New Mum Says Maternity Treatment Was 'traumatic'

A mum who says she has been near successful chronic symptom a twelvemonth aft giving commencement has called for an NHS spot to beryllium put into typical measures.

Niki Cotson, 31, gave commencement successful April 2024 astatine nan North Tees Hospital successful Stockton earlier experiencing what she believes was mediocre attraction successful nan aftermath.

Miss Cotson, who has amassed much than 700 signatures to her petition calling for typical measures to beryllium imposed astatine North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, said: "My labour and postnatal attraction were traumatic."

The infirmary said it was ever "dedicated to ensuring safe, value attraction for each of our patients" and it continued to effort to reside immoderate concerns raised.

In nan latest inspection by nan Care Quality Commission (CQC) successful 2022, some nan maternity ward and nan infirmary were fixed a "requires improvement" rating.

Miss Cotson said that contempt not being successful established labour, her waters were artificially ruptured for which she says she received nary capable explanation.

She said: "Following birth, I was promised a spinal artifact to negociate my pain, but this was withdrawn without explanation.

"Instead, I was fixed dihydrocodeine while breastfeeding, without immoderate informing of nan risks.

"My babe became excessively drowsy, fed poorly and subsequently developed complications."

After they were discharged, nan 31-year-old said she ne'er received a postpartum check.

Now, conscionable complete a twelvemonth on, Miss Cotson said she lived pinch chronic pain, prolapse, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

She said her boy continued to struggle pinch wellness issues, including digestive problems.

Other women person travel guardant to support her and shared their experiences astatine nan Stockton maternity ward.

Nikki Stainsby, 35, from Hartlepool, reflected connected her "horrific" experiences erstwhile she gave commencement successful October 2020.

She described being taken to a ward conscionable an hr aft giving commencement and still bleeding, past being near successful nan aforesaid bloodstained sheets for 12 hours.

"It was only erstwhile I said I would get up and alteration them that they were yet changed and location was nary connection to thief pinch nan pain," she said.

Miss Stainsby was fixed stitches instantly aft commencement but weeks later she kept tearing them.

She added: "I went backmost to nan doctors, who sent maine to a gynaecologist who told maine that they were incorrect and I would person to person them trim unfastened and re-done.

"It was horrific and my temper during that clip was horrendous."

A North Tees Hospital Trust spokesperson said: "We proceed to connection unfastened lines of connection to effort to reside concerns raised.

"The spot useful to support immoderate complainant that raises concerns pinch our organisation.

"We would promote moving pinch our diligent acquisition squad to guarantee individual cases are dealt pinch appropriately.

"We are ever dedicated to ensuring safe, value attraction for each of our patients.

"We proceed to activity intimately pinch nan Care Quality Commission to guarantee each actions identified successful our 2022 inspection person been enacted."

NHS England has been approached for comment.