by James
4. September 2008 22:43
Yesterday the London Evening Standard ran a story on the "nightmare" of maternity care in London, prompted by stories women have shared on Patient Opinion about their bad experiences of giving birth.
For example, Maree calls her experience of childbirth "terrifying, confusing and demeaning". Anonymous 2 found "the showers were flithy and paint was peeling off the wall" where she gave birth. Anon reported "cockroaches in the communal eating area". And today on Patient Opinion, Sam told how she feels that her experience has left her not with post-natal depression, but with post traumatic stress disorder.
To be sure, we hear plenty of stories of extraordinary care too. Often, these too will move us to tears.
But that's not the point. The point is that plenty of women are saying, very clearly and courageously, that their experience simply wasn't good enough - and, in some cases, was actually harmful.
The point is: 15 years after the Changing Childbirth report, surely we can do better than this?
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