"Birth"

A lot happened, it’s taken many months for me to even have the capacity to be able to write this. I was left with PTSD and a pelvic organ prolapse as well and a number of infections after I left the hospital due to poor care, in my opinion.

The birth centre Perth were all supportive of my birth until it seemed I didn’t fit in to their box anymore, I believe I was admitted too early! Only 3cm, I believe they should have sent me home but they didn’t so then I felt I had a clock on my head! Despite my midwife knowing I wanted an intervention free birth I felt I was persuaded/coerced in to having an epidural as I hadn’t progressed enough! - this is where all the problems started! I believe it slowed my labour, I was transferred to KEMH where I felt I was treated like I didn’t exist, it seemed to me all the doctors did was put more and more pressure and time limits on me (close to shift change – I believe no one wanted to work over) I was not allowed to wait for my baby to descend even though the midwife requested it! I felt the midwife then didn’t advocate for me against the doctors even though I believe they obviously knew this was what should have happened. I recall the course education provided by KEMH did not have information around forceps - I was not given any information around this type of delivery- so it seemed no informed consent was given. I was told this is what was going to happen to me! The whole thing was so traumatic, my baby was taken, I was sent to theatre due to blood loss I was left in recovery in my own poo as the drugs they gave me to stop the bleeding meant I had no control of my bowls. No one told me this though!

When I eventually got placed on the ward I was in severe pain and I wasn’t placed on a recovery ward I was placed on a ward where pregnant women were ‘resting’ but I recall they were swearing and shouting it was so loud and was endless they were yelling on phones I found it horrific. I was eventually moved after crying my heart out to a midwife. The care was so poor no one helped me shower despite the fact I’d been left for hours in my own poo with an episiotomy newly cut and stitched, which is I’m guessing why it burst open 6weeks after due to infection.

After discharge I used a private provider for my postnatal care. I learnt a lot about how I believe things should have been managed and also that the care I’d been provided with on the lead up to my birth was also poor - no birth plan discussed in detail no transfer plan made, I followed my midwife’s advice and in my opinion, it was the worst thing I could have done. I felt it led to a huge cascade of interventions I hadn’t even considered or been educated on in the courses provided by KEMH or spoken to about by my midwife. Now I’m not a stupid person I have numerous degrees and am a highly qualified worker so I expect an expert (the midwife) would have seemingly done their job to what I feel is the highest level – unfortunately not, I believe there were so many gaps in in the care provided in hindsight!

This birth has cost me over $10000 so far in psych, physio, gynaecology and I am still suffering with pelvic organ prolapse (which I feel should have been flagged I was at high risk) things I have found out since!! But no one did this no one even mentioned this!! So being over a certain age, hyper mobile, epidural, 30+ hr labour, large baby, forceps without informed consent, I believe all increase the risk. No one even flagged this to make sure I wasn’t put at even more risk! Now I cannot do my job, my relationship and my mental health has been severely affected and financially it has had a huge impact on my life. So my feedback would be to the birth centre - based off my experience, don’t tell me yes I can have a water birth and yes everything with go well without telling me all the conditions I have to meet and actual statistics of how many people actually get that water birth! What really happens, in my opinion, is as soon as I didn’t fit the mould I believe I was coerced in to an intervention I didn’t want and transferred- left in the care of docs who I feel are annoyed that I have been added to their case load and treat me like a massive inconvenience and really don’t care, just seemingly butcher my body and send me off!

To KEMH I would ask you actually explain the pros and cons of a procedure before giving it – as I believe would happen in any other case but birth! Give me the opportunity to say no and the information to say yes knowing all the information needed. My midwife was kind yes and as a person they were lovely but I don’t feel like they supported my wishes enough or advocated for me in the space I needed them to! A bit of honesty up front too like the stats they gave me after the birth of 50% of new Mums get transferred that would have been good to know at the beginning of care so I could have prepared better or decided to transfer care to private midwife and home birth. My birth injuries are forever - I can no longer run, or do my job and no one is liable because it happened during birth!! I think these people need to know that they have that kind of capacity to change someone’s life and based off my experience, need to do better, a lot better!! I would like a response from the birth centre and KEMH as to why I was seemingly treated so badly, and what they are going to do to ensure this doesn't happen to other women!