Sharing your postpartum voice

“For most of us, childbirth is a medical trauma and should be treated like one. I had my daughter 4 years ago in a violent and unnecessary forceps/ventouse delivery. I tore, haemorrhage and lost litres of blood. Discharged from hospital on day 5, saw a health visitor once and then no care. Went to the GP several times due to bleeding for 5.5 weeks until having a massive pph. Was told “this happens'' while they discovered placenta was mostly still in my body. Had a d&c and then NO FOLLOW UP SCHEDULED. Got sepsis, placenta still inside and nearly died. Didn’t see my daughter from 6 weeks old to 8 weeks old. She’s 4 now and I’m still traumatised and paying for therapy. I requested a debrief where a woman I had never met said “let me just familiarise myself with your notes'' so I left. And they were never held accountable. Mum and baby alive so it’s a “successful outcome”.”

“At my 6 week check, I wasn’t checked! The male doctor asked if I was ok and had I thought about contraception!! I wanted to be physically checked as my body had just been through physical trauma.”

“I’m having reconstructive surgery via private health care, 7 months postpartum. I had three postpartum infections, the GP wouldn’t even check me, I had to beg the nurse to get the GP when my son was having his injections at 12 weeks. The GP said I was fine when she eventually checked, but in fact I had another infection and hypergranulation. I’ve had to go private to get a diagnosis for the constant pain I was in. Going forward specialist care from the midwifery team until you’re healed would be ideal, the GP’s aren’t willing to help or don’t know enough.”

“I ended up back in hospital having been discharged after a C-section with the wound not properly sewn so I had a hole. At 16 days I had to go back in and be opened up again and re-sewn. I’ve suffered back ache ever since and my wound even 25 years later still causes irritation”

“After delivering my first baby I had a significant haemorrhage which was documented at 700mls but as a theatre sister of 9 years experience at that point, I’d estimated it closer to 1200mls. My query at the volume was not acknowledged. I was sent for a shower unaccompanied and fainted on the shower floor. I continued to pass large clots (the size of tennis balls) on the postnatal ward, yet was told this was normal. I was discharged despite having had no bloods taken which is indicated in both RCOG and RCM guidelines following PPH.

A week later I was severely breathless and very weak and so went to the GP as I was convinced I had a pulmonary embolism having spent so long in lithotomy whilst having my perineum pieced back together. The GP was very thorough and felt that my lungs were clear but that I was anaemic and requested bloods which indeed showed that I’d dropped my haemoglobin by 4 grams and corroborated my estimate of 1200mls blood loss at the time of delivery.

Whilst pregnant with my second, for many reasons I requested a section. The primary reason was that he was measuring so large that they wanted to enter me into a shoulder dystocia trial, which I declined. As a theatre sister of 12 years experience by this point, I was well aware of the potential outcomes of shoulder dystocia presentations and also the risks of Caesarean delivery and so my choice was an informed one. My request was denied. Thankfully, due to my NHS role, I was able to contact a consultant who offered to perform a section.

After delivery, I was discharged 24 hours after I went into theatre. 24 HOURS!! It still shocks me now.

48hours post delivery I began to experience crippling migraines which were worsened by standing. I could not balance. It felt like my head was 10ft behind me. I had tinnitus. My own voice sounded muffled. My blood pressure was high but “not high enough to send you to triage”. When I asked the midwive(s) if they thought I had a dural tap they said I, “couldn’t have a dural tap because you only get those with epidurals”. 72 hours post delivery I left my breastfed baby at home (thanks covid) whilst my mum drove me to maternity triage to be assessed. Thankfully I saw an anaesthetist colleague in the corridor on the way in. She assessed me and confirmed that I had a dural tap. She wanted to admit me but I needed to be at home with my baby. She asked the midwives if she could send me home with Oromorph for the pain, they said no. The follow up from the anaesthetic department was however faultless.

It may also be worth noting that despite my son having a severe cows milk protein and soya allergy which resulted in his skin falling off, faltering growth and reflux so severe that he developed a feeding aversion and would vomit multiple times a day, we have never seen a health visitor. I phoned them sobbing because I did not know how I could help him as his reflux was so severe and I was so concerned about his weight and they recommended that I took some time for myself (away from an inconsolable breastfed baby in lockdown 👍🏻), had a pizza (he has a cows milk protein allergy), stopped drinking sparkling water (as that would make him fussy; definitely not his allergies) and purchased some scales to weigh him. When he was 6 weeks old and his skin started falling off and he had profuse diarrhoea, I asked his GP if he thought he had an allergy; he told me in no uncertain terms that he did not.

Thankfully we have medical insurance and so have been under the care of a truly wonderful consultant and paediatric dietitian however the care he has received from the NHS has been notable only by its total absence. Within 5 minutes of examining my then 16 week old, his consultant said that he was presenting with one of the most severe reactions that he had seen.

I realise that there is an enormous amount of privilege attached to this story. I am privileged because I’m a medical professional, because I work in theatre and so alongside people that I knew could help me if I needed them and because we have the means to pay for private healthcare. My daughter has just turned 4 and my son is 1 and it still upsets me every day to think of the women and children who are suffering both physically and psychologically because they are unable to access the care and support that they need.”

“I have too much to write here but some of what I experienced… The postpartum care in the hospital was shocking. I had preeclampsia and a c section and had midwives changing medication against doctors orders, trying to discharge me earlier than doctors orders, being told I should be fine 24 hours after major surgery and was told I shouldn’t need codeine when I was discharged and that “most people are fine with paracetamol”. My twins in NICU got moved to a different NICU due to bed space and spent 24 hours in different hospitals even though I was a high risk for PND and was very unwell myself. Once discharged I didn’t get a GP appointment for 13 weeks!!! I have PTSD from my postnatal care. This has to change.”