"Giving birth"

I laboured and gave birth to my second child at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch. I am placing this review on Care Opinion to communicate the aspects of my experience of which I feel disappointed and angry about, and have not been able to discuss with the hospital leadership after several months despite requests. 

My child was born late 2022. One month later I discussed these issues with Patient Liaison representative in person, was listened to and a request put in to discuss further with a member of obstetrics management. I have received several missed calls with messages from nurses, but these have been from a private number with no return number. I have since followed up with patient liaison team twice 4 months later, with requests for an appt time again made. I would still like to discuss my experience with FSH. 

My birth ideal was for a natural birth with as little intervention and monitoring and medication as possible and full mobility. I came to the hospital with a clear written birth plan and a partner and student midwife who were informed and supportive. I had to directly refuse antibiotics from the obstetrician multiple times as I had not completed the GBS test prior. They appeared condescending of my decision. 

Initially the midwives were supportive of my birth plan and happy to coach me through. However, after only a few hours of active labour, when i felt that i was coping quite well, the midwife appeared to become concerned for me and asked if they could break my waters. It was not explained to me that once that was done they would then fix me to a bed on my back and prevent me from moving. It was not explained to me that they would then affix monitors to my child's head through my vagina. Following breaking of my waters I was not allowed to move at all and lost all urge to push. 

Despite there being no alarms on the monitors, the midwife continued to tell me, seemingly with panic, that my baby was stressed and needed to come out straight away, stating meconium (very slight amount) in the waters and oxygen saturation reasons. In myself I did not feel stressed and asked repeatedly to get up (at least to all fours on the bed) as I felt no urge to push lying on my back. I was refused. I lost all sense of natural labour and had to push when told, with vaccuum being used and being given an episiotomy.

As I understand it, baby was not stressed upon birth, feeding immediately after being checked over. The obstet came over very fast, told me to push hard and yanked my placenta out whilst I used my hands to push my belly. I felt it come away from my insides. I don't understand what the rush was for this as I had asked specifically in my birth plan to have delayed cord cutting. 

I was not allowed to get out of bed for a couple of hours after giving birth, being left with my legs up in the air, despite asking for this multiple times (feeling intuitively that i should get up). When i was checked by the midwife, I believe they got a shock at the amount of bleeding and set off the alarms. A lot of staff entered the room and the baby was given to my partner. The obstet communicated to me that i had a postpartum haemorrhage and in their words 'some people have a lazy uterus that doesn't want to shrink back down.'  

I was told that due to the bleeding and potential clots i may need to go to theatre, but that I could not have my baby in there with me, so as the obstet knew i wanted to have my baby with me they could try a manual sweep of my uterus first to clear it out. I had to sign a consent that if they needed they could take me to theatre with the potential being they would 'remove my uterus if they had to.' I gave consent for the manual sweep as at the time the thought of leaving my baby and losing my uterus didn't feel like a choice. I was given gas only for this procedure, with the obstet performing the sweep. My recollection of this is extreme pain, worse than the labour, being held down and violated. I can clearly hear the senior midwife's voice in my memory saying "You're lucky its the obstet and not me doing it as id have my fingers scraping your spine." I still wake at night feeling violated and traumatised recalling this several months later.