Awful awful awful experience
I took my 2 day old baby to A&E as advised by my midwife for jaundice blood tests. My midwife advised the usual procedure for this would be that my baby would have her bloods taken and be sent home for the results. Instead we ended up waiting 5 hours, and still didn’t see a doctor. Upon arrival, I was advised my partner wasn’t allowed into the hospital with me even though I was 2 days post op from a Caesarean section (major surgery) and was told by the nurse in-charge that I would be provided with support from staff. As I thought this would be adequate and understood the additional risks to my partner being in the hospital because of covid, I didn’t argue. However, I was offered minimal support the whole time I was at the hospital. Including, being provided with an extremely low seat whilst in the waiting corridor and being escorted by nurses walking extremely fast. My baby and I were told to wait on a separate corridor to be triaged, instead of the main waiting area because of her age (I can only assume this is due to reducing contact with poorly people in the waiting area). We were triaged and bloods were taken extremely quickly and initially I was impressed. I was advised that my babies jaundice levels were safe and she wouldn’t need treatment but we would need to wait to speak to a doctor. We were then moved to CDU into a cubical to wait to speak to the doctor. The nurse who looked after us was amazing and I couldn’t thank enough for the support and reassurance she provided me. However, 4 hours later we had still not been seen by the doctor to be discharged. I explained to the nurse, that I was 2 days post op and that I was in pain, and naturally extremely tired from having a 2 day old baby and asked if the doctor could come and see us so we could both go home and rest. She asked the doctor but clearly this wasn’t possible and we were still made to wait. Whilst waiting we were within a unit with the same contagiously poorly children that we weren’t allowed to mix with in the waiting area. Including two children who I heard the parent explain that they had whooping cough! Due to the lack of care I received and the fact my baby wasn’t poorly, I decided to go home without seeing a doctor and receive care from the midwife in the morning. The experience was absolutely unacceptable when the blood tests could have been done and we could have just been sent home. This was my first experience at Birmingham Child’s Hospital and do not feel reassured by the level of care received.