The standard of care offered to mothers differs so markedly from hospital trust to trust that no one can be sure they will get the care they need. So many mothers have said that they wished they had known more about the problems, complications that can arise during pregnancy. Most felt that their ignorance, when problems arose, made it more frightening for them and their partners as they had no idea if the care they were receiving was appropriate.

Brenda lost 2 children in 4 years. Both pregnancies had got beyond 30 weeks. One child was lost due to pre-eclampsia. Her blood pressure was monitored as being very high but she was still sent home that night only to be rushed in hours later. The placenta had completely broken down and she lost the child.
She wishes she had known the true risks of pre-eclampsia at the time so she could have insisted on being kept in hospital and monitored through the night.

The whole process of 'rooming in' has been criticised. Even women who had caesareans or very complicated natural births were given no time to recover on their own. Their new-borns were with them all the time. While this is an important bonding time, most mothers personally would have liked even a hour or two on their own between feeds, just to get some sleep. Whether this policy is for the benefit of mothers or because resources are too scarce to offer anything different is a moot point.

Also, the amount of time in women spent in hospital after the birth was an issue. Most mothers want to get home ASAP after the birth, especially if they have other children at home, but for first time mums extra time in hospital can be valuable. Very often this is not offered, although this is not always the case. One first time mother was offered extra time at another hospital of her choice after a bad experience at the birthing hospital. These extra 3 days at the other hospital was extremely valuable to her and helped her to feel happier about going home. She felt that if she had been forced home earlier she would have suffered from postnatal depression. Unfortunately, the offer of extra hospital time is not available to all women.

If you would like to share your experiences with other parents please email contributions@forparentsbyparents.co.uk.

SUPPORT LINK

Association for Improvement of Maternity Services (AIMS) AIMS is a voluntary organisation that campaigns for the improvement of all aspects of maternity care. Through a network of members they offer support and information to parents, midwives, doctors and other health professionals. They also publish a wide range of leaflets and booklets that enable parents to make informed choices about their care. A free publications list is available from: AIMS 2 Bacon Lane Hayling Island Hants PO11 0DN Tel: 01753 652781 Fax: 01753 654142 www.aims.org.uk email: chair@aims.org.uk