healthmedicinet

Nearly one in four moms feel that receiving subpar NHS maternity care placed them or their unborn child in danger.

The results of a Mumsnet survey come in the wake of several pregnancy scandals in which scores of moms and infants lost their lives or were seriously injured.

23 percent of the women questioned thought they or their child was in danger.

Of the 1,018 respondents, over one-third claimed they had not gotten all the care they need during birth.

A further 9% of parents said their infant had not gotten sufficient assistance.

Some mothers have reported terrifying flashbacks since their ordeal, while others have been diagnosed with PTSD.

The damning poll, conducted for The timesreiterates the concerns expressed in March by the health service ombudsman that ‘women are not listened to when they raise concerns about their pregnancy, babies or their own health’.

The report warned that even more mothers and babies will be harmed unless scandal-hit NHS maternity services are overhauled.

A mother in the Mumsnet survey stated that she suffered “long-term trauma” since the birth of her baby after she refused an epidural despite asking for it.

She shared how she felt the hospital was using her “as a guinea pig” for medical students to do stitches – which she said were performed without anesthesia and without her consent.

“It was barbaric and has kept me from having another child,” she added.

Another mother claimed she had been “left alone” and had waited “too long” for a C-section. Her previous scar ruptured and her son suffered a stroke during birth, leaving him with cerebral palsy.

One mother said she was denied pain relief because her medical records were confused with those of a patient who had substance abuse problems.

Nearly two-thirds of women felt they were not being listened to by health professionals, and when asked what would have improved their experience, one of them simply replied, “Midwives with empathy.”

She claimed that the health workers “hated their jobs” and, as a result, began “bullying vulnerable women who had just given birth.”

Justine Roberts, founder and managing director of Mumsnet, told The Times that while the maternity staff are “pushed to the limit,” there is a “cultural problem that sees women being ignored and their concerns downplayed.”

Despite high-profile investigations into maternity care across the country in recent years, the health department’s ombudsman found earlier this year that mothers and babies are still at risk.

In 2015, the Morecambe Bay Inquiry found that serious deficiencies led to the death of a mother and 11 babies.

And systemic problems were also found at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, leading to the deaths of around 200 babies and nine mothers, and at East Kent Hospitals Trust – where at least 45 babies died ‘unnecessarily’.

There is also a further study of maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust currently being carried out by midwifery expert Donna Ockenden, who led the review at Shrewsbury.

In their report, the office of the health ombudsman said that “there will be more tragedies if we don’t start addressing these issues differently.”