Hospital birth records, can we see them?

[happytobehere]

im soo glad i found this thread. I have been wondering about this.

[Sarahg]

The hospital legally has to keep your records for a minimum of 7 years. The babies records are kept for 7 years after it turns 18 (ie 25).

Your new hospital should do the request for your records if you are requiring a c/sec as they need to base their case on something. This way you won't have to pay any costs.

They are a useful thing to have though if you have any on going problems - like I do.
good luck

[trin_007]

Thanks again to Bubhub, and especially this thread!

I had a pretty traumatic birth experience with DS1 and even today I get emotional talking about. Now that I am getting ready for #2, I am doing everything I can to be better prepared this time around. Thanks to this thread (and Birthtalk) I was able to (confidently) get in touch with the hospital and today I received a copy of my first birth notes - what an emotional experience reading back through . So many things I didn't know (like how long I was actually in labour for ) and a few things I'd forgotten.

There are still some pieces of information missing, but I will be going through these notes with my new midwife, who will be assisting me with this birth, to fill in the final pieces. I feel so much more confident and relaxed now having this information available.

Thanks again!!!!

[AM]

Wow, am I the only one who got my notes for free?

I just filled out a form at the hospy, and they posted them out free of charge a few weeks later, by registered post!

[trin_007]

It didn't cost me anything for my records, but they were only the basics (12 pages) and they scanned them and emailed them to me. I was warned that if there was a lot of information (like if I'd had lots of drugs or c/s or something) that there would be a charge of something like 50c per page. I can't imagine what must have gone on in labour for some women where their reports were 50+ pages

[IndigoJ]

Hi everyone, i hope someone finds this post, i got my birth records today from the hospital, there is only one page!!! is this normal or are they hiding things from me??

The page says: Fetal heart rate in second stage - chart (filled out from 250am - 445am) i got to hospital at 10pm where are the rest of the notes???
post partum obs 1 blood pressure check
2nd stage time start and finish and 3rd stage time finished
Fully dilated at X am pushing for X amount of hours with no decent
Living male infant delivered by vaccum Episiotomy repaired under General A Blood loss 300mls Placenta complete

Delivery doctor: x
Delivery miwife: x
Witness : x

And thats it. i was in hospital for five days. i dont know how many stitches i received, i got to hospital at 10pm and baby was born at 4:53am

What did you recieve in your records???

[trin_007]

Hi IJ - (Again !! twice in one day, thats weird?)

Anyho - I got my birth records and I think it depends what information you ask for, but it does sound strange that you only received one page which only represents part of the time you were there!!

Here is a summary of the info I received:

Progress Notes: (1/2 page) covering from my arrival at 12.45pm through to 15:00 when I "commenced"

Labour & Birth Record: - a preprinted form with Gestation, Blood Group, Risk Factors, Birth Plan, Admission info, Abdo Palp, Vaginal Exam, Galders Score - none of which was filled out, and two lines of Early Labour observations.

Maternal Observations: 2 pages of strange charts covering about 3 hours of contractions, Foetal Heart rate, pulse, temp, & BP, VE's, Drugs & IV Fluids.

"Management in Labour" (this one makes me laugh - what management - even my current midwife was appalled at the lack of information here). 6 scrawled entries from 15:00 to 18:15 - fully dilated, end of Stage 1.

Summary of Labour - pre printed form listing Foetal Heart rate in second stage (I don't remember it being monitored hat much!!), duration of each stage, onset of labour, delivery, placenta delivery, sponge count, description of delivery, perineum report, Neonatal details & Apgars etc.

Another 3 pages of "Progress notes" commencing from transfer to the Maternity Ward to discharge 3 days later - I had a bit of counselling because the birth was difficult (not that that was reflected in the Labour Notes!!) but quite comprehensive notes of all discussions held with various nursing staff, physio, middie etc until discharge.

I hope that gives you some idea of what information you could potentially receive- although I would ring up and ask the person who sent it out "where's the rest of it" - after reading your birth story, even the section you have sounds like it should be more than one page.

Good luck and I hope you find the information you are looking for.

[IndigoJ]

Hi IJ - (Again !! twice in one day, thats weird?)

Anyho - I got my birth records and I think it depends what information you ask for, but it does sound strange that you only received one page which only represents part of the time you were there!!

Here is a summary of the info I received:

Progress Notes: (1/2 page) covering from my arrival at 12.45pm through to 15:00 when I "commenced"

Labour & Birth Record: - a preprinted form with Gestation, Blood Group, Risk Factors, Birth Plan, Admission info, Abdo Palp, Vaginal Exam, Galders Score - none of which was filled out, and two lines of Early Labour observations.

Maternal Observations: 2 pages of strange charts covering about 3 hours of contractions, Foetal Heart rate, pulse, temp, & BP, VE's, Drugs & IV Fluids.

"Management in Labour" (this one makes me laugh - what management - even my current midwife was appalled at the lack of information here). 6 scrawled entries from 15:00 to 18:15 - fully dilated, end of Stage 1.

Summary of Labour - pre printed form listing Foetal Heart rate in second stage (I don't remember it being monitored hat much!!), duration of each stage, onset of labour, delivery, placenta delivery, sponge count, description of delivery, perineum report, Neonatal details & Apgars etc.

Another 3 pages of "Progress notes" commencing from transfer to the Maternity Ward to discharge 3 days later - I had a bit of counselling because the birth was difficult (not that that was reflected in the Labour Notes!!) but quite comprehensive notes of all discussions held with various nursing staff, physio, middie etc until discharge.

I hope that gives you some idea of what information you could potentially receive- although I would ring up and ask the person who sent it out "where's the rest of it" - after reading your birth story, even the section you have sounds like it should be more than one page.

Good luck and I hope you find the information you are looking for.

Thats all the stuff i wanted, I went in there and asked for "all the notes and pages pertaining to my pregnancy, labour and birth"

and i only got one page, i am very confused and really really cranky as i want to study exactly what happened so i can be prepared before i start TTC #2 i was looking forward to reading it all too and reliving it from a different and maybe not so scary perception"

[reAllytee]

Aaaah yes this is often the problem !

Most hospitals assume that when you ask for your records they think all you want is the discharge sheet which is what you have recieved .... They often dont like to hand over the full file & so try to put you off as best they can !

You need to contact the Freedom Of Information Officer ... If you call then thats who you ask to speak with & you then ask for the forms etc that you need to get copies of your FULL file & ALL records in regards to your birth ....

You will usually then be told costs etc & they will then send out a form which usually means you have to fill out a load of garbage to make sure you get all you want.

Good luck !

[Lunhatikk]

The hospital legally has to keep your records for a minimum of 7 years. The babies records are kept for 7 years after it turns 18 (ie 25).

I never even realised you could request this until now. I had a rough time with my first born but he turns 10 this year, does that mean I won't be able to request anything from the labour with him? Will his records have any information about the labour? Is it still worth trying to get the records? I would be very interested to see the records.