Should I be worried ???

I'd be concerned but not about social services. The midwife very clearly thinks it's definitely FGM if she put it on your notes. I'm not a medical professional so don't know if there's a medical reason as to why it may be a different shape but I would definitely be wanting to get the opinion of a specialist and this being on your notes should be good grounds to get referred. I believe that reports of FGM do go to social services but that doesn't mean they will intervene, they may just send it on to the health visiting team for them to assess. I hope you get to the bottom of it all! Please remember that no one is out to get you. Keeping children safe is everyone's duty and they are just doing their jobs

http://nationalfgmcentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Pregnant-Women-Leaflet.pdf

So registered professionals (midwives, nurses, teachers etc) have a mandatory reporting duty, if they suspect it they have to report or risk losing their job and their registration. But only in people over 18, so if you are an adult then it's not required. It's likely you may get a call from SS or HV to follow this up, but it should be a quick inquiry if you can tell them it's not the case. Sorry you're having to go through this!

Do you know if you could have had medical issues as an infant that needed fixing? Do you have a clitoris? I’m assuming when you say vagina you mean vulva (outside bits) and that she wasn’t saying it based on the inner area? What are your labia like? Midwives will know that everyone’s labia looks different so there must be a reason she suspects fgm, even fgm can be varied and sometimes it is relatively subtle so you may not know.

Contact the head midwife of your trust and express your concerns. One thing is suspecting it, another is writing you have a family history of it when you have told her you don’t. She hasn’t seen your family members’ vaginas!

@Rae she wouldn’t need to, if OP has had fgm then that is family history

@Chani but the midwife can’t be sure though. She can suspect but she can’t assume hence why she should have said “suspected FGM”. Surely there’s some sort of examination that would need to be done. All vaginas are different.

@Angel she wouldn’t just put it lightly and would be legally required to put it if she suspected it. Without seeing OPs vagina we don’t know but they would have had training on it and be knowing what to look for. You don’t need to have a super mangled vagina for it to be fgm. It’s also a serious issue even in this country so it’s likely they will check further with op just like if you’ve had certain issues they contact social services even if those issues aren’t relevant etc.

@Chani training doesn’t mean anything. As a midwife you can raise a concern but they can not diagnose or confirm something without evidence. Even a doctor would write suspected before a formal examination that can confirm the diagnosis. A doctor can literally know what’s wrong with you but can not confirm it until a medical examination is done. Otherwise any midwife can even look at you and say FGM, what would you do? Just take her word for it ? Yes they can follow up on it but it’s wrong to write it as if it’s confirmed when it’s just suspected with no investigation

@Angel this isn't a diagnosis, it's more a case of "evidence seen"

@Adele I’m not saying it’s a diagnosis I’m giving an example that she can suspect but it would need to be medically evaluated for it to be confirmed. They way OP described, it’s as though the midwife wrote it as if it’s a definite family history of FGM instead of suspected

@Chani I still think if OP is concerned and alarmed it is worth going above and speaking to head of the trust , even if jsut for reassurance , it’s obviously disturbed her quite a bit and she’s lost some trust in the midwife. I completely understand that and think she would be justified in a higher up opinion or explanation of the situation

@Rae

@Rae I have contacted the midwife and the crappy explanation I got was that the midwife who delivered my LO thought I was mutilated at first because my vagina apparently appear swollen during labour but after childbirth the consultant checked again and the bit(labia minors) was present.

@Amelia I have contacted the hospital and it was the midwife negligence because my vagina was swollen during labour but after childbirth the consultant in charge cleared me of that but I am pissed off as it shouldn’t even be recorded as a definite statement.

Good for sticking up for yourself , glad they’ve cleared up the situation for you. maybe the midwife wasn’t very experienced , sorry you had to go through that! Xx

Put a complaint into PALS formerly, they can't just throw around accusations plus documenting in your medical birth notes, you may need to request your notes and get a correction also. It's really unprofessional and if she had a concern during labour she should have bleeped the doctor to come take a look and make an assessment would have been appropriate. I just think everyone is a jobs worth nowadays and on edge because of lots of safeguarding issues, but it doesn't mean they can get away with it and leave a negative mark on your birth experience ‼️