"Matenity - IOL and EMCS Ulster Hospital"

I was induced in the Ulster Hospital a week ago due to Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. I had a propess put in place at 5.30pm on the Friday evening by a lovely midwife. Overnight, I was cared for by by someone else. They were outstanding, but for me this is when issues started. There is a single midwife assigned to a full ward; which quite frankly is not fit for purpose. I had to have the propess removed due to hyperstimulation and Heather was rushed off her feet, as it seemed as if every other person was going into labour and wheeled off the ward.

I got no sleep and was pretty stressed by the environment itself. I was not aware at any stage that I could be in the induction ward for up to 48 hours; I would have refused this if I had known beforehand. A curtain separates you from the person beside you. It is noisy from others screaming in pain and vomiting. Partner visiting is very limited. Once my last midwife was off duty, I had the most surly, uninterested and uncompassionate midwife take charge of the ward. My propess was reinserted in the early hours and subsequently fell down the toilet.

I felt like a bother to them from that point on and routinely ignored. I spent most of Saturday afternoon in tears, asking if I could go home, as I wasn’t making progress and not getting anywhere near the labour ward. Another midwife was sent in to speak to me who also did nothing to alleviate my concerns, if anything they made me more anxious, as they kept telling me to think about my baby, with no regard for my own mental or physical wellbeing.

I waited until the nightshift came on and asked to go home again. At this point another midwife called the sister, who spoke to me and calmed me down. She was the first person who showed me any sort of compassion and didn’t treat me like a nuisance . I got moved to the labour ward within a couple of hours. If it wasn’t for them, I think I’d have been left there stressed to the hilt for a few days.

The team on the labour ward did an outstanding job, they looked after me and were absolutely fantastic. organised my epidural with the doctor, and I was comfortable throughout. I laboured until 10cm dilated and pushed for an hour and half, when it was discovered that my son was back to back (they had came back to me from the previous evening and for that I was grateful). I was prepped for theatre for a vacuum delivery.

This was attempted the maximum 4 times, before switching to an emergency section. As I had been dilated and my son was deeply engaged, this was a hard section. The team did everything to deliver my son safely, but I’m still in shock about how things turned out. I genuinely felt like my son and I were dying and I lost 1200ml of blood.

I was moved to the maternity ward and then to a side room, as my son developed jaundice and had to spend a night in the neonatal unit under lamps. They on the maternity also did a brilliant job of looking after me despite being stretched so thinly. Again, the neonatal team did a great job of reassuring me and looking after my son.

For those who think the NHS is in danger of being overwhelmed; maternity in the Ulster Hospital already is. The staff work flat out without breaks, and in my opinion, the induction ward puts women’s and children’s safety at risk due to current staffing levels and constraints from Covid. I know of other people who have had similar experiences to me who were induced recently. One of the midwives told me that number of sections is through the roof at the minute. I wonder how many of those people have been induced. I have been offered a debrief with the consultants which I plan to attend, but after my experience, and I know everyone says this, but I genuinely would not put myself through this again. In hindsight, if I could have had an elective section as opposed to an induction, I feel that the outcome might have been better for son and for myself.