Medical Negligence NHS

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bredd12

I wondered if anyone could give me any advice on whether this would class as malpractice. After recently speaking to a midwife who advised me that treatment I was given during labour was not normal and probably caused issues.

When I went into labour (back waters had ruptured 24-36 hrs before hand and I didn’t know) my contractions started not long after my waters started coming more rapidly, I was given an injection in my stomach 3 different times to stop my contractions although baby was in no distress, found out once I got a room around 28 hours later that they were extremely busy and didn’t have a bed for me hence why I was slowed down. I was not induced at all and the slowing of the labour prolonged my stay to 4 days in total ending with a forcep delivery on my request as I didn’t want a c cection as there was still no distress to my baby.

I have trauma from this experience and I won’t be having anymore children due to the fears of birth. I have been advised by a few people to look into making a complaint but I don’t know where to start. 

Thanks

Alex_Alumni

Hello @bredd12 and welcome to the community, thank you for reaching out. 

I'm so sorry to hear about the trauma you've experienced as a result of what happened during your labour. Could you tell me if you've sought any support for the impact this has had on your mental health? 

I'd like to share some organisations that can help support you if you haven't contacted them already:

• The pregnancy charity Tommy's has some guidance on recovering from a difficult birth which I hope you'll find helpful.

• The Birth Trauma Association might also be able to help support you as well. 

• The mental health charity Mind has information on Postnatal PTSD and birth trauma, including treatment and self-care.

The NHS website has information on how to make a complaint, and if you are not happy with how your complaint has been dealt with locally, you can contact the healthcare ombudsman. 

For more information on the ombudsman, call 0345 015 4033 or visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website. This organisation is independent to the NHS.

I hope you and your baby are doing well now, and if you have anymore questions, or feel we can help further, please do ask.

Alex