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Lewisham or Croydon hospital for birth?

4 replies

ss777 · 15/04/2014 18:24

Hi - this is my first post. I'm 32 weeks pregnant with my first baby and am currently with Croydon University Hospital for appointments, etc. I chose it because of the horror stories I'd heard about Lewisham labour wards but now am not so sure whether I made the right move as I've now heard things are improving.
I live 5 mins closer to Lewisham than Croydon hospitals (though Lewisham is my borough and where my GP's surgery is).

I'd like to give birth at a birth centre. My questions are: does anyone have experience of either facility or being transferred to a labour ward at either place? Will I still be eligible - I was low risk but recently was found to have anaemia so don't know if this changes anything. Will it be an issue to switch at this late stage? Will it be easier for me to get more "joined-up care" now and after the birth? I've had issues so far as I'm seeing Croydon midwives, Croydon hospital scans and my information is not being passed on to my Lewisham GP and vice versa.

Apologies for the long post. I'd be grateful for any insights.x

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mssleepyhead · 15/04/2014 22:56

i don't know much about switching hospitals but am currently at lewisham hospital and have found them to be great in their maternity care so far. i've had a scan at the epu after a scare and then my two later scans there. at each one the staff have been professional, kind and assuring. i'm hoping to give birth in the birth centre too.

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ss777 · 15/04/2014 23:43

Thanks, mssleepyhead. I wasn't that impressed with my experience at epu at Croydon or triage - though the community midwives for my antenatal appointments have been lovely on the whole. So good to know your thoughts on Lewisham.
I'm considering Lewisham now as there hasn't been a great continuity of care between Croydon hospital and my Lewisham GP (where a couple of things had been missed until I mentioned them e.g. injections / iron tablets) and my GP thinks things would be easier if I was at Lewisham...
I was previously living in North London so UCLH was my nearest and I found them to be great. I may give Lewisham a call and see what they say about it.

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ThisFenceIsComfy · 15/04/2014 23:49

I gave birth at Croydon. Triage put the fear of god into me but my induction was ok actually. Well, it all went wrong and I ended up with an EMCS but the registrars, consultants and midwives were fantastic. I couldn't have asked for better. That was on the labour ward obviously.

I think the birth centre there has a good reputation but I didn't get to see it :(

Postnatal care is a bit stretched. I think they are shot-staffed and you are pretty much just left to it.

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ss777 · 16/04/2014 09:26

Thanks, ThisFence - sorry about your experience but glad the staff were good at Croydon. I've just left a message for the Lewisham - hopefully they'll get back to me, let me have a look around and take it from there. I think most places are short-staffed so am not expecting much in terms of postnatal support.