after my caesarean section"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2020: I had a twin pregnancy (MCDA) and had a substandard...
Sep 16
"We reached out to PALs to raise a complaint and had a response that essentially said ‘these things happen’ with no apology."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2023: My name is [name], I gave birth by emergency...
Sep 16
"He was my first born and arrived at 33weeks. I had a very traumatic birth where he was starved of oxygen"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2012: I gave birth to my son in 2012 at the John Radcliffe...
Sep 16
"she looked around the room then looked at me and said “where is your baby” I had to then explain my daughter had died"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2010: When I was 28 weeks pregnant, I went to hospital having...
Sep 16
"I have since learned that this is a strong indicator of acute TAPs which could have almost certainly been avoided if a c-section was performed like I had requested."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2015: Refused option of C-section, despite high risk twin...
Sep 15
"My daughter died 2 days after birth due to lack of oxygen"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2009: My daughter died 2 days after birth due to lack of...
Sep 15
"I had in fact broken my tail bone during delivery. For which I received no pain relief or treatment."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2021: It’s hard to put into words but my 4th baby was born at...
Sep 15
"I will never forget the trauma of not being listened to for weeks whilst knowing my baby was in trouble"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2023: We lost our baby at 20+2 weeks after three weeks of...
Sep 15
"My daughter died an hour after birth and couldn't be saved due to infection."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2025: I recently lost my baby at 20+4 I believe due to my...
Sep 12
"After the delivery, I was not stitched properly. My partner had to seek additional help for proper stitching."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2024: After reading a lot of other people’s stories and what...
Sep 11
"as a 19 year old giving birth, I don’t think they took anything I said seriously."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2012 and 2024: I have had two experiences at the JR. My son...
Sep 11
"If I had left with my daughter as planned, she would have died on the way home."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2020: In May 2020, I had my youngest daughter naturally and...
Sep 11
"I still feel like our son could have been saved and the care I received before, during and after his birth was appalling."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2019: Firstly this hasn’t been an easy decision to share our...
Aug 29
"I get that the NHS is strained but my word, treating a person like a human being and showing empathy and care should be a given"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2024: I was already feeling quite nervous about giving birth...
Aug 26
"They objected to helping me care for my baby even when I couldn't move"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2022 and 2024: I have twice given birth at the JR, in 2022 and...
Aug 26
"they told me it was one of the largest cases of anal prolapse they had seen"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2012: I initially thought I was just very unlucky — a one-off...
Aug 22
"I can tell you for a fact that the maternity services need a serious overhauling."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2023: I’m a nurse in the JR and I can tell you for a fact that...
Aug 22
"Being left in a room, with no help, no painkiller and no idea what was happening to me was terrifying"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2018: I had a very traumatic birth with my first child. I went...
Aug 22
"baby was suffocating, he had forceps and a few other tools to pull him out. I've been left with being incontinent"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2019 and 2023: My now 6 year old was born in 2019 at just 24...
Aug 22
"I was left uncared for and completely traumatised"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2025: I had a problem free c section but then was sent to...
Aug 22
"I gave birth to another little boy who only lived for 5 five minutes...I have never been the same since."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2013 and 2015: Listening to the news earlier today about the...
Aug 22
"I came across some of the worst workers I’ve encountered in the health service who are failing mothers and their babies."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2018 and 2020: I had a horrendous experience in 2018 with the...
Aug 22
"I'd lost so much blood before they realised what was happening."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2017: I had a massive internal bleed after an emergency...
Aug 22
"My mum used to be a midwife and described the whole thing as barbaric"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2024: I arrived at the Women's Centre on a stormy December...
Aug 22
“I have never EVER experienced care like it. It’s so degrading, careless and humiliating.”
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2024: My labour was long and traumatic as a first-time mum....
Aug 22
“I have a lifelong injury thanks to a poorly managed forceps delivery...I spent years crippled with pain, barely existing"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2013: I have a lifelong injury thanks to a poorly managed...
Aug 22
"the trauma of not being listened to and of being left alone a lot has caused me a lot of postpartum anxiety."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2024: My waters broke at 4 am on a Tuesday morning in...
Aug 22
"I can categorically say it was the worst time of my life"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2014-15: I gave birth to my daughter in 2015. It’s all a bit...
Aug 22
“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....
Aug 22
"I was rushed to see [obstetrician name] who said he could see from my notes that 'we were pissing each other off'"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2020: I’m now ready to share my story. I need to disclose that...
Aug 22
"I was waiting two hours in the most unimaginable pain, my eyes were rolling to the back of my head"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2025: 1. When I arrived, I was given my first midwife who was...
Aug 22
"the JR, in my opinion, was disgraceful and not fit for purpose."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2025: I had a traumatic and rushed labour at the JR back in...
Aug 22
"Another 30 mins, I’d have died."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2007: Emergency c-section. Left in ward with no obs being...
Aug 22
"I drained the catheter myself at home to remove it because I couldn't take the pain anymore"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2020: I gave birth to my first child in November 2020. I...
Aug 20
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