"Treatment for early labour"

Being just at full term and a first time mum I was not expecting to have a baby on a weekend.

In the early hours of the morning I experienced what I now know to be my waters breaking. At the time I wondered around my house and got my hospital bags ready just in case. I had always planned on going to the regional hospital to give birth but didn’t want to travel 45 minutes to be sent home in case I wasn’t actually in labour and being a few weeks early I wasn’t sure if it was braxton hicks or labor pains I was experiencing, and even if it was my waters that had broken. I had no idea what that was meant to feel like or look like.

Approximately 3 hours after my waters broke I rang the Collie hospital and spoke with a receptionist, I explained to them what had happened that morning and they told me to come in. As the hospital it’s only a 2 minute drive away from our house, I was scared but thought the midwife could explain to me what was going on as by this time I was in pain.

Around 20 minutes later we arrived at the Collie hospital.

(I had been told in the weeks leading up by many people that if my waters did break, I could go see a midwife in Collie and they would do a physical check to determine if I was leaking amniotic fluid and if I was in labour. They could also tell me how many CM dilated I was if so.)

Once my partner and I got let inside, the lovely receptionist had told us they had left over 7 messages with the midwife but hadn’t heard back, we were told to wait in the emergency department even though unfortunately there was no doctor or anyone that could see us..

After 45 minutes of labouring there and waiting in pain ( I was contracting every 3 minutes for 40 seconds. ) A midwife finally showed up. I explained what had happened that morning and how I was feeling, I was then given two thermometers to take home so that I could check my temperature.. I recall I got told to go labour at home for a few hours as you’re not in active labour, you’re a first time mum, you won’t be having a baby anytime soon, I’m not going to check you.

I was not psychically checked at all and told to just go home and check my temperature…

Shocked, in pain and confused I listened to my body and told my partner to drive straight to the regional hospital. When we arrived there, I was taken up in a wheelchair to the birthing suite where a midwife checked me, I was 7cm dilated and soon had the urge to push, I gave birth to a healthy baby in the mid morning, approximately 3 and a half hours after presenting at Collie.

I believe if I had listened to the advise of the Collie midwife and gone home to labour for a few hours I could of potentially given birth at home or in the car on the side of the highway.

I am very grateful that my birth at the regional hospital was incredible and that everything went well. I felt the midwife’s there were absolute angels and the service was amazing. I cannot speak highly enough about their care.

I believe it shouldn’t matter if you’re a first time mum or a mum of 4, I went to the Collie hospital to be checked and instead was seemingly just brushed off.

I am very disappointed and disgusted with the service I received at the Collie hospital. It has taken me some time to process this but I hope my story helps improves the service of the hospital for the sake of future mums.