Nearly half (47%) of women are not told about signs and symptoms of conditions that may need emergency help following childbirth, according to a survey of women by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and Netmums.
The survey of women also showed that nearly a third (30.8%) felt unsupported and were asked to go home when they were not ready to leave. Almost one-tenth (9%) said they felt rushed out before they were ready. Nearly two-thirds (60%) of women said they experienced feeling down or depressed after giving birth. Support with feeding their babies was another area of anxiety for women. Well over two-thirds (40%) of women who responded to the question said they were not given enough information about breastfeeding. Over one-fifth (21.4%) of women said they had no support at all with breastfeeding. Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, commented that this confirmed some of her fears about the level and quality of postnatal care that midwives are able to provide: “We know from a recent survey of heads of midwifery that postnatal care is suffering because of midwife shortages. They told us that midwives are often moved from this crucial area to cover shortages in other areas, particularly on labour wards.”
