The Head of Maternity Services 'phoned today. The doctors, midwives and trust officials have reviewed my notes, are having another meeting next week to investigate further evidence and will then meet with Mr Bubble and I on the 29th April.
I know that some of you have followed my posts, from my excited ramblings prenatally to the sad, sad posts after the awful event and since. I thank you all on behalf of the whole Bubble family for all of your words of love and support. You have no idea how much they have helped when I have been unable to get out of the door, let alone speak to anyone in RL.
It's said that time is a healer. After Bo died the pain was beyond belief. Physical pain. My heart was literally broken. It's said that time heals and to some extent this is true. It makes the pain bearable but I don't think I can ever fully recover from losing my healthy term baby because of the actions of others. Not God, others.
We now will face the enquiry where we will hear a blow by blow account of my son's last hours. I need to establish what I want from this meeting. I think I can summarise as follows but I'd appreciate any input/ideas from all of you. Mr Bubble and I want to make sure that nobody goes through what we and Bo have suffered. You may be that person, so it is important that I go into this meeting with clear ideas on what needs to be done. My thoughts are as follows:
- The MW notes from my booking appt ended with "Needs consultant appt" - no appt was ever arranged until my GP wrote to her at 30 weeks gestation. None came and I made one myself at 36 weeks.
- At 37 weeks I took myself to hospital with headaches, 2+ protein in urine (self tested) and swelling. I was discharged after 24 hour urine collection. Results of which showed high levels of protein but were reviewd at 38 weeks in ante natal clinic and deemed OK.
- After sweep at 38 week ANC MW booked me for induction at 39 weeks. When we arrived at the hospital the reception staff had no record of our booking and we were put into a room on the post natal ward. Had the ANC MW informed the mternity unit about our induction appt?
- MW's on post natal ward did not seem to understand the seriousness of the CTG traces. Were they experienced enough to understand or were their skills "rusty?"
- Were there enough staff on duty?
- When the consultant on call 'phoned to see if thre were any cases he needed to know about and was not told about me, did I slip through the net because I was on a post natal ward. Did he 'phone the ante natal ward only. Why would he 'phone a post natal ward?
- When the MW's from labour ward came to assess me why did none of them realise that the babies were extremely tachycardic and in distress?
- Why did same MW's allow attending doctors to perform amniotomy and attempt vaginal delivery even though both babies were in distress?
- When we eventually got to theatre why was it down to me, the patient, to tell the anaesthetist to abandon attempts at epidural anaesthesia and give me a GA? Why didn't the doctors or MW's speak out?
- Why was my cervix not assessed for dilation until 03.30 am (seven hours after I was admitted) even though my notes clearly stated that I had had a show 3 days before admission?
We want to know that procedures are in place to prevent this happening again. How can I know that this has been done? What tangible proof can I expect/ask for? We don't want to be fobbed off with words and promises. If changes are to be made that require extra funding, how can we make sure that the extra funding is provided from above and that the maternity unit will not be expected to fund changes from their already overstretched budget?
Can we tape record the meeting, I know that I will be too upset to take it all in and I'll need to review it. I this allowed?