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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
"she scoffed at me and said ‘well we won’t be looking after your baby for you’. I will never, ever forget how that made me feel."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2023: OUH is my tertiary hospital and it was planned for me to give birth at OUH as my son was diagnosed with a genetic condition in utero and we needed a NICU space on standby. He was born well and came back to the ward with me. We were supposed to go to a side room as he was likely immuno-compromised but this was not arranged and we were told not possible. I felt the most vulnerable I have ever bee
Dec 22, 2025
"I was not properly anaesthetised for the c section and had to shout to the surgeon to stop throughout"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2003: My traumatic first birth at the JR in 2003 ending with an emergency c section was awful. I wrote a letter of complaint and was apologised to by the consultant anaesthetist (who heard my screams from the corridor and came into theatre to address my pain) as I was not properly anaesthetised for the c section and had to shout to the surgeon to stop throughout. I was looked after by junior anaestheti
Dec 16, 2025
"the trauma from both the births at hospital made me decide I was absolutely not having any further children."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2007 and 2009: I had my son at JR hospital in 2007. On arrival at the hospital I was told it was very busy due to a full moon! My labour was quite slow to progress and I didn’t get a bed for a while. I had a really lovely midwife who looked after me very well, even though it was very busy. I eventually got a bed and by this point the midwife was going off duty and the replacement came on. The original
Dec 16, 2025
"What happened to me was not just neglectful — it was inhumane."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2022: I gave birth to my daughter at John Radcliffe Hospital in September 2022. What should have been a precious and joyful time turned into one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. I had a C-section, and my daughter was taken to the NICU for 24 hours. No one came to update me, and no one offered to take me to see her. I was left in my hospital bed, desperate for news, frightened, and alone.
Nov 18, 2025
"After 21 hours my son was born with shoulder dystocia via forceps and a mediolateral episiotomy weighing 5.1kg"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2018: Our son was born in 2018 at the JR hospital after being induced 14 days overdue. Throughout the whole pregnancy our son was measuring 99th centile. We knew our dates as he was IVF so there was no confusion over conception times. At our 34 week growth scan the baby measured 7lbs 14 oz. At the following midwife appointment at 36 weeks the baby was measured at 43 weeks the practitioner taking the
Nov 11, 2025
"I wasn’t listened to despite several requests to deliver my baby. My baby died full term."
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2015: Failed by inexperienced staff. I wasn’t listened to despite several requests to deliver my baby. My baby died full term. My family will never recover, the ripple effects are endless and forever unfolding.
Nov 9, 2025
"I lost a litre of blood and had 11 blood transfusions."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2022: Due to being diabetic, a caesarean section was deemed the safest way to deliver my (second) baby. This was not the case. The team that did my caesarean managed to 'nick' one of my arteries. Unaware of this, they stitched me up and transferred me across to a bed. I was bleeding profusely. I was then moved back to the theatre table. As my blood pressure dropped to 54/11, I could feel the epidur
Nov 9, 2025
"The care I received was reckless in places and certainly heartless...I had a lot of trouble getting hold of my notes afterwards"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2006-2007: This is a very brief high level account, my husband has a better recollection of all the details and my medical notes. I was sent to OHU at 20 weeks following a placenta abruption at 12 weeks as by now my waters had broken just after the 20 week scan. After being sent up for a scan at OHU with [female consultant's name], who didn't look up from the scanner before saying "this problem shou
Nov 9, 2025
"my waters were leaking from 17 weeks, but they would not believe me"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2008-2009: I was pregnant with identical twin boys so many hospital visits as my waters were leaking from 17 weeks, but they would not believe me. I was finally admitted to hospital at 27 weeks because waters were still leaking – now they believed me. One day I remember clearly a midwife called dr because one of baby’s heart rates did not look right, this was few days before I went into premature lab
Nov 9, 2025
"Why were we put through the waiting?"
A father’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2015: Me and My partner were asked to go to The John Radcliffe hospital for a scan on our baby, we waited hours in the women’s unit to be then ushered into a scanning room to be told that our child had something called Hypo plastic left heart syndrome and were given the option to end the pregnancy which was well passed the usual termination time scale. My partner then had to wait to have the terminat
Nov 9, 2025
"I am 100% sure if the maternity unit had not neglected me, and I was on a high risk pregnancy, my son would definitely be alive."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2022-2023: My second son was stillborn after the Oxford services refused to put me on a high risk pregnancy after my first born was born at 33 weeks and spent 3 weeks in the neonatal unit in Bradford Hospital, due to suspected placental abruption, but I never received my placenta back. I was in oxford for my second son and due to my medical records not saying my son was born at 33 weeks, they insiste
Nov 7, 2025
"I was handed a form to sign with no explanation- it was to decide what I wanted done with my baby's remains...She wasn't even out of me"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2022: I fell pregnant with [daughter’s name] in June 2022 at the age of nineteen. I had experienced previous miscarriages and had a family history of complex pregnancies, so I contacted my doctor's surgery – [surgery name] - straight away. I had my first midwife appointment on August 01st 2022, with a midwife called [full name] . I was declared a high-risk pregnancy and was under the Lotus team. I d
Nov 7, 2025
"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 theat
Nov 6, 2025
"The level of neglect, dismissal and just rudeness that I encountered in that vulnerable state brings me to tears"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2003: I was booked in for IOL on Fri 16th May due to severe PGP, I'd been housebound for a couple of months and very depressed. They started me off with the gel, but the suite was too busy, so they let the contractions wear off. This happened again during the next day. I eventually went down and had my membranes ruptured and was hooked up to oxytocin. Midwife was sweet. I had been very strongly adv
Nov 6, 2025
"the midwives were nothing short of brutal. A complete lack of empathy that defies belief"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2007: I gave birth to my daughter in 2007. While the male midwife [name] who took over during the final stages was very kind, all of the female midwives during my long and extremely painful labour were unbelievably harsh and unkind, lacking any kind of empathy. But the worst part of all was during the hours after the birth: I was criticised by a nurse/matron who was supposed to check on breastfeed
Nov 6, 2025
"The foetal trace showed signs of distress. The female senior registrar sent me home advising that I ‘count kicks’. My baby died two days later"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 1992, 1993 and 1996: In my third trimester I felt more and more concerned about the lack of movement of my baby. Accompanied by my midwife, I went up to the JR for a scan. The foetal trace showed signs of distress. The female senior registrar sent me home advising that I ‘count kicks’. My baby died two days later, and I gave birth to a dead baby. My lovely midwives came to his funeral. My son, [n
Nov 6, 2025
"I was not given any support to wash for a week"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2015: I had a twin pregnancy under the "care" of OUH JR and local NHS services. I had a scan at 7 weeks confirming twins and all seemed ok at that time. I later had a Doppler check up at my then doctors who could not locate a heart beat of one baby but said they were not concerned, they sought advice from the JR who did not want to scan me. I was deeply distressed being sent home not knowing if one
Nov 6, 2025
"On my documents I was told it was a 3A tear but it was a 3B tear when I consulted a gynae months later"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2023: On 17th August 2023 – I managed to labour at home until 8cm dilated. I then drove in from Banbury to John Radcliffe with my husband and mother. I was told that the midwife unit was closed for the day - it was the afternoon. I was sent to the delivery suite I think it’s called. Walked in (in fairly a bit of pain and very strong contractions) I told the midwife at reception that I am very close
Nov 5, 2025
"When my son was finally born he was blue and floppy"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2007: My Son was born in 2007 at 41 weeks. Since 37 week my GP was sending me to JR daily with very high blood pressure & 3+++ of protein in my urine, severe headaches & swelling. Every time the JR sent me home. I was in slow labour for 4 days before the JR panicked and started me in an oxytocin drip. I was given a sweep, which was agony and my waters broke, prompting the doctor to accuse me of uri
Nov 5, 2025
"I still think about that experience and wonder if the colour of my skin influenced the care I received"
A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in [year] *: *We have removed the year this experience happened to protect the midwife from being identified. Before I gave birth, a black midwife quietly warned me about what I might face on the maternity ward. She told me to speak up if I was in pain and to exaggerate what I was feeling and added that I might not be listened to because of the colour of my skin. At the time, I brushed off her concerns a
Nov 4, 2025
"they began a conspiracy of silence and gaslighting me, denying the true version of events"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2020 and 2023: It has been so difficult to process what happened during my daughter’s birth, partly because of the largely wonderful care I received in my previous pregnancies. In 2020, I lost my precious son to still birth. He had Trisomy 18, not detected during the combined screening test. When I declined a termination and an invasive amniocentesis (only options offered to me) I was not offered a
Oct 30, 2025
"I laboured too long, with mistakes from midwives and got sepsis."
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2018: I gave birth and lost a great deal of blood in labour. I laboured too long, with mistakes from midwives and got sepsis. I was left after blood loss alone with my baby with no midwives for hours despite calling the bell. I couldn’t stand or walk or feed my baby. Due to my blood loss I had no milk. They got my notes mixed up with another mum’s and told me that the only way to feed my baby would
Oct 25, 2025
"In the middle of my labour all the staff disappeared so I was left on my own for a few hours"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2023: I was forced to go to the JR after my blood pressure increased in the last week of pregnancy with my son. I had previously raised concerns about birthing there because I'd had an ectopic pregnancy before my son and my diagnosis and emergency surgery was all in the same building as the maternity services and I felt traumatised from the experience of my ectopic pregnancy. Perinatal mental healt
Oct 25, 2025
"within my story there is evidence of a lack of training and discrepancies in care across the board"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2019 and 2024: My experiences are somewhat mild to those I have read on this website, however, I do believe that within my story there is evidence of a lack of training and discrepancies in care across the board. If I applied these to a more serious situation, they could be life threatening. My firstborn was born on spires - we had a couple of concerns during pregnancy but it was straightforward. T
Oct 25, 2025
"A male nurse said to nurse A that’s CO₂ she was replacing the oxygen canister with"
A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2025: The lack of care started from the beginning when my waters broke. I was told the usual, if nothing progresses in the next 24hrs then ring back and we will need to induce you for infection prevention. So 24hrs later I call and say I’m in extreme pain can I please come in as it’s been 24hrs, they tell me I have to wait for a phone call as they are really busy. What they said about the risk of i
Oct 25, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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, 2025
"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 14, 2025
"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, 2025
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