McMaster Children's Hospital - Hamilton Health Sciences — Attraction in Hamilton

Labour and Delivery: I had my child here 6 years ago and I am currently pregnant with my second. It wasn't until recently I realized how traumatic my birth was at mac and I am terrified for my second. While in labour and delivery I felt very rushed, pushed through. Not much guidance from nurses explaining anything about the process, just pushing epidural as soon as I got in, not using any birthing techniques like the ball or penut. I was low risk, I was full term, healthy and still ended in a c section. They did not do anything to help or explain why the c section was necessary just that it was now an emergency due to the in ability to get a heartbeat with the scalp clip thing. They didn't try anouther way they just went straight to c section. I was waiting for this emergency c section for a while. I would also like to add about the catheter, this nurse failed 5 times, I asked her to get someone else and stop, she proceded to continue after i asked her to STOP. This was against my rights and I should have made a bigger stink.

While in the operating room, the epidural failed, I told them I can feel my legs, they almost cut. Immediately responding to me saying I can't feel it. They put up the sheet and sure enough I felt as they touched my legs and abdomen. They then did a spinal amnesia wich failed, then I needed to be put to sleep. This whole time my partner was not told of anything going on. He was worried that something was wrong and no one told him. As I came too after the c section they failed to give pain medication, I was in immediate pain upon waking up. They checked my chart and sure enough I was not given anything. While in recovery room after delivery was the worst experience of my life. LC was rude and made you feel aweful if you chose formula. I was not checked often, didn't change my dressings. They said why are you not walking around, they never told me when I could if I could as they never checked in. So I took a shower, they asked if I took the dressing off, I said no then they said we'll it needs to be changed. Just rudely. Then since my daughter was born near christmas the 48h check up was on christmas day and my dr office was closed I simply asked if I take her to a walk in or the emerg at that point, and the nurse replied walk in clinics are gross just bring her back her to get her looked at. As a first time mom at the time this was an aweful experience, I will not be going to macmaster ever. Very traumatic experience.

Also I had the spinal headache due to the failed epidural and spinal. And I just read my report and the anesthesiologist wrote it was not one of those headaches but the report clearly states pain was only when sitting up and completely gone when laying down. Just unacceptable to be disregarded of how you are feeling and Dr's not taking...

It's been 13 months since my birth at this place and i'm still disgusted at 1) their treatment of me on a basic human level and 2) their lack of expertise. I thought mcmaster was known for their innovation and knowledge? What a scam. The OB on call i had the misery of meeting was dr. Scattolon. That is my first time writing her name. I haven't actually even been able to register the birth yet because of the trauma. I've tried my best to forget her name, but cannot. Her resident was even more of a peach, berating me for (gasp!) drinking water in labour. Laughing at me multiple times for what i wanted. So i planned for a homebirth but decided to go to the hospital with a frank breech baby. In labour, I was met with no support in attempting a vaginal breech birth. Apparently, this doctor is not comfortable with such a thing. What kind of specialist is that? Where is female choice in this situation? Only if you want an abortion in this country i guess that doctors are supportive of a woman's choice. Breech babies are 3-4% of all pregnancies, and this "doctor" is only capable of cutting the baby out of you. What's worse, attempting a breech birth with an unsupportive and inexperienced provider is a dangerous route to take. So where is MY choice??? She then recommended an ultrasound to check if im a candidate for vaginal breech birth. Fine, that's standard at many facilities. Surprise surprise she came back with the results a couple hours later and her response, "you'll be putting your baby at risk of death if you proceed." So with tears (and doubts that she's even telling the truth) i agreed to a cesarean. Heartbroken, gutted, fearful, and unable to fight any longer. Does she know that i've spent the last 13 months, having thoughts daily about how my birth was ruined? That such a sacred event was torn from me because she doesn't know how to do her job? Of course i am sure she is relying on the term breech trial for her evidence of why she doesn't need to be competent in vaginal breech. A misinformed and faulty study that's been abandoned by many OBGYNs around the world. I guess she ultimately just doesnt care about MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH outcomes. Oh and nvm the fact that it took the anesthesiologist SEVEN TRIES to give me a working spinal. In the end i had both a spinal and epidural... this delivery ward is a joke and i wish every day i never stepped foot in this hospital last year. P.S. A few weeks after the birth i had a MW tell me to my face she suspects that ultrasound to be...

This hospital is very concerning. We brought our 8 year old to the emergency room as he was experiencing a severe migraine. It just so happened, our older daughter made her way to the emergency room with her own migraine a couple hours before we brought our son. By the time we made it to a room to see a doctor, our daughter was being admitted for her migraine. When our son was seen by the doctor, we were told by them that they don’t admit kids for migraines and that we would have to visit our family doctor. When I told them about our daughter who was across the hall being admitted for her migraine, they stumbled for a minute and then said they would give our son a referral to a neurologist at the hospital, which they did promptly. I attended the first appointment with the neurologist and he requested that our son get an MRI done and then we would go back to see the results. I asked the neurologist if he would like to see the logs I was keeping for my son’s migraines and he said those don’t do anything for him (he did not look at them at all). I attended for the MRI with my son and then saw the neurologist again about 2 months later, for the results of the MRI. At that appointment, I was told the MRI showed nothing and he proceeded to hand me a prescription for a medication. When I started asking questions, I found out this neurologist knows nothing about migraines, as it was not what he focussed on his practice. I proceeded to ask how he could prescribe the medication having no knowledge in this area (his practice focuses on epilepsy), he asked if I would like a referral to a paediatric neurologist that did focus on migraine, to which I answered yes. This is VERY concerning to me as this neurologist told us to avoid things that the migraine neurologist specifically said NOT to avoid. This has bothered me for sometime, as had I not started asking questions about the lifelong medication they were about to put my son on, he would have been avoiding things that help with migraines and been on a medication that most likely, wasn’t the right one for him and no one would have been the wiser until something real bad happened to my son. Please ask questions when seeing these doctors, as referral arrangements with pharmaceutical companies exist in this province - they should not, but they do. We will avoid this hospital at all costs and be...