"Their attitude was so upsetting"

I was transferred to Wishaw Maternity Unit during my pregnancy. I had PPROM with twins at 21+5, and a large haemorrhage at 24 weeks at my usual hospital, and as their neonatal unit was full and I was at very high risk of preterm labour, they deemed it necessary to transfer me to a unit with cots available as my sons would need immediate neonatal care if they were to arrive.

The morning after my arrival at Wishaw a member of staff came to my room and told me I didn't need to be there, and proceeded to dismiss the seriousness of my pregnancy complications, stating that women have PPROM all the time and get to 37 weeks, told me I should go home and when I said I didn't even have a way to get home as I was transferred by ambulance from another hospital and didn't have a car, they said I could go in a taxi... no house keys, all my belongings in several bags because I had been in hospital for 3 weeks at this point.

This member of staff was incredibly rude and condescending and clearly hadn't read my notes as otherwise they would have known that I had just had a large haemorrhage and was on the verge of an emergency section a couple of days prior with a baby who was expected to have very poor lung development due to oligohydramnios from as early as 16 weeks, and was under instruction from various consultants to remain inpatient until at least 28 weeks or until my twins were born.

The consultants at Wishaw told me to ignore this member of staff, and to stay until 28 weeks. However, their attitude was so upsetting that I chose to discharge myself a couple of days later.

A day later I had another haemorrhage and I was readmitted to my original hospital where I remained due to the very high risk nature of my pregnancy. During the next couple of weeks I had yet another haemorrhage, and at 28 weeks I gave birth to my twins who both required ventilation, and one of them had a pneumothorax, required 100% oxygen and high frequency ventilation, adrenaline, insulin, pancoronium, morphine, treated for sepsis 3 times, required numerous blood transfusions, suffered necrotising enterocolitis, a collapsed lung, pulmonary interstitial emphysema, chronic lung disease bullae, high conjugated bilirubin, 3 x brain bleeds and suspected toxoplasmosis along with more complications.

Had I listened to the member of staff I spoke with and didn't take the high risk nature of my pregnancy seriously and stayed home, or had my labour occurred when they tried to send me home, my twins would likely have died. Midwifery requires care and compassion, 2 qualities that I feel this member of staff most certainly did not possess.