Mayday experience Dec 08.
I cannot fault the staff on labour ward, I was looked after really well by a lovely midwife called Deborah. Unfortunately, I had to have an emercency C-section as baby was in distress etc etc. Again, I cannot fault the surgical team that carried out the operation, they were professional and caring.

The problems started when I was transferred to Mary ward. Here, I found most of the staff to be lazy, incompetant and rude. Examples:

Some refused to even speak to me when I asked them to pass me my baby (spinal block meant I couldn't move). very distressing after a long labour and major surgery.

When i was having trouble getting off the bed the day after the section, a sister pulled me up by my arms, making me scream with pain. She just said "I told you that you should do it yourself".

One senior midwife tried to give my drugs to the person in the next bed. When i complained to my doctor the next day, she told me to take it up with the midwife in charge (the one in question!).

When the meal trolley comes round you are expected to go and get your food. So if you can't walk because of the spinal block, you go hungry (luckily my family were there to get me something to eat).

If you need to go to the loo the staff will not watch your baby, you are expected to leave baby at your bed (in a room full of strangers and their visitors, which goes against every new mother's instincts). I found this particularly upsetting.

I had to ask 3 times to get my bed linen changed as it was blood stained after the birth (I wanted to prevent infection even if they didn't).

There are loads more things, like the midwife who came round at 2am with her phone radio on, and the healthcare assisstant who accused me of stealing a bottle of milk at 3.30am...

My baby is now 6 months old and I am still struggling to get my head around the attitude of the staff on Mary ward. However, since this is my first baby, I have nothing to compare it to. But I would never go back there again.

hi again, i just thought i would come back and let you know that i had a brilliant experience at mayday birth centre, the midwife was excellent, read my birth plan and stuck to it as far as she could and was very supportive but non-intrusive during the labour. i used the birth pool which really helped me to relax between contractions - at one point i think i even fell asleep! the baby was born at 3am and we were at home 6 hours later.
i had heard some awful things about the hospital but personally i couldn't fault the service so i felt it was important to get a good review out!

Hi,

I gave birth in the birth pool at Mayday Birthing centre 2 and a half years ago and it was an amazing experience. Now I teach HypnoBirthing classes in Croydon as as result of that experience. Check me out at hjwood.co.uk or look at the hypnobirthing uk website for lots more information.

Hi there, just read the thread - very interesting stuff!
I am due in March '09 and am either hoping to use the birth centre at Mayday or possibly considering a water birth at home. I have read that there should be some active birth classes/birth preparation classes offered by the hospital but cannot find any information on when these take place or where.
I see that there are a couple of students on the thread and was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction!
Many thanks!

Hi, Just to let you all know that I am a pregnancy yoga teacher in croydon providing classes or 1 2 1 sessions. As well as giving gentle exercise, my classes can help theraputicly with many conditions that may arise though your pregnancy. As well as breathing practicies and positions for labour being taught there are exerices that can help with your child's birth and your general relaxation and wellbeing.

If you are interested contact me on 07870277958 or email me nadashakti@hotmail.co.uk

Look forward to hearing from you soon
Craig

I had a very positive experience at the Mayday in Dec 07, despite a complicated birth, at a really busy time for the hospital just before Christmas. I started off in the very lovely birth centre, but was transferred to the Labour Ward when things became complicated and foetal distress detected. Despite my 18-hours of strenuous effort, my daughter was eventually delivered by emergency c-section. The team were super-professional in the early hours of the morning, performed the op very efficiently and were v. reassuring throughout. As there was no space on the post-natal ward, I was kept on the antenatal ward afterwards, not ideal, but the staff were great and as helpful as they could be, given staff shortages. No stay in hospital is ever a fantastic 5-star experience (food, tiredness, feeling rotten and wanting to go home) and unfortunately some people have difficult births. A lot of this can be down to biology and an understandably anxious state-of-mind if things don't go to plan, rather than treatment from a particular hospital or so-called "mean midwives".

Talking to other London mums, you can expect much the same (hectic) experience from any big, busy London hospital, so don't assume the worst from a few individual horror stories. Take an antenatal class, do the tour, and you'll feel much more able to make the right decision for you. When you're in labour, you'll want somewhere closer to home, for sure, as maternity units generally won't accept you until you're a long way through labour, making that last journey pretty awkward.

Am about to give birth in the birth centre at Mayday, have been there for a check re leakage the other day, they were lovely! Will let you know how it goes (6 days overdue at the mo)

I'm a user rep for maternity services at Mayday so I hear lots and lots of stories about the hospital from local women. The view I've formed is that the care at Mayday (on the labour ward) is no better or no worse than the care women receive in other large London teaching hospitals where they have a busy consultant led unit - in other words, it's patchy. It totally depends on how busy the ward is when you arrive and your individual midwife.

The problem is with staff at Mayday is that they are very complacent because of their low c-section rate. Women are rarely encouraged to have active labours. One of the mw's at Mayday recently did a survey asking women about things like birth positions and pain relief. Of the women she asked 51% gave birth sitting up on the bed, 15% gave birth lying flat on their backs (!) and 19% gave birth in stirrups DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE HOSPITAL ONLY HAS A 10% ASSISTED DELIVERY RATE! How shocking is that?

As for care on the postnatal ward - I agree that postnatal care is sometimes poor and breastfeeding support is dire. over half of all bf babies at Mayday are being supplemented with formula within 12 hours of birth - and that can't be right.

HOWEVER.......

The new birth centre is absolutely FANTASTIC and so far I've had nothing but positive reports from parents using it. And when I say positive I mean 'glowing'. The staff who work there are superb and the environment is lovely. I personally think that you cannot do better than the birth centre at Mayday.

Personally if I was a low risk mum having to make this choice again, I'd still book for Mayday (I had 2 of my 3 babies there, and one at home) if I wasn't having a homebirth. However, I would take a doula or supportive friend in with me to help me achieve an active birth if I ended up on the labour ward, and I'd get out as fast as possible afterwards (6 hours). I'd also book an experienced doula to help me out for the first 48 hours at home.

All you need to do is ask your midwife about having the baby at a different hospital and they can sort it out for you. I did this last time - Lewisham Hosp is about 2.5 miles away, whereas the Princess Royal (bromley borough's main hosp, and technically where I should go) is about 5.5 miles. I don't even know where it is! The care you get totally depends on how many women are in labour at the same time on the day you go in, in my experience - it's all down to luck, sadly. Second time round I ended up having to sleep with the baby on the delivery bed all night as there was no space on the ward. Lew Hosp was very apologetic. They didn't even have a plastic fishtank for the baby so she slept next to me. Not exactly in hospital or health and safety guidelines!

Hi Croydonlad

I had DS1 there in 2004 - happy with care during labour, but after-care on wards was awful. But it will have changed since then.

Go have a look for yourselves on the ward tour before making a decision. Then speak to GP. I tried to change in 03/04 and I gave up, I was having problems with pregnancy and it was just a whole load of extra stress I didn't need. Not sure what situation is now but back then it was up to the PCT and it made me really mad that Croydon PCT would only let you go to Mayday (unless clinical reason to go elsewhere) but all the other neighbouring PCTs offered women a choice of 3-5 hospitals.

What I will say is that every hospital has it horror stories, don't let just one story put you off. Good luck!

hi Ladies..
We are in the early stages of my wife's 1st pregnancy ... What i wanted to know if i wanted to change hospital from MAYDAY what do i need to do...

I had my son there in Aug 04 and whilst the labout ward was ok (it was very quiet though) the postnatal care was rubbish. My partner was asked to leave very soon after arriving on ward even though we were only people there - and it was filthy.
I'm 15wks pregnant and will be heading back there in March - there is a birthing centre now so hoping thats an improvement. Know a few mums who have given birth there and afriad none of them have anything positive to say.

When I had my twins in '98 I was treated very well by all the staff I encountered. However after having another son in 2006 I left the hospital very upset. THe midwives were great but when I got on the ward, it was so terrible that when told I was well enough to go home 6 hrs after my labour I went.
When I got on the ward it was past 6 in the morning, I was in labour through the night and was very tired. The healthcare assistants were not understanding, they pulled open the curtains even when the room was filled with visitors after I asked to keep them closed. I asked for a jug of water and a cup, it still hasn't arrived. I couldnt get any rest. So the best thing for me was to go home. Its sad that a whole department can be tainted by one or two people. It is the aftercare that people talk about as the problem. This is obviously an area Mayday needs to look at.

I have experience of Mayday.
In 1994 I sued (and won) on behalf of the dreadful care I and my son received on one particularly awful day in maternity.
Then I astounded everyone by going back there in 2001 to have my daughter. It was a totally different experience, absolutely no complaints.
My niece had her daughter there in 2004. The birth was great, aftercare a little indifferent.
She returned in February this year and had an excellent experience. In at 6.00am, straight into a very comfortable room on the new unit, baby at 9.30am, lots of tea, toast and attention from great midwifery staff on the new unit, and home again at 3.00pm.
The breastfeeding clinic at Mayday has also been of great use to my niece on both occasions.

My sis had her baby 2 months ago there and said they were very well looked after - almost too well as they almost barred her MIL from seeing her until she was in the ward! Wouldnt let her pop in to say hi on delivery suite at first, but relented after quite a discussion

I had my ds at mayday hosp back in 1998, I swore I would never have another baby there and I meant it. I was left in total agony until it was too late to have any pain relief, the midwives were abrupt, and the aftercare shockingly bad. I am due to have second lo in october and live locally to kings college, but have opted to have him in St Thomas'

anyone interesed in joining me in a croydon meetup

I had my son in Mayday on 28th March and found the staff to be extremely helpful and kind and the wards very clean.

I started off in the birthing centre but after 20 hours i was 9 cm dilated and the contractions had stopped so I was taken through to the labour ward where the staff were fantastic. I wasn't left alone once (I had at least 2 people in with me at all times). My partner and mum stayed with me the whole time. I was put on a drip and given an epidural but unfortunately it never worked so I was taken through to theatre and had a C Section. The registar that performed the op was lovely and totally put mine and my partners minds at ease.

They kept me in the recovery room over night to check my progress and the two midwives on duty were there at the touch of a button.

Next day I was taken up to the ward, I was fortunate enough to get a private room, and again I found the staff exceptional. Nothing was too much trouble. I was having problems breast feeding and as I couldn't make it to the breast feeding clinic the lady came to me to show me how to do it and she popped in every day to check how I was getting on.

As it was my first baby they showed me how to change him and bath him. Any worries I had they took seriously and reassured me everything was fine.

I would have no doubts about having my next baby in Mayday.

MY EXPERIENCE OF MAYDAY

My labor was the nitemare of all nitemares...first i started getting
contractions on thursday 15th...really strong and painful and only a
few mins apart,when i went2hosp they said i was in early labor only 1
centimetre dilated!(my waters hadnt broken but after vag exam i got a show which continued for a day or 2) but bcos my blood pressure was sky high they kept
me in foetal assessment without my hubby r mum - cos only at visiting hrs -evntho they were my brithing partners and i was in labor. I'd agonising contractions less than
3mins apart for 3 whole days but they wudnt take me to the delivery
ward cos my cervix wasnt ready, it went from one to two and just stayed there! I didnt sleep 1 second, eat 1 thing, go to
toilet or drink anything but water for almost a week! I couldnt
sit,lie,walk,shower,have a bath,talk even... they wudnt giv me pain
relief except gas and air which made me SO HIGH (wish i cud take it
home) but doesnt do much after 3days of stressful labor2me and baby. I was so sick I thought I wouldnt make it,they wouldnt even let me go home r bring anything like birthing ball in (most of the other women on the unit were there for monitoring etc but i was actually in labor)

Eventually on sat afternoon they examined me and said ok ur 3
centimetres dilated u can go to labor room,ur now in "established"
labor...so i was delighted finally it was gonna end soon...ispent
hours like that and didnt take any pain relief but entonox...then they examined me awhile later and no progress...so they broke my waters(which was SO hard4dem 2 do & there was very little - probably cos id been leaking) and discovered the baby had
pooed inside so onto monitor etc and i tried to carry on and get him out...breaking the waters
is supposd2speed up the labor but another few hrs later and my cervix
still wasnt opening...iwas on blood pressure monitors,baby heartbeat
monitor etc...so they suggested speeding it up with the drip2give me more contractions...i was like MORE?theyre already coming every
minute and SO painful but i agreed cos i wanted my baby....cos it
makes things advance rapidly and can b really painful so i said ok u
better give me an epidural then to numb the pain but the anesthist (spelt wrong)wasnt ready so i cudnt take it any more and got some pethidine...then they set up drip,cathether&ep, told me as soon as i was 10 centimetres and
near to pushing the baby out - theyd stop in order
to let me push naturally....hours later....still nothing!!!!and the
drugs were wearing off but i still thought i can do this...

Eventually at 8 a.m on sunday morn they said ok this isnt gona happen
and babys in distress we're bringin u to theatre...so off i went more
got a spinal block....then on the chopping board
lol...they cut me open(which altho u cant feel the pain ufeel
sumtn)and next thing i hear my baby cry and they pull him out, ididnt
notice them stitchin me back2gether cos i was too busy tryna catch a
glimpse of the baby which i cudnt cos i was paralysed from chest
down...it was so sad he was covered in poo and vomitted it up for
days,they didnt even clean him for me r help me with anything...but i
was SO happy it was all over...but the nitemare continued-he had had
the cord stuck around his neck3times(probably from the stress of the
long labor)so thank God he wasnt born naturally r he wudnt have
survived.

Anyway so they movd me to postnatal ward and i was so weak i lost so
much blood i had drips and injections and on so many drugs...i even
had 2 have 3 blood transfusions!The staff in Mayday hospital are PURE EVIL(except a few lovely people who go out of their way to care) especially the nite staff,that is not an exaggeration! The nite i delivered i was so disorientated and didnt know what was happening my baby was crying and he wudnt feed cos he was so sick and vomitting poo...i cudnt move and no one wud come when i pressd the bell even if they did they just said hes fine, the patient next 2me whod had her section few days early even changed his nappy4me!he was dirty,hungry,sick and all the staff said to me was "Lots of women have cesareans,he just wants his mum" It was like id died and gone to hell i wanted to help my baby so much and i cudnt i was so helpless,ihad to force my body to do stuff it couldnt to try to help him...my breastmilk never came in&they didnt help me lift him to try either..i woke up once and theyd just bottle fed him...i didnt mind tho bcos at least he was getting better and eating something...i started using breastpump but nothing happend,ieven got baby 2 latch on and suck well but no milk! So I started requesting optimal cos thats what theyd started him on..but they were so tight,ihad 2 ask over and over again for just one bottle...and try and make it last.

We finally went to leave the hosp on
tues til one doc decided the lil rash my baby had on face cud b
infection so they kept us in another 2 days and i had 2 bring my lil
angel to special care unit day and nite for antibiotics until the
results came in...he had this needle drip thing in his tiny hands it
was so cruel...i was so scared i thought God why r u doing this 2
me...finally on thursday we got the results and they were negativ he
was fine it was just a lil rash THANK GOD so i got home thursday nite
away from that horrible hospital! Sorry its so long but that really is
the short version ONE WHOLE WEEK of agony, i went in thurs nite and
came back following thurs nite! I just barely started eating again and
on thursday nite i got my first sleep of two hours on and off in
between feeding changing baby etc...im SO happy now he was worth it
all but it really was a near death experience and now the midwife is
coming to check me everyday cos it looks like my wound isnt healing
very well and they have to make sure the scar doesnt open PLUS after
all dat happend me my breastmilk hasnt come in and i have to feed him
formula until it does by which time he probly will b too used to
bottles!

I wish I could sue the hospital,so much happnd while I was there I dont even wanna remember so that realy is a brief summary. Thank God its all over and im home with my gorgeous baby boy

I had ascan at mayday last week, at this appointment i was told i was only 9 and a half weeks pregnant, instead of 13. The lady was very rude and not very reassuring. This is our first baby and we are so pleased but understandably nervous. She talked to us like we were dirt. I have got to go back in a couple of weeks for another one and don't know whether to phone to see if i'm seeing her. Has anyone else had that kind of treatment?

Blessedchild - its never too late to rebook into another hospital if you want to - I went into hospital with a suspected blood clot and the girl in the bed next to me was rebooking in their at 35 weeks. At my NCT classes we were all told that we shouod have been offered a choice of where to have our babies yet none of us were (8 of us in all) I asked my midwife about a home birth because I dont want to be in a hospital unless I need to be and luckily have what is considered a low risk pregnancy. Get in touch with your local NCT as they often hold forums with locals GP's, midwives and pre/post-natal carers and offer them feedback about care - tell them that you werent offered a choice and by all means, speak to your midwife/GP and tell them you want to know what other options you have - regardless of how snotty they might get, tell them that you are aware that its your choice and that you have a right to make this decision yourself. I am glad to hear that Mayday has made these improvements, and post-natal care does vary from hospital to hospital - even from one shift to another! I think the birth centre idea is fantastic - but also you cant help but listen to what other mothers have to say. If at any time you are unhappy about the care you are receiving then ask to speak to the head of midwifery in that unti - say it with a smile on your face and dont be bullied by someone having a bad day - its not your problem! Good luck every one

Hi there!Im 5mths preg&have just been reading over some of the comments on mayday(where im having my scans etc&presume il have the birth there too)Im not used to the NHS system that much as I come from Ireland were most people pay VHI to go private or semi private.I just wanted to ask is there an option for this in Mayday?Someone mentioned paying a fee to get a private room, is it as simple as that?And is the maternity so bad in mayday that it doesnt matter whether you're private or public?Also to the midwife lady - u mentioned being allowed go home after 6 hours if no complications?Does that mean mums cant even stay in upto 24 hours after the birth unless there were some problems?Thats a bit scary to hear as a first time mum. Thanks

I would just like to ask about choosing where to have your baby. I am now 29 weeks, I have had my scans at Mayday, but have not had the option of choosing where to have my baby. A friend told me that becuase I have had my scans at Mayday, I would not be able to choose another hopsital to go to. If this is the case, I find this very unfair, as I was not given a choice of what hospital I wanted my baby in. Before I make a complaint in writing I would like someone to confirm whether the advice given above is true or not. Another thing I also wanted parent, education and active birth classes at another hospital. The reason why i do not want to have my baby at Mayday is becuase the aftercare is bad and as reported last month in the Croydon Post and Guardian, Mayday hospital was reported to have roaches in wards!

I believe your GP gets a discount for bulk purchasing maternity beds at their local hospital and it therefore costs the GP more if they purchase (at a higher, non discounted rate) an individual bed at another hospital.

This lack of choice happened when surgerys took control of their own budgets s few years ago

You can certainly request a different hospital. We live in South London but I had DD at St Marys in Paddington. It took a lot of hassle, but was worth it.
But you may find the new birthing centre at mayday a good option?

I had my dd in Mayday 2.6 yrs ago. I was induced and the midwives I had during the night in the pre-labour ward were rude and nasty, one told me that if I was having an induction I shouldn't really complain about the pain and request an epidural (stupid cow really upset me). I went through 4 sets of midwives during my labour(it went on for a while!!) and they were generally very nice but I do think that my labour was mishandled and that there weren't enough staff on that night and I am really glad that it has improved.
My after care was very good. As an NHS option I think Mayday is probably a middling option.

I'm in croydon too (due feb)just wanted to say what interesting reading this has been.

strudel, that is interesting reading. I had ds there in 2000, and the midwives were fantastic (is Mrs Proverbs still there?). Had a difficult, long labour, failure to prgress and section, all fine. The aftercare wasn't brilliant but not awful, not much in the way of breastfeeding help and no sleep at all on the ward. I would definitely opt for a private room next time (but I am now in Bournemouth).

mayday is AWFUL. i dont want to scare u hon but u need the truth.
actual birth is fine.. the after care is TERRIBLE.. i was left with a blocked and bleeding iv for 8 hours they said they were to busy to change it. my catheta was put in wrong causing a tear and bleeding, then they took so long to change bag it burst on floor.
i had a c-section and thomas was put over the other side of the room, when i called to have him moved to me cos he was crying and i couldnt get out of bed (3 hours after op) they told me i was being lazy (!) and to get out of bed.
i am going to DEMAND to have the next one else where, if i cant i will leave asap (like within hours) i dont care if i have to have a c-section again i am not staying.
if you dont want to go there its your choice, dont let them make u change. it is NHS policy that u can change which hospital to go to.
good luck hun xxx

Hi, i am a student midwife based at Mayday. Before my placement at Mayday i'd heard several horror stories about the maternity care, But having actually worked there i can honestly say that the care i have seen given is in the majority of cases excellent. Unfortunately the horror stories are usually the only ones that we hear.
There has been a recent influx of new staff, so the maternity department is for once practically fully staffed. This means women will be given more care and attention as there are now enough midwives to comfortably take on the work load and give women the attention and care they deserve.
In 2005 Maternity Services at Mayday were awarded the highest standard possible under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) in recognition of the high quality safe services. Mayday is one of only 10 maternity units out of 158 in the country to achieve Level 3.
We will also have our new midwifery led birth centre opening at the end of August. It will run along side the labour ward, giving 3 options - labour ward birth, birth centre birth and home birth. The centre will focus on normal birth for low risk women, helping make birth as normal and natural as possible, so moving away from the medicalization of birth, - no doctors interfering, minimal/no use of CTG monitoring machines, no epidurals (these will still be provided on labour ward) it will have 3 birthing pools for pain relief and birth, birthing balls, mats, low lighting, gentle music of your choice, food during labour, it is brand new so will be very clean and modern with top quality equipment. It will encourage walking during labour and using various upright labour and birthing positions (no being made to give birth lying down!)Partners may also be able to stay over night on pull out beds. Women will be able to leave with in 6 hours of delivery - so if there are no complications you won't have to go to the postnatal wards.
my experience of Mayday is that it is improving greatly and the care provided has definitely improved over the past 2 years. Unfortunately there will always be the minority of midwives who are in mad moods or have a cold/brisk/unhelpful manner. These midwives are in the minority in every hospital, and are on the way out. The majority of midwives at Mayday that i have met are genuine, kind, compassionate and very good at their jobs.

Hope this helps!!!

To all you lovely ladies who have posted messages on this site, I would like to join in and say that I am a student midwife currently in my second year at Mayday.
The stories you have heard about the maternity unit and care you might recieve is subject to other womens experiences. There are a great many women who have had wonderful, positive birthing experiences at Mayday but unfortunately but these are not the ones we seem to focus on. No hospital is perfect and I believe an open mind is required and to experience for yourselves!.
For any woman who is booked for Mayday or thinking about having their baby at Mayday please do not fear! The unit is up to date providing excellent facilities and now about to incorporate a new birthing centre situated within the maternity unit itself. I hope none of your babies never need to be in special care but should you have to visit there the care and facilites are second to none.
There are tours of the unit that run weekly, antenatal classes(also classes and midwives for teenagers), exercise classes, breastfeeding groups/councillors etc infact many facilities for you to choose and access. The most important thing is , if you want something do not be afraid to inquire. "If you don't ask, you don't get!".
It may also help to remember that perhaps not everything will meet your expectations. Pregnancy and childbirth is not predictable and does not always go according to plan. Women must be prepared to keep that open mind and move the "goal posts" if necessary.
Home birth, water birth and active birth is the way forward ladies! Ask questions, read the literature and focus on the positive. Try it, you might like it!!!!

Rosies, the reason they don't offer is because you charge. I know I am a doula and I even work for free yet they never talk about doulas !!!! They don't like to offer anything else than their services.
As a doula I hear mostly bad stories (but not always) about Mayday (that is not the case for all hospitals I should add).... I am now on-call for a lady who had her 1st at Mayday and she had IMHO very bad care the 1st time... she is now hoping for a VBAC somewhere else.
As Rowan Pelling said on her C4 programme 2 weeks - some women have a section BECAUSE they had bad care in hospital not "thank god they were in hospital as they "saved" mother and baby!"

I would advise you to go to the Parenting Classes at Mayday as a start to get a feel for the place. I am doing them there at the moment. The midwife did say that what they get complaints about most is the aftercare.

The other thing to consider is having the baby at home instead. I have just decided to do this. This is not because I am too scared to go to Mayday particularly , just distrust the hospital system generally. Statistically it is just as safe to have your baby at home as it is in hospital, so it is worth a thought. I discussed it with the midwife who runs the parenting class I go to at Mayday and she was very positive and said it could easily be arranged. You get two midwifes, no cockroaches,a shower that works and your own clean bed to sleep in afterwards. You don't have to decide until 36 weeks, so you could always make a switch to a home birth later on, if you can't still don't like the thought of Mayday by then.
Good luck!

I had both mine at mayday 4 years ago (dd) and 8 months ago (ds). On both occassions I found the midwives on the labour ward very good. With ds I had a fantastic mw. However the aftercare was terrible. With dd I was on a ward, and tbh I had more help with dd and breastfeeding from the other mums on the ward than the midwives. With ds I asked for a private room and it was wonderful in terms of getting more peace and quiet than on the ward. The room was clean, and the toilet and bathroom were fine. Once again help with bf was pants but I found the bf clinic they ran on fridays there v good.

i had both mine at mayday... lol nearly 18 years ago and 15 years ago... i found the experience not at all bad and the midwives were very nice.

however, i am sure things may have changed.

trouble is, it depends where you live and how reasonably you can get to the maternity unit when labour starts. its no good choosing a hospital that you cant get to very quickly... these things can happen fast!

on another note, it hacks me off greatly that the midwives in croydon and sutton/ epsom are not very "pro active" in offering other help and advice to women.

i am a reflexologist, based in coulsdon, specialising in maternity treatments. i have written, had meetings, phone calls etc in the hopes that the midwives will mention me to pregnant women, in order for them to know i exist and can offer help with pregnancy related problems... but NADA!

i just think if i have something to offer their ladies, that can help, you'd think they would mention it during routine appointments?

so ladies, just for good measure (in for a penny!) do have a read... and dont think i have ulterior motives i just want to help.

Message withdrawn

I had my baby at Mayday in 1988! He's 16 now. I found everything to be fine and didn't have any problems at all but that was a long time ago. My father was admitted to Mayday more recently and received appalling treatment, but that wasn't anything to do with the maternity unit. I know that's not much help, but good luck!

SamCattie before I had ds2 10 months ago, I went on another tour of the dept and at that time they were not using the rooms that you have to pay for. That is what we were going to opt for but there wasn't enough midwives/nurses to look after mothers in that wing so it wasn't being used. It may have changed in 10 months, alot does, so when you have a tour check that they have reopened the paying rooms again.

SamCattie - I haven't got any experience of Mayday maternity but a friend of mine is a bf counsellor there and volunteers in the clinics. If you want to CAT me I could put you in touch with her - I'm sure she'd be more than happy to chat with you!

Yes I read in the pamphlet that was given to me that you can pay (£40 i think) for a private room as long as it's not used for emergency. I think I would like to opt for this of poss. Still baby isn't due to make an appearance until May, so I have a little while to decide!

I had both of mine at Mayday - ds1 was emergency c/section, ds2 was elective. Whilst not 5 star luxury it certainly didn't live up to the horror stories that I had heard! It does have a very good SCBU and Neonatal care unit. The breastfeeding adviser is excellent, as is the weekly b/feeding clinic that they hold there. I would definitely recommend taking a tour - if you go on the "open" one on Thursday lunchtimes (rather than the one as part of the parentcraft classes) you will find mainly 2nd and 3rd time mums, and the Q&As are very illuminating.

Postnatal care seems to vary considerably according to where you live in the borough - it improved considerably once I moved further south.

It does seem to be VERY difficult to avoid Mayday if you are in Croydon borough, and I know several women who have had to go as far as writing to their MPs to get an alternative option - IMO that is just blowing up the issue out of proportion, but each to their own.

It's a large hospital and the birth rate is very volatile - Ds1 was the only baby born in one 12 hour shift, whilst ds2 was the 9th c/section on his birthday (and I don't know how many natural births there were that day!).
Booking a sideroom will give you peace and quiet but will also leave you further away from midwives.

I had DS1 and 2 there (nearly 6 and 4 years ago). TBH, I found it OK both times. It was refurbihed between DS1 and 2 and was infinitely better 2nd time round. From what I remember, it's pretty good for the birth, it's just post natally that it falls down and this is true of many other hospitals too. My postnatal midwives were all great so that must be luck of the draw. Never saw any cockroaches though!

In thoery you do have the choice of where you want to give birth but I think, historically, too many were opting out of Mayday. You can go to East Surrey instead but this depends partly which side of the borough you're on.

SamCattie: I had ds1 at Mayday (May 2001) and aftercare was pretty bad - not just at the hospital but with the visiting midwives afterwards. We moved before I had ds2 so I can't comment on whether it has improved, but I can say that the difference in care I received with ds2 at a different hospital was phenominal.

Sorry this isn't a more positive post

I would've kicked up a stink but being new to all this, I thought you have to have the baby in the borough you live in? I was so impressed with Kings College, but when the midwife told me matter of factly I can't choose that hospital I went with what she said. And to be honest she was quite scary so I daren't argue with her!!!

Thanks Moosh, glad to hear things have got better there now. I know from a few years back that the hygiene wasn't up to scratch. In fact my friend was giving birth and saw a cockroach rin across the floor! (Unless that was the drugs making her see that!!!_ I think I wlll ask my midwife when I see her next if I can have a tour of the maternity unit!

Samcattie - Kick up a stink. You have the right to choose where you have your baby. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!!! xxx

Hi SamCattie, Poshpaws little sis here. Yes she is correct in what she has described. After ds1 now nearly 5yrs, I really had an awful time with the after care (not during the birth midwives there were excellent). My face didn't fit day after day I asked for help with breast feeding and was told not to stress because baby can feel my tension, but was offered no other help. He screamed constantly because he wasn't having enough milk, but I didn't know being a first time mum. They wouldn't help me when he screamed or offer any useful advice. Everyday dh and mum would turn up and everyday I was in floods of tears, I just wanted to go home. They never changed my sheets I had to go and ask while they happily changed othjer womens sheets whose faces they obviously liked. There was only one night nurse on my last night who took him and bottle fed him when he woke and kept him with her so I could get some sleep and I couldn't thank her enough. 3 days of awfulness I couldn't pack my bags quick enough to get out of there. I couldn't shower properly as they showers were broke. With ds2 only 10 months ago things had improved, the whole maternity section had a face lift showers e.t.c worked, newly painted walls and cleaner toilet areas. Midwives during labour were excellent again, after care was better but I think second time round I knew what I was doing so didn't need any help but they were polite and helpful this time if I needed it. So I would say have you baby there after my second experience, if I only had the first to go on I would shout from the rooftops DON'T GO THERE!!!!!

Blossomhill - I did ask if I could request what hospital I can go to as I had my first scan at Kings College - which I was really impressed with. But my midwife was quite rude and abrupt with me and said I have to choose Mayday, otherwise I would've thought about St Helier

Thanks
I don't have a choice as we have no food at all!

Good luck. Very brave of you.

Oh Poshpaws how strange as I am off to face Asda in Sutton in a minute!

Wallington. Work in Sutton (unfortunately back today).

Born and bred Croydon girl, though

Poshpaws - really! You must live near me then

Blossomhill, I had my DS at St Helier (Aug 2001) - excellent care.

Am having homebirth in May with a fab midwife from there as well.

Samcattie

I had both of mine at St Helier in Carshalton. I thought the midwives were brilliant. It is quite near to you so am sure you could request it. Haven't heard much about Mayday I am afriad.

My sister had her babies there. She said the labours were fine, but the aftercare for her first DS (born Jan 2000) was awful. They ignored her pleas for help with breast-feeding while helping others who had had previous children. They were so rude that when my mum turned up to visit her, she found her in tears. My mum being a nurse, tore strips of them and they were ok after that.

Her 2nd DS was born Feb 2004 and it was a much better experience post-natally.

Therefore, I would assume things have improved.

Good luck with the baby.

I am 18 weeks pregnant and have put down to have my baby in Mayday Hospital in Croydon, South London. You always get ususal people saying oh don't go there! Etc......
Just wanted to know if anyone has had their baby at Mayday recently and what its like. The birth is scaring me as it is!!!