"Emotional pain from first birth experience"

For the birth of my first baby, I was in caseload, my birthing plan was for an intervention free, natural birth, delayed cord clamping, skin to skin straight after birth. After not going into labor at 40+2 weeks, I regrettably opted for induction. I had been going in for monitoring every second day in which case I waited an entire day for this monitoring, leading to extra stress. This was to increase to daily monitoring which I couldn’t bare waiting all day, every day, in a crowded waiting room for. I opted for balloon induction. I was bumped for an entire day, I had two doctors come in and try to convince me to use Cervidil (due to them being too busy and no room available for balloon induction) which I rejected. Finally, the doctor told me there was no room for me in the hospital and because I was ‘low risk’ I needed to go to Bacchus Marsh Hospital.

At this stage I was feeling so distressed that I agreed. It took almost 2 hours to get my paperwork organised to transfer me and when I asked when it would be ready I was told everyone was busy and they would do it when they could. I felt incredibly stressed and unimportant. I went to Bacchus Marsh Hospital where I was completely unfamiliar with the hospital and midwives. I was induced via balloon induction, which failed. I was then convinced I needed to have the Cervidil which I straight away reacted to with hyper contractions. In panic and extreme pain, I then opted for epidural, hyper contractions continued until I was told I needed emergency caesarean after 2 days.

When my baby was born they were handled by most people in the room. My husband cut the cord and the baby was given to my husband to hold before me. When my baby was finally put on my chest I was vomiting from the epidural and told the nurse and my husband to take the baby. Words cannot explain the emotional pain, PTSD and depression I have post this experience. What is meant to be the best moment in your life I can say hands down is the worst experience of my life. I have never been treated so badly when I was so vulnerable and helpless. I will never go to these hospitals again if I have another child, I feel I was treated worse than a number.