Your experiences

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.  

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A mother’s experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2001 and 2002:   Our harrowing experiences encountered at the...

A mother's experience of Oxford University Hospitals Maternity Services in 2019: My experience of childbirth in 2019 was traumatic and...