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“HELD DOWN”, “TOLD to be quiet”, and “lied to” about their care.
These are not the experiences of women in 1950s Ireland, but accounts of recent births in modern hospitals across the country.
In dozens of lengthy emails to The Journal, mothers told of the trauma they endured during and after labour and delivery.
Several said they will never return to certain hospitals, or said they’ve lost faith in the HSE altogether.
The Journal asked women to share their experiences following an inquiry into birth trauma in the UK, and calls for the same here.
A 2020 survey of people who gave birth in Irish hospitals found that 52% had a very good experience, while 33% had a good experience. Some 15% of those surveyed rated their overall experience as fair to poor.
Respondents reported problems with their care immediately after giving birth, such as not being involved in decisions, not being supported emotionally, and insufficient information about mental health services.
From accounts shared with The Journal, many of the same problems still persist.
Alleged medical negligence, understaffing and a lack of empathy were recurring themes in the stories shared.
There were also multiple accounts of women not being asked for consent before invasive procedures.
Laura said that she will be “forever haunted” by her experience.
When she was in labour at 32 weeks, she was told she needed to go for a c-section and that her husband would join her in theatre soon.
“When alone, they tried to insert a catheter while I was in the middle of a contraction. I begged them to wait until the contraction was over but they wouldn’t.
They just held down my legs and shoved it in, while I screamed in agony.
“Then they put a mask over my face and told me to count down. I pulled the mask off and asked if I was being put under general anaesthetic. They had never once informed me of this or asked consent.
“I woke in a dark room alone and had to cry out for a nurse to ask if my babies were okay. After an agonising wait, she returned and told me that they were okay, but that I couldn’t see them.”
Laura says she was put in a ward with other mothers and their babies, but she could not see her own for 12 hours.
“I have attended birth trauma therapy but I’ll be forever haunted by the horrific memories of what was done to me.
“I have lost all faith in the health service.”
Now pregnant again, Laura says she’s paid over €7,000 for a private midwife, to avoid dealing with the HSE.
Getting treated with care and respect in pregnancy and birth should not be such an expensive privilege, but a right afforded to all women.
“It costs nothing to listen to us and respect our humanity and autonomy.”
Linda said a cervical sweep was done without her consent, and the doctor was “rough”, leaving her in pain and bleeding.
Another reader said staff at the hospital she attended were “stuck in the old school Catholic mindset”.
She said the midwife was “aggressive, mean and impatient”.
She refused to allow me to get pain relief as it ‘wouldn’t be fair to other women who don’t have it’.
“She attempted to do a cervical dilation check mid-contraction. I was in such pain I screamed for her not to and she left her fingers in my vagina in a way that left me feeling completely violated.
“She rolled her eyes at me and sighed loudly while I screamed in pain, and only informed the anaesthetist to give me the epidural when I was fully dilated, so I gave birth without pain relief against my wishes.
“I would never go back and I always worry about other women who experienced the same attitudes. We still have a very long way to go in this country to support women.”
One mother said her labour and delivery was the worst experience of her life due to medical mistakes and staff attitudes.
“During the birth, the baby was facing the wrong way, which meant I would have a difficult, nearly impossible birth, but the doctor didn’t come back from a dinner date in time for me to have a c-section so I was forced to give birth by forceps.
“I had an epidural that only worked in the bottom of my legs. The needle hit spinal fluid. I had to lie flat on my back for two days so I wouldn’t have air rushing to my brain.”
She said she lost a lot of blood and her baby almost died.
“I had no follow up support, only nurses making me feel shame for not persevering with breastfeeding, with them knowing we had both nearly died.”
Jennifer said she feels women are “treated very poorly” in Irish hospitals.
She had a c-section, immediately after which her baby was taken away, against her wishes. This was a recurring complaint among the women who wrote to The Journal.
“[The baby] was given to my husband and brought outside while they worked on me.
“I’ll always remember someone saying: ‘She’s bleeding but I can’t see where from.’
I was absolutely terrified I’d die and never see my baby.
Jennifer said she never found out what happened to her or why her baby was taken away.
“I was brought through to a recovery room and just remembered a midwife being beside me checking me, but I just wanted my baby.
“I was shaking all over and nauseous. It was absolutely horrible.
It could have been so much better if things were explained to me.
Jennifer added that the midwives are “heroes without a cape”.
Caroline suffered from PTSD and postnatal depression after her labour and delivery experience, which she says has deterred her from having any more children.
After giving birth, she hemorrhaged and lost around half of her blood “within minutes”.
“My husband was ushered into a theatre room with our daughter who was just wrapped in a towel and was told nothing,” she said.
“I passed out from the loss of blood, woke up four hours later and went into shock.
“When I asked what happened, all they told me was these things can happen and I was just ‘vascular’. They have never told me the truth.”
Caroline was in hospital for seven days afterwards, where she says she got more than 30 stitches in her cervix and received a number of blood transfusions.
I had one doctor tell me that I should have planned my child. She was very much planned.
“I was offered no help or answers, and I certainly was not listened to by staff in the hospital. I still suffer with trauma.”
One woman said that she required stitches after having her first baby and wasn’t listened to when she described the pain.
“I could feel every single stitch. The doctor wouldn’t believe me and told me to suck on some gas.
It was horrendous. I was lying there, legs in stirrups, feeling that needle pierce me over and over.
Another reader said she was treated like a child when in labour with her first baby, “left screaming and told to be quiet”.
“I thought that experience couldn’t get worse and moved to [a different hospital] for my second, where they quite literally nearly killed me.”
After having a c-section for her second child, she went home but soon experienced chest pain and difficulty breathing.
“I was told I was just anxious. I returned two days later coughing up blood. I was told my respiratory bloods were showing viral infection and to go home with prescribed anxiety medication.”
She says she collapsed the next day and was brought by ambulance to a hospital before being transferred to a Coronary Care Unit.
“My lungs were filled with fluid. I was in heart failure and diagnosed with often fatal peri-partum cardiomyopathy.
Now on medication for the rest of her life, she blames “negligence” for the progression of her illness.
“All because they said I was just anxious.”
Readers say overcrowding and understaffing contributed to negative experiences and poor care.
Claire said she was denied an epidural for hours as it could only be administered in the delivery ward, which had no spaces available at that time.
Due to complications, she had an episiotomy.
She said she was in hospital for four days and “could barely walk”, but was then sent home and “told to take paracetamol”.
“I ended up back in a few days later as I got an infection and I couldn’t stand up or walk.
“I stood bent over against a wall for three hours outside the ER until a nurse finally felt sorry for me and let me lie on a bed.
“It was horrific. I was sent home with an antibiotic.”
Claire sought counselling after the experience.
People say you forget soon after, but I’ll never forget.
Another reader told us that overcrowding in the hospital she attended made her feel like she “was in a cattle mart rather than a healthcare facility”.
“When my waters broke the day before my due date, there were no available beds in the labour ward, forcing me to labour on a trolley without pain relief or monitoring.”
The same woman experienced a miscarriage earlier this year, and said her care only added to her distress.
“Following a private scan that revealed my baby’s death, I was left waiting for two weeks before [the hospital] could perform a dilation and curettage, adding to the emotional and physical strain during an already difficult time.”
Dozens of mothers reported a lack of mental health supports after their traumatic experiences.
One reader, who had previously struggled with postnatal depression, said: “I felt alone and not listened to.
“They said that I was just low because I had only given birth and to just wait.
“I am now finally getting help after nearly 2.5 years of demands from my doctor, but the HSE clearly don’t think my case was bad enough.”
Rob described his wife’s traumatic birth experience, from which she developed PTSD.
“She was not offered any mental health support by the hospital,” he said.
“Maternity care for women in Ireland is a disgrace and not to modern standards. There is no follow up for women after childbirth.”
Several mothers told us that even when they asked for support or referrals to counselling, they did not get a response.
The HSE offers a birth reflection service, but many mothers reported not being told about it. Some of those who sought appointments had to wait months, and many found the experience lacking, as they felt their concerns were dismissed.
Many women who wrote to The Journal said they will never have a child again for fear of having another traumatic experience.
There were also some positive experiences shared, mainly commending the care provided by hospital staff who were described as being “run off their feet”.
The HSE previously said that “the quality and safety of the maternity services is of utmost importance” and that it wants to ensure the safety of all women and babies.
“Listening to women about their experience in the care they receive is really important.”
It also said it will conduct another nationwide survey on maternity care in early 2025, “and the HSE will act on the findings from that survey”.
It signposted its debriefing services for mothers. Birth reflections are available at some maternity units.
“Debriefing services are recognised as being hugely beneficial, particularly after a traumatic birthing experience or where emergency action was required to safeguard the wellbeing of the women and her baby with a view to supporting the woman to understand what happened and why.”
Some quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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Sounds like a dáta gathering exercise similar to the mandatory PPS card
@Ashling Fenton: they already have the data
@Ashling Fenton: PPS card. This country needs a national ID card.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: No, no it does not.
The feckin’ Guards are bad enough as it is without giving them Gestapo-like ideas.
“Papers please”
A disaster waiting to happen. Everything’s going online and no human available to talk to about it.
@reg morrisey: they will have a chatbot which has the capability to answer questions you are not asking and be of no use whatsoever.
When will the useless chatbot be consigned to the bin?
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: Clippy lives.
Russia must be salivating at the thought of this.
@Daniel Skelton: You never told us non aviation folk (who you scoffed at) why the north runway was closed a few weeks ago?!?! It was only broken at 500ft.
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: I don’t think you know despite pretending you did!?!?
I will collect the free information booklet
and put it with my iodine tablets and gathering postcards
@Aisling Lohan: I assume you wrote that comment on a typewriter and posted it off to the Journal’s offices.
Unless it costs 500 million and is a complete waste of time we’re not interested
A hackers wet dream!
we can’t build a hospital…yet we think we can secure people’s data …doing what Europe tells us ….
It’s all just for your convince, and definitely not to track you like a Chinese dissident who can be shut down and switched off in a micro second.
@087 bed: paranoid much?!
@Donna Fallon: “just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean their not out to get you”. LOL
Unsavory actors could hack into the database, and add people, or delete them.
You might no longer officially exist.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: its only a digital copy.not the actual documents,which can be kept safely elsewhere
@Systemic 31: Now try to get someone to even talk with when you don’t exist anyway.
We’re running headlong into a dystopian society
@Vincent Hickey: Having a copy of my driving license on my phone is dystopian? Who knew.
@Jason Memail: lol
@Jason Memail: Well, you could always take a photo of same for reference.
The Digital driver’s licence should be required to start a vehicle and should only be eligible if you are fully insured, too many uninsured drivers are causing carnage on our roads causing tragic traumatic Life altering or ending events on our roads.
@Cormac McKay: A problem easily solved.
If the state compels us to have 3rd party insurance, then the state should provide it. Remove profit scheming insurance companies from the equation altogether.
(If anyone wants any additional level of insurance, such as fully comp, then they can go to a private profit gouging insurance company.)
If the state charged for this insurance through a fuel surcharge, as an example, then every vehicle is automatically insured.
@Cormac McKay: Your point seems to be anchored on the idea that having insurance makes you a better driver, which is fundamentally false. Insurance is only an agreement to do something if an incident occurs, it doesn’t prevent the incident happening in the first place.
@Jason Memail: i agree. It doesnt make people better drivers because accidents happen but it covers you if someone is injured or there is damage done to a car you have a loan on.
Great idea, scrap the plastic cards and paper passports once and for all.
@Ben dover: And if your abroad and lose your phone?
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: if you lose your phone or tablet containing them, you will most likely be able to go online at another source and retrieve your information that way while at the same time blocking your lost item. Just an idea?
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: everyone will eventually have a barcode tattoo
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: It doesn’t say it’s replacing physical documents, it’s just another tool for convenience. It’s a pain in the Swiss losing physical documents too, I can only speak for myself but I’m more likely to lose something physical than my phone (including bank cards). It’s one reason I like the passport card, easier to keep close to me at all times than the book.
@Megan Ward: Stolen phones?
And could the thief use that phone to impersonate you?
I’d imagine phones are targets for theft more than any other item even today.
With all that extra valuable information on them…
And how would you be able to go online to retrieve that information, when it is – presumably – stored on a government database to which you will probably also have lost account access.
Unless you are able to remember the gazillion extra user names and passwords that would be added to all those we have to try to keep control of already.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: If my phone is stolen and the thief threatens me to such a violent and scary extent that I tell them my passcode, or knocks me out so that they can pull my eyelids open and use my Face ID, I’ve got bigger problems than worrying what they’ll get into on my phone. If this did happen and they were able to get into my phone, I’d be using iCloud to remotely erase the phone. Phones can be stolen with or without these ‘digital wallets’, this isn’t a new potential issue.
I’d be screwed if I was abroad and someone stole a bag that contained my cash and passport if I only used cash, is that a reason for no one to ever carry cash? No, you use what you prefer and the more backup methods you have, the better.
I don’t know about you but I prioritise learning more important passwords off by heart. More concerned about making sure I remember my Gmail password or Apple ID than my Facebook or ASOS password, for example.
Let’s save the fretting until this is mandatory, maybe? If you don’t want to use it, don’t. If they announce that they’re slashing physical ID documents then we can start panicking. There are lots of features people use that others freak out at the idea of, like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Oh, because you’ll come back with ‘and how will you log into iCloud when your phone is gone???’ I would use the phone of a friend, my boyfriend or family. Or find an internet café. Or use my iPad if I’ve brought that and left it in the hotel safe. If I’m doing a solo trip, I need to be extra careful about absolutely anything. Wouldn’t go on many holidays if we assumed the worst will happen every time, though.
@Megan Ward: It’s not about assuming the worst will happen.
But it will happen to some.
And it’s not about someone torturing you to gain account information.
We thought our bank cards were secure. Until several ways of hacking these were created.
We thought our bank accounts were safe, until scammers found ways.
There are many spywares and the like that may already be on your phone.
With new ones coming down the line all the time.
I’ve yet to meet many who don’t let their device handle their account information, and who would have any clue what their account names and passwords are.
When they get a new device they have no clue how to get onto their accounts anymore.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: You’re right, there could be spyware on our phones and computers stealing our data, getting into all of the websites we use and taking important personal data. What’s the solution, go off the grid and use nothing? Never use things like Revenue Online Service (that contains very important information) in case it’s hacked? That’s not a practical solution for most, all we can do is practice good internet security techniques, use 2 Factor Authentication where possible and the like.
With all due respect to them, those people are very careless. You’re right in that there are so many websites now it’s hard to remember passwords to all, but it’s not a big ask to remember your Google password, Apple/Android details, basically anything you’ll need to get into things again. In almost 20 years of using the internet I’ve been completely locked out of something once, because it was linked to an old email service that’s now defunct. I don’t understand these people who seemingly don’t even know their email password and keep setting up new accounts for everything every time they get a new device.
@Megan Ward: Nope!
Just don’t make ourselves unnecessarily reliant on one single point of failure.
(Although physically we have single points of failure in our brains and our hearts.)
Always have a paper copy of your birth cert somewhere.
A physical passport.
And so on.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: I think everyone can agree on that. I first got the passport card when I was visiting the US for the first time, knew I’d need ID everywhere but they don’t accept age cards and I didn’t fancy the idea of having my passport book out everywhere especially if drinking, so kept that in the safe. Handy to have the card anyway.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Nobody is suggesting that digital versions of birth certs or drivers licenses will replace physical versions. This is a great initiative, despite what the doomsayers and pearl clutchers say
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: and if you’re abroad and lose your wallet now?
Deartháir mór is watching…
New hack
It is amusing that people are raging about data and digital trackers yet they are most likely on a mobile phone which not only gives away data with your consent but also tracks you too. What triggered you lot was the word ‘government’. You saw that word and never took the time to engage your brain before commenting.
@Sun Rise:
Bullseye.
Although nowadays you have to wonder how many comments are from computers triggered by certain words.
Kindly feck off with your digital tracker.
Just put it all on a chip and implant it into our wrists… Problem solved… ??
@Blue Moon: Right up until the accident that takes your arm off or it gets fried in an MRI scanner.
Bad idea
It is a digital vaccine
Whoahere
Brilliant, another soft target for cyber attacks.
As an IT person, give me the contract. The technology is already here, so I will just use it and charge a fortune. Nice.
@did you every wonder: Fine but you sign up for liability for all future cyber attacks.
Still want the job?
How about starting slowly and getting the leap card sorted so it can be used on your phone. Baby steps !!
Anybody who listens to Ossian Smyth needs there head screwing back on.
Tracking whole life is coming not fair on few people that dont do online
have your say