horrible hospital experience

[excitednewbie]

need to rant and need some sympathy and support!

Basically first baby, so far low risk. was seen at 28 week check and was measuring small for dates at 24.5cm
initially the midwife said it was fine and shed recheck in 4 weeks as standard
anyway she then rang me 2 days later and said shed discussed with a colleague and they wanted to do a growth scan and i should see a consultant
understandably i was a little worried but I work in healthcare profession so reasonably chilled out and thought id see what happened

had my scan yesterday at 30 weeks this week- lovely sonagrapher who went through scan with me- but told me babys measurements were around 13th percentile initially and when she remeasured around 16th percentile which is well below average but could be normal for me- ( im quite petite) . Anyway she told me to discuss with consultant when i saw her and they might want to rescan to check baby still on same rate of growth for reassurance

Anyway I told them which consultant I was supposed to see- as midwife had rang me back on phone with scan appt she had just said to ask at desk and i would be seen i wasn't given a specific time/clinic

I was sent around to the maternity assessment unit- i explained this to the midwife at desk and she took my notes and asked me to take a seat- do i assumed i was waiting for the consultant to be free.
i waited patiently with my husband for 2 hours! in that time not one person came to update me my husband kept telling em to go check but we were sat in view of desk and i hate making a fuss.
after 2 hours i got up and tentatively just asked what was happening to which the midwife goes oh youre next and I was taken through to a cubicle- I thought someone would then come and speak to me. but i waited there for another hour. At this point the midwife comes and goes cheerily youre free to go everything is fine?!

No-one spoke to me at all about the scan, bearing in mind they didn't even know if sonagrapher had been through it with me- it was a junior dr who reviewed it, and she didn't even bother coming to discuss the scan with me just looked at notes-, no-one told me anything re followup and not one person asked me how pregnancy was even and how i was. and no-one remeasured me

At that point i was so tired and fed up i just wanted to leave- but the more i think about it the more upset i am. if all they were going to do was look at 3 measurements on a paper why did they make me wait 3 hours> and the worst thing is no-one even spoke to me about it after telling me the baby is small?!

the department wasn't even busy - when i left there was not one patient waiting in waiting room
i want to complain - and I never complain- but i dont know who to complain to

 

[tootie]

I am so sorry that you went through this. Being pregnant is such a worrying time and throw into that hormones and unhelpful staff it is no wonder you are feeling the way you are. You can only do what you feel is right, I would suggest if you do complain, you do it in writing to the Maternity Assessment Unit. I have no experience on it really but I hate it when people read and run. I hope you're ok and DEFINITELY deserve a bar of chocolate. a big one. xx

 

[tootie]

Also, try not to worry about what they said about baby being small. They did this with my daughter and even gave me steroid injections incase they had to deliver her early. I was in pieces. But she came out absolutely perfect. 6lbs 6oz and amazing. Sometimes hospitals like to be over-cautious, and with good intentions, but sometimes make us feel worse. If they have said everything is ok, then I am sure that is the case. Do you have another scan or is that it now? x

 

[vegas]

I would defo complain what a joke! I would have went off it at them in the hospital ha ha. Sounds like everything is ok so I'd try not to worry

 

[Lucylastic]

Your hospital should have a PALS team. I think it is patient advisory liaison service or something. You can make any complaints to them x

 

[excitednewbie]

thanks for the replies ladies really appreciate it. i ended up ringing midwife assessment unit today and spoke to a lovely midwife but basically ended up crying down the phone - it wasn't just the experience had also had issues with hubby and a rough night- so been horribly emotional all day. she got a doctor to call me back and she reassured me and i feel better about it. Basically they said the original midwife should really have booked me into a clinic appointment but they did apologise and basically said if in 2 weeks still measuring small they would probably organise another scan.

my baby is so sensitive to when im stressed - a few weeks earlier in the pregnancy when i was super upset the baby didnt settle all day and movements were painful. This happened again today- baby was moving constantly and movements have been painful all day. that males me feel guilty so going to try to relax tomorrow and rest tonight. Amazing how that connection between mother and baby is already so sensitive.

Thanks for the support means a lot

 

[excitednewbie]

Also, try not to worry about what they said about baby being small. They did this with my daughter and even gave me steroid injections incase they had to deliver her early. I was in pieces. But she came out absolutely perfect. 6lbs 6oz and amazing. Sometimes hospitals like to be over-cautious, and with good intentions, but sometimes make us feel worse. If they have said everything is ok, then I am sure that is the case. Do you have another scan or is that it now? x

thanks tootie. hubby brought me flowers and lindor home to say sorry lol so had my chocolate fix.

 

[tootie]

Oh bless him. So glad you're feeling better xx

 

[russellmuscle]

Sorry to hear that.

I had a growth scan when I was 41 weeks and measured like 37 weeks. Jackson was born 7.03lb. Even though I was told he would be tiny!

Dont worry too much on measurements.

As for the waiting, it sucks. I hate waiting especially when your confused and worried.

xxx

 

[excitednewbie]

Sorry to hear that.

I had a growth scan when I was 41 weeks and measured like 37 weeks. Jackson was born 7.03lb. Even though I was told he would be tiny!

Dont worry too much on measurements.

As for the waiting, it sucks. I hate waiting especially when your confused and worried.

xxx

thanks thats reassuring to hear! feel more relaxed about it- i feel like im carrying a boulder around and theres still 2 months left for baby to grow so hopefully its just a normal variant

 

[russellmuscle]

Yeah babies are allllll different! If you are petite good chance your baby will be.

A lady I know is tiny and like a size 6. All of her babies were like 5-6 lb but all born healthy and happy just a bit smaller because she was smaller.

I do think the measurements are very rough - when they seen my scan at 41 weeks they were asking which consultant I was under which I wasnt under any so I thought oh shit whats going on - I had a normal labour, and Jackson was fine.

Do you have another scan coming up for growth?

xxx

 

[excitednewbie]

thanks hunny
no no other scan at present just going to be rechecked at 32 weeks and then theyll discuss further.
thanks for all the support and replies

 

[MrsMeaney]

I had a similar thing this week. The hospital called me regarding some liver function tests and asked me to go in as they suspected obstetric cholestasis. So hubby and I drove the hour journey to get there, where I had some more bloods and was put on the ctg machine. After a while, the midwife told me they'd like to keep me in as they would likely want to induce the next day. However, following day, I was told that the doctor didn't want to see me or take any action, despite the fact that my results weren't back, and I was basically asked why I was even there. I was discharged feeling like a hypercondriac and a time waster and was very upset.

One of the sodexho ladies did let slip that labour ward had become busy over night. So I assume that they just didn't want me taking up a bed

 

[excitednewbie]

I had a similar thing this week. The hospital called me regarding some liver function tests and asked me to go in as they suspected obstetric cholestasis. So hubby and I drove the hour journey to get there, where I had some more bloods and was put on the ctg machine. After a while, the midwife told me they'd like to keep me in as they would likely want to induce the next day. However, following day, I was told that the doctor didn't want to see me or take any action, despite the fact that my results weren't back, and I was basically asked why I was even there. I was discharged feeling like a hypercondriac and a time waster and was very upset.

One of the sodexho ladies did let slip that labour ward had become busy over night. So I assume that they just didn't want me taking up a bed

omg that sounds horrendous! How stressful to be told youd be induced and then to not even be reviewed by a doctor!
i hope youve complained thats even worse than my experience
I think when it becomes busy people forget everyone is an individual and you just become another number/bed