"Exceptional Maternity Ward Undermined by One Clinician’s Behaviour"

I am writing this because the experience I had at this hospital after giving birth has continued to affect me eight months later. What unfolded during my labour, delivery, and immediate recovery has left a profound and enduring impact, and I believe it requires serious attention.

I was classified as a higher‑risk pregnancy due to my BMI which icreased significantly while i was pregnant, and hospital policy required that I be cleared by an anaesthetist before I was even permitted to give birth there. Receiving this information at 36+ weeks was deeply destabilising. I was so close to my due date, and the possibility of being turned away created significant distress. I was eventually cleared and reassured that I could safely deliver at the hospital.

When my baby remained overdue by 11 days I was induced. Over the next three days, multiple attempts were made to bring on labour before pitocin became necessary. Once the pitocin commenced, the pain escalated rapidly and severely. I later learned that my baby had rotated into a spine‑on‑spine position and become lodged, which explained the severity of the pain.

After several hours, I requested to speak with my obstetrician and expressed that I needed further intervention. An epidural was arranged. The anaesthetist who had originally cleared me performed the procedure. I felt their bedside manner was conspicuously absent. At a moment when my body felt as though it was turning inside out, they offered no reassurance, no empathy, and no acknowledgement of the state I was in.

As labour progressed, my baby’s vitals deteriorated and an emergency caesarean was required. The anaesthetist present during the surgery was the complete opposite of the first - calm, competent, and profoundly compassionate. I am deeply grateful that he, and not the initial anaesthetist, was responsible for my care at that critical moment. During the caesarean, my uterus tore and I experienced a 1.5‑litre haemorrhage. I was unaware of this at the time.

I want to emphasise that - the maternity ward as a whole was faultless. Every midwife, every obstetrician, and every member of the team involved in my labour, emergency caesarean, and post‑operative care demonstrated exemplary professionalism and humanity. In particular, **Dr Das, Dr Crystal, and Midwife Niamh were extraordinary. Their presence, competence, and compassion were major protective factors in an otherwise frightening and destabilising experience.

I left the operating room at 8:30pm. Less than 24 hours later, the following morning, the anaesthetist who had performed my epidural entered my room. I was exhausted, recovering from major surgery, and still attempting to process the events of the previous four days while also trying to enjoy my newborn child.

Before I had the opportunity to speak, they began questioning what had occurred and then stated, “This is why we don’t accept high‑risk patients.” The anaethetist went on to tell me that they would not accept me next time, and that I would be turned away from giving birth at the hospital in the future. I felt they were dismissive, rude, and their comments superfluous. 

Hearing this less than a day after a traumatic birth and significant haemorrhage left me feeling blamed, shamed, and personally responsible for complications entirely outside my control. Their comments implied that my size had caused the situation - that I had somehow brought this upon myself. At a time when I was physically vulnerable and emotionally depleted, their words were profoundly damaging.

Eight months after my baby was born, I am still affected by the way I was spoken to. The trauma of my birth has been compounded by the conduct of this clinician, and it has taken me considerable time to be able to articulate this experience, which I still cannot do without ending up in tears.

No one - and certainly no new mother recovering from a traumatic birth - should ever be addressed in this manner. The comments made to me were inappropriate, unprofessional, and deeply harmful. I am sharing this in the hope that the hospital will review this conduct seriously, reflect on the impact of such interactions, and ensure that no other woman is subjected to similar treatment.