I had my beautiful daughter a little over two weeks ago. It was a rough pregnancy (I have basically been pregnant for a year due to two miscarriages back to back followed up by this rainbow). I had pretty bad morning sickness, carpel tunnel, back pain and all the usual aches and pains. I never experienced this with my first born. Right up until his due date I didn’t feel pregnant. I went hiking on his due date!

Third trimester was hard and for a couple of weeks before my induction I had sporadic contractions. Three days before my scheduled induction I went to L&D with consistent and strong contractions. They sent me home as I’m from the country and our hospital only had four delivery suites and they were all full. They said to come back if they got unbareable but they couldn’t help progress me along.

I had three days of early labour and 12 hours of unmedicated active labour. I had no tearing or stitches but a minor graze. The after birth pains were real and I was passing clots and heavy bleeding (something I also didn’t experience with my first born). I was told this was to be expected and I was sent home. I had a midwife give me a home visit the next week (protocol) and I let her know I was still passing clots and bleeding. She told me if I got ill or if it got worse to call L&D. Well that night I started experiencing fever, body aches and feeling really unwell. I called and they told me to go to ED as it sounds like retained placenta. I did as I was told and we were there for four hours for them to only take blood, do an internal and send me home with a script of antibiotics as it all looked good besides my white blood counts being slightly elevated. I was told to go to my gp after I finished my course. The ‘breastfeeding friendly’ antibiotics made my daughter unwell and my newborn who usually fed and slept well was now fussy and keeping me up at night. It was awful and I felt awful. On top of this because I’m so unwell and needing to tend to my unwell newborn I felt like I was ignoring my poor son. I’m all stressed. I went to the gp a week later, still with bleeding coming and going intermittently and passing small tissue like bits and feeling unwell. He sent me for more bloods, more antibiotics and an ultrasound. I told him it made my daughter unwell and he said that it will give her a little ‘upset tummy’ but it is fine and he’ll see me after I finish my course of antibiotics. I do as I’m told again. The ultrasound is on the Friday and she finds a leftover “material” and asks me what they plan on doing because it looks to be quite a lot. I have no idea as none of that is discussed with me. She seems very concerned and says that they will write the report up straight away and send it off. I left and go home and tell my husband. He gets angry and says this whole thing seems poorly handled and at this stage i am as well. My daughter who had just recovered from my last course of antibiotics is now unwell and not feeding and sleeping again. I become really stressed out and getting sicker. The next morning I call L&D again. They apologise profusely about how badly it’s been handled and the midwife gets advise off their OBGYN on the ward who tells me to go to ED again and that they expect to see me on ward later that day for a D&C because this needs to resolved ASAP.

I go back. Three hours later all that has happened is my bp is taken and I have to repeat myself on three seperate occasions why I am there. The doctor decides that they won’t do anything as they can’t access my ultrasound report because it’s a Saturday and my ultrasound clinic is closed and the hospital won’t do another ultrasound as it’s a Saturday and the ultrasound technician won’t come in to do another as I had just had one yesterday. I’m advised to go home and book a gp appointment on Monday to get my report back. This doctor is obviously from the city because where im from doctors come and go and to book an appointment you have to be willing to wait two weeks. I tell her this and she doesn’t understand and tells me again “just call up and book one in for Monday” I explain again this isn’t possible so I’m told “well just come back here on Monday.” I’m furious. My husband tells her that I’m refusing to take my antibiotics because of how unwell it makes our daughter and what if it becomes infected in the two day wait. She tells him that is very unlikely and that I look comfortable enough and I’m not bleeding badly and that is all they’re going to do at this stage.

I call back my L&D ward and update them to see if there is anything they can do for me. She told me she’s really sorry and after updating their OBGYN they have said they can’t do much more either and can’t take me in ward as I’m two weeks PP.

I’m angry. I feel unheard and uncared for. Because I’m not in significant pain they don’t seem to care. This whole experience has put me off wanting anymore children. It has been awful. Now I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go back to ed. I have a doctors appointment prebooked for Thursday but I don’t know what he’ll really do and how long the referral process will take. Surely having such a huge piece of placenta sitting inside me isn’t good!

Thanks for letting me rant.