Ipswich Hospital (Part of the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust)

Midwife came to triage waiting room and discussed my issues in front of another patient.
They forgot to book my induction(health reasons) in twice so it was almost missed.
Staff kept coming in during labour adding pressure to deliver or they would intervene (made me feel stressed), I understand that was what would happen but it was said like a threat and I was doing something wrong.
Shoulders got stuck but no shoulder dystocia noted on babies notes.
Concerns re erbs palsy were not discussed with me until a child physio presented.

About 6 weeks ago I was due to be induced at Ipswich hospital. I was told I would be contacted on the day in regards to when I would go in the start my labour off. It got to mid way through the afternoon and I hadn’t heard anything from the hospital so I called them to find out what was going on. And I was told we are extremely busy and it wouldn’t be happening today (no body had called at this point) being 37 weeks pregnant and been told my baby had stopped growing and they needed to get him out.

The worry set in of when it was going to happen. I asked when would I be booked in for next and they said they wasn’t sure but it wouldn’t be the next day more like some point the following week. I wasn’t very happy about this as I wanted my little boy out after everything that had happened. I was then advised someone would call me back. Which they did about 20mins later. She gave me 2 options of waiting for Ipswich hospital to have space within the next week or go to Colchester. I chose Colchester so my husband packed everything up dropped our daughter off to a family member and went to Colchester to be induced.

Personally my experience at the hospital was awful someone should of called to advise if it wasn’t going to happen as a pose the patient calling up mid way through the afternoon.

I was induced and had an emergency c section at Ipswich hospital. The after care on the ward was absolutely horrid, I wasn’t allowed someone with me and was left alone most of the time. Nurses and ward staff were always reluctant to help when asked and on my third day when I ran out of nappies and formula (as my milk hadnt come yet) I was met with rolled eyes and scoffs. I was given 1 nappy and 1 bottle at a time.

I asked for help with breast feeding and was given a handful of 1ml syringes with no instruction. I had to wait several hours again to ask what and how to use them and again nurse was very condescending and was told me to “well collect the colostrum?!” I was left without food most afternoons and evening as I would sometime be asleep during meal times. I would ask for some food after and no one would get back to me. One of the ladies in the kitchen staff fortunately would leave me some fruit on my table in the morning.

I was told on the night shift that my observations were not great and I most likely would not be going home the next day. They did not explain what was causing concern, I then asked a nurse and was told because baby was not latching on. However first thing in the morning I was told to go. A lady of the ward staff literally packed my bags, put a cardi on baby and put her in the car seat. I was given a bag full of medication and had to wait downstairs for a taxi. My partner lives an hour away and they couldn’t wait that long for him to come. I was so tired and in pain and so disoriented. I still hadn’t been seen by the breastfeeding nurse as I was still struggling and unable to breastfeed and was told when I asked on the way out about the breast feeding consultation i requested and was told to look for it in the community (there was none going on during the pandemic). My baby wasn’t latching on and I missed out on breastfeeding. I wasn’t told what to do with my dressing or my medications including some injections I had to do. I was told to wait for the midwife to come and see me.

This was my first experience giving birth and the Labour and birth was traumatic but the aftercare was the worst part. I felt like a serious burden to the staff and I felt awful. One night the baby was crying and I couldn’t settle her and the ward staff came to me and was like what are you doing can’t you hear her, she was in my arms so of course I could. She then said “just wind her” and walked off. This was my first night and my first night as a mum. To be made to feel like that was absolutely disgusting. No empathy, no care and a serious lack of respect. The ward was not overrrun or exceptionally busy so there was no excuse. I was kicked out swiftly for the elective/planned c section patients.
Seriously soured my experience,everything up to my csection was great and staff were exceptional but the aftercare on the ward I would definitely next time self discharge or give birth at home.

My 11 month old daughter was sent to a and e on gp advice as she had black stools. He said it was an emergency. We waited 30 mins to even get in the building, a rude receptionist told us everyone was there as an emergency and it might be up to an 8 hour wait. My husband wasn’t allowed to carry our bags in despite me holding our child and also being pregnant. We were triaged in a waiting room where there were no more chairs and no social distancing. It was filthy. Despite being confirmed as having blood in her stools my child wasn’t assessed by a doctor for four hours. When she was seen we were told it was probably a one off and sent home. No tests were conducted. Three weeks on she is still unwell. Totally unacceptable.

Had first baby during lockdown at ipswich and had best midwife & student i could ask for. Felt relaxed, safe & the birth was amazing as it could be because of them.

I was already anxious about giving birth due to a traumatic first birth let alone giving birth during the pandemic yet All team members made me feel relaxed and well cared for. Whether that be knowing they were there, making me laugh. Utterly faultless!! And such a positive birthing experience. I thank you all so much.

Initially I had to chase up the antenatal team as I was not assigned a midwife until 11 weeks (I informed my doctors that I was pregnant at 6 weeks but apparently I slipped through the cracks). I was assigned a consultant due to a heart condition but never actually met them, or saw a doctor until I was 30 weeks. I then saw 3 different doctors, one of which informed me I should have had investigations into my heart condition and sent an urgent referral to cardio, which got lost and again I had to chase that up at 33 weeks.

I kept telling everyone I wanted a caesarean as baby was footling breech and worried about my heart, but no one seemed to listen. They just kept telling me to do my research (I had- part of my MSc was on the consequences of different birthing methods). I was finally given a date for my caesarean 1 week beforehand. My birth plan never even came into conversation which I was very upset about. It was just little but important things, like wanting immediate skin to skin contact, and for my partner to cut the cord.

The morning of my surgery we got there at 7 only to be told my covid swab hadn’t been sent off when it was supposed to. We had to wait in the carpark- the lady at reception told us half an hour. 40 minutes went by and we phoned up, to then be told it wouldn’t be until gone 9am. I was sick with anticipation as it was, without worrying about when I could get up to the ward- to await the birth of my first baby anxious and alone because of covid restrictions.

During the surgery itself, some of the staff in theatre were incredibly rude. When I whispered to my partner that I was in a lot of pain having the spinal block, a staff member kept insisting that I couldn’t possibly be in pain. Luckily the doctor did listen and changed the location of the needle, which then eased the pain and made administering it much more comfortable. The only thing the surgeon birthing my child said to me throughout the procedure was “no talking”, because I was telling my anaesthetist I felt sick while staff were doing the roll call (I didn’t realise). Another member of staff was more interested in talking to my partner than acknowledging me at all.

Once my baby was born she ended up going to NICU for suspected fluid on the lungs, and because I was too poorly to go down and breastfeed they gave her formula (which was fine by me). However, when baby came back up to be with me, she wouldn’t settle on my colostrum alone because she was used to have cups of formula. She was screaming for hours. I repeatedly told staff this but they didn’t listen. 5 hours of my baby screaming, staff telling me to stop trying to feed her and just put her down. I knew she was hungry. At 3am I broke down in tears, asked yet again, and they finally gave her a cup of formula. Lo and behold, she fell straight to sleep. This happened 3 nights in a row and she ended up losing a lot of weight.

I was so looking forward to the birth of my first baby and actually wasn’t nervous at all about the birth initially, but my experience was so so disappointing that it has left a sad resentment in my mind about the whole thing. On a more positive note, staff in NICU were utterly fantastic and there were some very lovely maternity support staff/midwives who helped me show me to breastfeed.

I gave birth to my first child in a different hospital due to living in a different county. My second child was born in Ipswich hospital in 2019 and was my first experience of the hospital. Having had a traumatic labour & delivery first time around my experience second time around was amazing. The midwives were incredible & enabled a calm & healing experience in bringing my little boy into the world for which I will always be so grateful. I was looked after by a midwife & a student midwife & the care was second to none. The ward was clean & very quiet (I think I may have been the only one giving birth that night!!) I have no complaints at all. The after care in the community was also really good, my son was very jaundiced & they were great at keeping a close eye on him. I will forever be so grateful to the maternity ward for the safe delivery of my little boy who is now a very cheeky & gorgeous almost 2 year old.

I phoned when my waters went back in March 2020 the ward asked me to come straight in as my waters were green due to baby pooing. I was very scared as this was my second pregnancy but first baby the midwifes were absolutely amazing once Labour started properly I was put onto deben ward delivery suite and my partner was aloud to come up. I had a midwife for a couple of hours before they switched Both midwifes we’re absolutely amazing and managed to keep me calm and deliver my baby girl. My only wish for next time is for two birthing partners my partner did absolutely amazing but I wish my mum could have Been in there to support too! I understand this was due to covid 19 restrictions but I really think it should be mandatory that 2 birthing partners are allowed.

Antenatal care was fantastic, but as soon as you've given birth they don't care. The night my son was born I was left alone, never changed a nappy or fed a baby and when I called for help, the head midwife on duty told me she was short staffed and too busy, took my baby from me and changed him without showing me or telling me, also then walked off because I asked her a question. A day later I was given codeine when I told them I was exclusively breastfeeding and this led to my son experiencing an opiate overdose and nearly dying because codeine and breastfeeding is 'not recommended' by the NHS [sentence amended by HWS moderator to reflect NHS website information]. Absolutely appalling care postnatal