Queen's Hospital 2023-04-21 Person 1 5 0

I spent 1 night (came at roughly 9pm)but wanted to actively leave the next morning. 1. I was attempting to breast feed behind curtain and a midwife came in and just opened the curtains ‘I need to give you discharge information’ I had to cover myself quickly. 2. No one on the ward helped me to feed my baby, I understand staffing can be bad, totally get that. The night midwife told me after I said I wanted to breast feed that ‘ you don’t have milk, your baby is starving give him a bottle’ 3. Day midwife called Maria, I can only describe as one of the rudest most ignorant midwife or nurses I have ever met. She hissed behind her teeth when I asked about my antibiotics for going home in the next hour or 2. She told the young mother across the way that she was going to ‘kill her baby if she swaddles it’ and your going to over heat your baby in that blanket, your going to kill your baby’ ‘you should use a cellular blanket’. The mother was horrified. It was awful to be in bay, I’m a first time mother too and it scared And The HCAs were quite nice, busy but when I did talk to them they were very nice and friendly, please say thank you. I didn’t see point in staying any longer and told my husband to take me home.

Common decency and non judgement. Maria needs to retire or be in a non patient facing role, she was horrible. I don’t like to say that about anyone but it’s the truth. HELP that’s all any of us want. I was a first time mother and only the odd HCA spoke to me, I was completely on my own, no one spoke to me, I didn’t want special attention but it would have been to know I was completely on my own and afraid to ask for help.