Let me start my story by saying the nurses who cared for me, my partner and son were caring, did it with a smile on their face and were well trained and professional. My story comes from one of understaffing.

As a soon to be first time mum, I was like a deer in the headlights. I spent a total of 8 days in hospital due to high blood pressure and my little boy becoming jaundice and not being very well after birth.

When I was first bought into the maternity ward, I was sent to the birthing suite to monitoring as my bp was high. I came into the room that wasn’t cleaned from the last patient. It had dirty tissues, food and eating utensils. I was asked to sit on the bed and wait. I didn’t because the sheets needed changing, which the midwife did once she realised. They then got me a room on the ward, and I was told I was going to be induced in the morning. The morning came and went and by 4.30 I was sent into the birth suite again to be induced. I was the sent to surgical ward with my bags to wade out early labor. The maternity ward was at capacity and there was no room for me at this time. This was okay, but nothing was explained to me as to what to expect. The induction was hard and fast. I was then sent back to birth suite during the night, as they thought it was go time- false alarm, so I went back to my room in surgical that morning. I labored during Wednesday waiting for my waters to be broken, but was told I wouldn’t be able to have that happen today as there weren’t any staff or beds in the birth suite. I was having steady contractions 2 minutes apart on and off since Tuesday- more than 24hsrs.

My waters were broken Thursday morning and things progressed quickly. I was in a lot of pain and had lots of pressure on my back. I labored with just gas until 4.30. Another midwife checked me and realised baby was posterior. His heart rate began to drop and OBgyns came in to check. He was stuck, so I ended up having emergency c section. Afterwards I was taken back to the birth suite that wasn’t in use and was a storage room. There was no space and to be honest it was traumatic to be back in the room. I didn’t get out of the birth suite until lunch time, and because no one knew I was in there my breakfast and lunch never came. The nurses were so busy this issue seemed trivial, although a new mum living on snake lollies wasn’t probablythe best after the marathon of birth.

I had an iv for antibiotics which was taken out too early, so I had to have oral tabs. My bp was still high so was on medication along with pain relief. My medication was often missed as staff were busy with sicker patients.

When my boy had to spend a second night in special care because of jaundice I was again moved to another room. I ended up just being there the night but it added to the uncertainty. The day I was discharged, nurses hadn’t had breaks all day. The special care nurse was busting to go to the toilet but there was no one to relive her. Being able to go to the toilet is a human right, not a luxury!

When I gave them a box of choccies to say thank you, some midwives had tears in their eyes as they were so grateful and hadn’t eaten anything all day. It was 3 in the afternoon.

The people who look after us at out worst and best days on our lives should be able to have a pee break and food break. Fatigue leaves room for error.