I had two comunity midwifes one was young and one was older the younger one was quite nice but she always seemed rushed and never remberd me every time i saw her i would have liked her to have been a little bit more personal rarther than making me feel like a another number! the older one was quite abbupt and kind of had the attitude of "billions of women have done it before you have stop beeing a silly little girl" altho she never really said that that was how she made me feel! anyway as for my midwifes while i was in labor i had one who was really nice but she had to leave for shift change but she came back in too see me after, and my 2nd midwife was amazing she really was, i dont rember much about her untill after i actually had charlie but she was birlliant, both hospital mw were loads better than the comunity ones who just treat you like another number!

Heres mine Jazzy

Hope this helps Jazzy

Thanks soo much girls x

Dont even know who my MW was? Saw three before I had Maley (all different - holiday cover i was told) then saw one three weeks after I had Maley (supposed to see one a few days after the birth at home but she never turned up) After chasing the one who came to my home, she just felt my belly, weighed Maley, said she was underweight and to feed her more and left Didnt even ask me how i am.

Bearing in mind this was my first baby....i was really disappointed. Good job I didnt have PND or any other probs and I have a great family and OH.

oh and labour wise....dont remember her. She was hardly there and once Maley and placenta was out, we were left to it. My mum was fuming and shocked.

I'll do it babes if u still need it? ....

I had the same midwife as my 'main midwife' throughout although she was a community midwife I never saw her at the birth. A couple of times towards the end of my pregancy she wasnt available to do my appointments so I had her collegue - always one of the two women I saw. I also had a student sit in on 2 occasions and was asked if I minded them being there, I said I didnt. At the birth the midwife's work on a shift system and are a completely different 'team' to the community ones - for the birth itself I only had 1 midwife throughout from start to finish.

The system as a whole in the West Midlands/Staffordshire could be improved as if there were any problems I had to ring 1 telephone number between 9am - 9:30am Mon-Friday which was extremely unsuitable because of the size of the geographical area and the amount of people ringing it - it was constantly engaged.

Any questions - please ask away!

my community midwife nearly killed me, the senior midwife at the hospital missed my waters breaking and i was left for 4 days, the midwife that delivered chloe sat in the corner of the room reading her magazine, ignored my birth plan, didnt tell me my blood pressure was so high i might need a section, just disscussed it in the corner with a colleague.

Let me know if you want the full story!!!!

I started with one midwide who was lovely, but surgery was having a whole change about so i got a new one. was a bit apprehensive but she was fantastic. ALways remembered me, what was going on, booked me in extra appointments when I needed, had her mobile number and was always told who to call when her's was off. OH worked so she always helped with the timing of appointments. Pleasant, helpful and would love to have her (if there is a next time!)

Labour - actually can't fault that either. Water's broke and got checked by a midwife and sent home. Back 2 hours later fully dilated, same midwife, on and she delivered Layla. Her shift changed not long after and she was going on hols, she was encouraging, praising me, reassuring me when things weren't oing to plan (HB, episiotomy etc) Only thing is I wish I'd been internally checked when water's went as 2 hours later i was back, in agony and fully dilated.

HTH

Hope I can be of some help with my reply!

I'm 33 (if that makes any difference?) Sophia was my first and I saw pretty much the same midwife throughout pregnancy except for a couple of appointments where she was absent for whatever reason and I saw someone else.
I thought she was OK until there was a sheet (I think it was the sheet for measuring our bumps) that she was supposed to attach to the green notes but she didn't have any with her at this particular appointment so she sent it to me in the post but told me Sssh! Don't let any other MW's know because they'll think she's irrisponsible for not having had one on her at the appointment when she should have.

At another appointment she didn't have any needles to take a blood sample that I needed to check a condition she knew about!

I didn't receive some paper work that I was later informed about when in hospital (something to do with taking some of babies blood within her first 3 days to check for congenital heart disease).

My MW told me baby was head down when I went to a check up at 34 weeks (A scan showed at 28 weeks my baby was breech and at that 34 week appointment my instincts told me my MW was wrong) a scan showed that she was indeed wrong!

I received terrible aftercare whilst in hospital, after having had a CS and when I informed my MW of this once I was back home, she told me she would arrange for the head community MW to come and see me but it never happened.

All in all I felt let down by my MW, I feel that the standard of care was not good enough, I hope but don't expect things to have improved by the time I have my next pregnancy.

If I could afford private care from a MW I would.

Hope that might help with your essay? Oh and good luck with it!

I'll do it too hun x

My Midwife was a community midwife. I met her through my surgery, after having my first appt with my dr to confirm the pregnancy. At first i was terrified, of course because i was so young, i thought i would automically get 'down graded'. But tbh, i could not of asked for a better midwife, and even more so, a friend.

I saw her throughout my whole pregnancy. She always put me first and thought of me, if i had a problem ( whether it was tiny or big ) she would always be there for me. I had numerous non booked appointments jsut because i felt off or i was a bit concerned, and not once did she moan or complain. She always re-assured me and made me feel at ease.

When i had the scare at my 20 week appt with the baby having a chance of being CF or downs, i rang her straight away and told her, and she went out of her way to come and visit me at home to comfort me and talk me through all of what happend. ( The consultant who done the scan told me nothing, all she said was the bowel was brighter than usual and that it was a sign of downs or cf, and that id need to come back for blood tests and another scan!) So of course i was worried as hell, but after speaking to the midwife, she reassured me that it COULD be nothing, and it happens alot!

I always thought she was the one who would deliver my baby, so when i found out she wasnt i was devostated!! I felt so comfortable and at ease with her, but even though she didnt deal with hospital births, she told me when i go into labor to phone her and if shes free she would come up and help me through the birth! ( I didnt though, because it was 2.30 in the morning!)

Overall, she was an amazing midwife and an even better friend. I couldn't ask for more, and i pray to god i get her through my next pregnancy!

xx

EDIT: Labor wise.. i had a midwife who i actually saw during one of my appoitments. I felt better because i knew her, and she was great aswell x