Wythenshawe or Stepping Hill for second choice?

[HettySunshine]

Hello lovely ladies, I'm very much hoping to have my baby at my lovely local hospital (Macclesfield), however at my NCT class the midwife did say that it's possible (unlikely but possible) that when i phone i may be told that it's full

If this happens I will need a second choice ready and planned and I was wondering if anyone could give me any experiences of Wythenshawe or Stepping Hill as these are my next two closest hospitals. Thank you!

[ChocChaffinch]

I didn't really enjoy Wythenshawe
may have been refurbed in last 5 years..... some of the MW were a bit crap IMO too.

[MaryKatharine]

Macclesfield was my local hospital and although I had baby at home, the MWs were excellent so if all goes to plan you should be in good hands.

I heard lots of good things about stepping hill and I know they got awards and stuff. Since we moved they had their trouble that was in the news but I don't think thAt had anything to do with maternity.

I heard very mixed stories about wythenshawe.

[RedSaucePlease]

I had my baby at Stepping Hill last month. I am very pleased with the care I recieved. The midwives and all the staff were brilliant.

The building itself is not the most modern but that really doesn't matter.

[littlehelp]

I wouldn't worry too much that Macclesfield wouldn't accept you, they manage the numbers very well.

[Doctorbrownbear]

I had an awful, bossy, incompetant midwife at wythenshawe too and a terrible time on the postnatal ward, although consultant care ( forceps) couldnt be faulted and the new birth suites were nice. Having my second now and giving SH a go! Choc did any of the crap midwifes names begin with E? By the way had one nice midwife but lost her due to shift change!

[Christelle2207]

Had my baby at Stepping Hill last week. Had complications during labour and cannot fault quality of care I received. I have however also been told that wythenshawe very good- in your shoes I would go for the most convenient for you and your partner.

[Laquila]

Hi OP, I'm giving birth at Macc and haven't had anyone tell me at any point that it might be full, or that I need a second choice - I think it's generally a fairly quiet unit and although they get busier at certain times of the year, I've never heard of them turning people away! (Although I could of course be wrong)

Sensible to have a second choice but if Macc's your local I don't see how they can really turn you away? Maybe I'm being naive!...

[HettySunshine]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Fingers crossed it'd all good at Macc as it's lovely there!

[maggiethemagpie]

I had my son at Wythenshawe and am having my daughter at Stepping Hill in a few weeks. I opted to switch to Stepping Hill as I was not happy with my consultant, but it does seem better - a bit smaller but more of a personal touch.
To be honest I think it's the pot luck on the day as to which medical professionals you get/what happens to you.
I can't really fault wythenshawe on the delivery as my son got in distress and I needed EMCS but the aftercare/postnatal ward was a bit patchy, the midwife who was in charged seemed a bit of a bitch and wouldn't let my parents see my son during visiting time as I'd just arrived on ward and she wanted to do the paperwork!
If you can't go to Macc I'd suggest SH over Wythenshawe (also will be nearer?)

[amistillsexy]

OP, please choose anywhere other than Wythenshawe. I've just deleted a huge post about my experience there, because I don't want you to have to read it , but just to say, Wythenshawe Park would be more hospitable for giving birth in than the hospital.

[HeyJudith]

Wythenshawe. Never mind how nice the MW are or not, you get good ones/bad ones everywhere. The health of the baby and yourself is more important than whether or not you like the MW. The reason Wythenshawe is the better hospital is because it is a massive, flagship university hospital with pretty much any and every emergency treatment facility going should you or baby need it. It is the hospital that other people get transferred TO not FROM, for more specialist treatment. SH is good but it is a lot smaller. Macc is a small cottage hospital. Wythenshawe is a major hospital.

I have had two babies recently at Wythenshawe, one straightforward, one complicated birth. On both occasions the care was amazing. Epidurals were no problem, it was big enough to accommodate multiple emergency treatments if required which I found reassuring to know. The MWs - mine for both births fantastic, but there was a bossy crap night time one on. A lovely lovely early morning MW on though to make up for it - so nice to me, she sorted me out, got me cleaned up, changed my pads, got me to the shower, got me a cup of tea, all right just before her shift had properly started and before the rest of the girls were stirring (I had CS and was just feeling absolutely grotty and really needing a good clean up, couldn't get up cos of catheter and epidural wear-off but was expecting to have to wait my turn).

[HeyJudith]

amIstillsexy sounds like you didn't have the good experience! I guess it's hit and miss....

[timidviper]

I had DD at Stepping Hill and it was ok but she is 22 now so I am guessing the odd thing might have changed!

[AFishWithoutABicycle]

Has a c section at wythenshawe and wouldn't recommend it. The midwifes were indifferent at best. But i had a healthy baby so I guess they did what they needed to.

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

Agree with heyjudith

I had DS at Wythenshawe last year and will have DC2 there too in Jan

I'm sure all will go fine with your birth but have had two friends have to transfer with babies from St Mary's and Macc. The transfers made a very scary time much worse.

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

Ps - if midwives are horrid, ask for another one

I did this whilst in labour in Wythenshawe and it was accommodated no problem and ended up giving birth with a lovely one. She made what could have been a scary horrible time a really positive experience ( as did the docs who had to eventually get involved)

I was told I could ask for another midwife at anytime - including on the postnatal ward.

[Manchesterhistorygirl]

I've had both mine at sh and cannot recommend it highly enough. Second birth was hugely complicated and they were wonderful. My pregnancies were also high risk, so I can rate it start to finish.

My babies were October and December and the hospital closed to new admissions on both occasions as they had reached capacity! I've also heard really good things about Macclesfield.

[Ilanthe]

I have also had excellent care, twice, at Wythenshawe. One prem, one threatened prem birth, so in and out for the whole of my third trimester. Yes there were a couple of hatchet faced midwives, though most were lovely.

I had three midwives attending me for my prem birth all the way through active labour. (Plus consultant / paed etc all turning up at the end). There is no way you will get that kind of care in a smaller hospital.

[HeyJudith]

Agree Ilanthe, my complicated birth had various doctors and midwives in a cluster at the end of the bed, discussing the best way forward :) To have 5 professionals working out how to get my baby out safely? Yes thanks :)

When baby was born there was a team on standby including two paeds who whisked her away and thoroughly checked her over. Again - all just for my baby. I couldn't have had more care or more experienced care if I'd have gone privately, I'm sure. Besides which if there had been anything wrong with the baby (there wasn't fortunately) then I know there is not a hospital in the north west that she would have been any better at - there is no larger or better equipped hospital.

The odd grumpy MW is right at the bottom of the list of concerns for me. Besides which there were lovely ones, (one of mine was extremely kind), bossy ones, quiet ones... just like you get in any workplace.

Having said that I know people have differing experience as can be seen here on this thread, but Wythenshawe at least does not usually suffer from lack of surgeons, anaesthetists, SCBU places etc.

[RunningBear78]

I have been under the mw team at Stepping Hill and am due in a few weeks. The team there have been amazing and I would certainly recommend them (although obviously not having actually had my baby yet ...)! I love their approach, they really support active and natural birth in the birth centre, but have a superb medically orientated delivery suite downstairs with full access to consultant teams when needed. They have been rated as having some of the best maternity services in the country, so are clearly doing something right. They are also a large teaching hospital, with full access to all the medical staff that heyJudith was talking about.

I did ask one of the mw about the possibilities of being 'full' but she said that it has only happened twice in the time she has worked there, but their action is usually to turn away people who aren't registered with them (ie. people on hols/working locally etc) but that they would always accommodate 'their' ladies in either the birth centre, delivery suite or on the two maternity wards they have. It was a bit of a concern for us as dh doesn't drive and getting taxi's to another hospital would be an absolute nightmare!

Sorry ... not v. helpful. I'd have a look at which is the easiest and quickest to get to from Macc and home and make your decision that way.

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

I think the differential is that wythenshawe is bigger and therefore, as a matter of fact, there should be more anaesthetists etc available. Although obviously it's the luck of the draw on the day

What is correct though is that Wythenshawe has a buffer and more specialised provision for neonatal care. Hence why my two friends were transferred

Both of their babies are now fine. But you never know if the baby may need a spell on SCBU/NICU. My DS did on SCBU - just because he was shocked and tired after delivery and had low glucose levels etc. he was in for 4 days

What I hadn't appreciated until this happened to me is that this can be relatively common and if I had been in a hospital with a smaller unit (with no room for him) or something more serious had happened, he would have been transferred to Wythrnshawe and I may have had to follow behind later.

I did my Hypnobirthing course at Stepping Hill and was very impressed. In fact, I seriously considered giving birth there but the issue of transfer swung it to wythenshawe for me and I'll go there again in Jan for the same reason

That said, the chances are that everything will be totally fine when you give birth and everyone has very different priorities and things that they think are important. But just wanted to point this out - even if it's something that's disregarded - so you can at least consider it

[Laquila]

Just a quick one to say I gave birth at Macc at the beginning of Sept and can't recommend it highly enough.

All mat staff were open to my choice to hypnobirth (and to encapsulate placenta) and I thougtht the quality and continuation of care was excellent. We were looked after by various midwives, student midwives, a consultant, a registrar, various anaesthetists and a surgeon (I ended up with an EMCS) and at no point did I feel anxious about lack of resources, staff or space. Mine was a low-risk pregnancy but when labour hadn't progressed after nearly 60hrs and there were signs of fetal distress I thought their whole process was efficient and fast - from decision time to squelching him out felt like lesS thss than 15 minutes, literally!

[Laquila]

Also wanted to add that postnatal care was excellent and to be honest, I think they'd have let me stay as long as I wanted!