I sent this as an email to report Cavan general

I sent this last night and still haven’t got an answer back I doubt I will as they are extremely unprofessional and useless

@Chloe I’m so sorry you’ve had such an awful experience. I’d definitely look into changing hospitals. Is there a more centralised email address for the HSE you can contact? I’d send that and do bullet points and send it to everyone you possibly can because you shouldn’t be treated that way

They can't confirm if your BMI increased because you gained weight or if it is related to the baby (expected that you would gain at least 5kg in blood volume, baby weight, fluid etc) so the BMI will always be based on your initial weight. This can't be changed in your medical records. I even asked my midwife if they needed to reweigh me and she said that they will never weigh you again after 12 weeks or record that weight, so eat as you like and don't concern yourself on the weight. The BMI is just a cut off that is decided via evidence synthesis and they have to stick to it, it is probably a HSE wide policy, so changing hospital or hospital group likely won't change this fact. MLU is not always possible, you could have a very unlucky due date and it could be full, in which case you wouldn't get a choice. My midwife reminds me every time I visit that the birth plans are wishes and not always possible sadly. Private room is again, definitely not possible in advance.

@Chloe it's also a bank holiday, and the people responding to you are not working Christmas day or boxing day because they're admin staff, not nursing/medical staff. Responses normally take 24-72 hours during working hours. So if you aren't responded to by Friday, you should follow up.

Totally understand how you must feel, I haven't felt my care has been great either but I do think a lot of what you described is fairly normal or there has just been bad communication. Do you mean you sent this email on christmas night and expected a reply already? I wouldn't be expecting a reply until at least wed/thurs at the earliest. Secondly no women wants to be in a bay, it's just the way it is, rooms are kept for women who are very sick/contagious/specific reason. You should be somewhere private for the birth, just not the recovery and possibly not at the start of labour. They cant change your bmi - it's based off your original weight, prior to baby growing. Like I'm technically obese now as most women put on weight but I wasnt before so it's irrelevant. I think whilst recording baby movements it's normal for them to leave you for a while so you can concentrate on movements. That being said you are totally allowed to change hospital, I considered it but it may not be any better elsewhere.

@Aine I can’t find any other email I can send it to other than this woman Abby that does antenatal classes 😞

There should be an overall "maternity" email address? Does the email address have abbey's name in it- cause if it's her work email, shes the only one who can access it and could be off for weeks

@Sarah I was told the woman I emailed named Abby. On WhatsApp to send the email and she’d get back as she has an antenatal class on the 26th and 27th and was working on Christmas too so that’s why I expected one back

@Cordelia I was told by Sligo hospital that I could change because at 12 weeks of pregnancy I lost one of my twins and my blood pressure is low and my iron I need to get 5 b12 injections and my GP is refusing them and ever since I went with Cavan general they’ve been ignorant and changed rules by yet my sister was allow to transfer when she was in having her daughter . I’m 36 weeks and 4 days pregnant now and they’ve done nothing for me but belittle me and trigger my past I have body dysmorphia and have had an eating disorder and they triggered me which I’ve explained and the midwife told me she didn’t care and I was to shut up and stop complaining because I’m young when I know a lot of hospitals as my aunts work in them from both sides of my family . They have told me I’m going to neglect my child whenever she’s born and not look after her right when I’m 1 of 15 children and I am an aunt to multiple children and have experiences I just don’t know why there being so hateful 😕

@Sarah no she gave me one called parentcraft via WhatsApp

yoursay@hse.ie

That’s the email for HSE complaints overall. I’d send it to them and copy the other person in also. The director of midwifery at Cavan General Hosptial is called Georgian Crowe and the email address for complaints is PatientAdvocacy.CMH@hse.ie https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/complaints/officers/hospital/cosrcsi.html link with all the info

@Chloe then definitely go back to them if they said it can be changed, I just know that I was told it wouldn't change but ofc you have very specific circumstances here. You are allowed to give birth in any hospital you like and change up until the day (in your group/trust) so if you want to change, definitely do. Just know that MLU may already be full (I want a water birth and have been repeatedly told that it's a pie in sky dream so don't expect it) and that private rooms are only given if wards are full or the mum has a baby in ICU or similar issue. The other mums will be nice! And you can make friends :) I would email the midwife email on your pregnancy folder/book and there is also a maternity experience survey who you can let know about your experience. Just Google maternity experience survey ireland.

And seconding what @Sarah said, for the movements, that's something they leave you to do as they aren't any help/use to you during that. She should have communicated that to you, so you understood she wouldn't be around or present to minimise your understandable worry but it's a very normal experience, so in that regard, I wouldn't be too concerned.

@Cordelia thank you :) I wanted a water birth too but I hope everything goes well for you and you don’t ever have this horrible type of trouble I would never wish it on anyway it’s so tough

@Cordelia she had bad communication for a woman in her 50s/60s I’d say and told me to take everything off myself 🤔 which I think was not correct as Mona the dr told me it should have been taken off me as I had no idea how to take it off I almost broke it 😳

@Aine thank you so much . There pretty biased people in Cavan and don’t like me because I’m from Derry , so hopefully the boss of midwifery will not be like the midwife’s too 🤞

@Chloe honestly, raise your concerns and do it in bullet points and copy as many in as possible! There’s a phone number on that link also, I hope you get sorted