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Childbirth

Recent experiences of care and labour at UCLH

15 replies

annapom85 · 23/02/2020 09:16

Hi everyone,

I was was wondering if anyone had recent experiences of labour and care at UCLH? I’m 14 weeks pregnant with my first baby (due August) and I’m currently signed up to UCLH on the recommendation of my GP. However, the more Mums I speak to, the more poor experiences I hear. Please can anyone share their experience?

Many thanks

Anna x

OP posts:
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LillianFullStop · 23/02/2020 22:54

Keen to hear reviews as well

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Monhysteria · 24/02/2020 19:37

I had a great experience at UCLH in 2018 and am currently signed up there again and 20 weeks.

First birth had an amazing water birth, in the midwife led birth unit part, my child developed an infection afterwards and only because they monitored us closely it was picked up.

Second time, at my 12 week scan a few issues were picked up and I was immediately taken to fmu for another scan and to talk though all my options. In a very calm but factual way with a little handholding.

They are really busy (like all of the nhs) ans under pressure - however from 16 weeks I believe you can opt in to be taken care of midwifes (if that’s what you want) that work only the midwife led unit - so if you book the same day for your subsequent appointments (I think it might be Thursdays) - you can actually get continuity of care with the midwifes that you might come across.

Good luck!

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Minkies13 · 26/02/2020 15:42

Had my first there in 2018. I can't fault their care. It wasn't the best birth (forceps and ventouse) but that was due to baby getting trapped. They explained everything to me with great care. I got my epidural very quickly as well after requesting it. My first midwife was on the labour Ward was so calming. I feel very comfortable in her hands.

Only downside was the recovery ward. But again, that's not a fault of the hospital (bc I hear they're all the same), rather it was uncomfortable to be in curtain drawn areas with others around when all you want is to be at home.

It is a busy central London teaching hospital. So you need to keep that in mind.

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Minkies13 · 26/02/2020 15:43

Sorry for the grammatical errors lol. My phone autocorrected.

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nopun · 28/02/2020 12:19

Medically-speaking UCLH was brilliant, and it's reassuring to know that in case of problems or complications you're in the right place. They have some fantastic consultants and specialist clinics.

I did not particularly like the midwife-led routine appointments: out of all the midwives I saw since the booking appointment (different one every time), two were really lovely, and the others were either unpleasant or incompetent or both. Having said that, it's possible to get appointments relatively quickly and easily.

The worst experience of the whole pregnancy was definitely the post-natal ward, which was horrible. I didn't mind that much being surrounded by loads of other people & their guests, in these neon-lit little cubicles (as a pp says, there is no other way of running it with the existing resources). But I really did mind having to have big arguments with cruel and careless midwives on staff. After one of them took my canula out I started to bleed (from my hand) really heavily, soaking the mattress and sheets and stuff - couldnt walk away to get help because I still had the catheter in - and she blamed me for not having pressed the plaster enough, and just walked away! No one came for ages. There were several other examples like that in my 24 hour stay post c section recently, where they basically can't or won't come when you need help, and I physically couldn't get to the baby in the night. It's almost certainly also a matter of under-resourcing, when too few of them have to work long shifts - but boy did we have to pay for it.

Overall I'd still go for UCLH because I doubt the problems are much better anywhere else.

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LillianFullStop · 03/03/2020 12:18

I have had a good experience antenatally so far - the midwife at my booking appointment was absolutely lovely. I suspect it is one of the best hospitals to give birth in but as with everywhere understaffing in the postnatal ward will not be rosy.

How big are the wards? 4 bed bays? One bathroom per bay or communal ones outside the bays?

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Minkies13 · 03/03/2020 12:37

On the recovery ward? There were 6 beds per Bay. Each with a communal bathroom.

On the delivery ward each room had it's own private bathroom

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LillianFullStop · 03/03/2020 13:44

Thank you @Minkies that's good to know (and prepare for!)

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user1471592953 · 04/03/2020 21:20

I agree with comments about the postnatal floor at UCH. I had my first there in 2016. Care during pregnancy and birth was fantastic but the PN ward was so horrendous I got myself moved to a private room when my second one was born. Care prior to and during birth of DC2 was also fantastic.

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LillianFullStop · 05/03/2020 10:09

@user1471592953 - was it quite easy to get a private room? Do you just ask once you've gone in for labour/ELCS and hope one is available?

I am dreading the postnatal wards more than labour/ELCS itself as I know during the birth I would be in the best care. If I can't get a private room for postnatal I would much rather be home with DH and DSis to help rather than fending for myself or hoping/fighting for help on the wards.

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nopun · 05/03/2020 10:17

@LillianFullStop they told me you can't reserve a private room, but can ask for one when you get in - it's allocated on a 'first come' basis. But be aware that they cost about £800 a night.

It also matters on which day of the week you're going in. I had a c section booked for a Tuesday, which is apparently the worst day for getting a private room, because that's the day when they have most of their private c sections scheduled.

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user1471592953 · 05/03/2020 11:14

@LillianFullStop - as mentioned above, you can’t reserve a private room. You just have to hope one is available if you ask for it. Price was about £800 a night but was worth it.

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Unbreakable2017 · 05/03/2020 13:44

I had two great births on the midwife led unit in 2016 and 2019. The midwives were fantastic and I got a room with a birth pool as requested. I also ended up with a private room for free both times! I’m not quite sure why - they said they were very busy, so maybe the wards were full? We did have to wait quite a while to get moved into a room from the birthing room for DC2 as they were so busy, and had to wait until the next day for all the checks to be carried out (despite baby being born in morning) but that was fine.

I had quick and straightforward births, but also know a lot of other women who have had complications and been looked after very well. Most complaints I’ve heard have been about the postnatal ward, as above, but I think that is the case for any hospital.

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Catherinekit · 19/12/2020 22:15

I had both my children at this hospital. I doubt there's a safer place to have a baby in the world - if something goes wrong you have the best surgeons which is why I chose it. However the level of organisation and standards of the other staff is a different story - and the post natal care is a much lower standard than the rest of it imo.

Also, for all these skilled professionals to help you, you actually have to be IN the hospital. With my first child they left me screaming in agony for days at home because my contractions - despite being extremely strong - were not close enough together. The cleaning ladies nearly broke the toilet door down while I was giving a sample because I was in so much distress - but computer said no and I was sent home. It turned out that the reason I needed a last minute c section (not dilating) was the same as the reason they wouldn't let me in the hospital - I am not a doctor but that sounds like a dangerous catch 22 to me. The only reason they let me in eventually was because my waters started breaking. If they hadn't I'd probably still be screaming in my house. I was so destroyed by the labour it really didn't occur to me to complain but now I really regret it.

For my second I chose to stay with UCLH after they promised that with my history I'd be allowed straight into the labour ward. We arrived at the labour ward, standing in front of an empty birthing room (where I eventually laboured) waters and blood running down my legs and screaming in agony. We were told the place was full and I had to go to the foetal assessment unit downstairs. This was full of people waiting to be seen and was very humiliating for me. The staff there took one look at me and said I had to go back upstairs - someone ran up to me with a wheelchair which they smashed into the back of my legs. I was taken back to the room I had been standing in front of 5 minutes ago.

Two midwives checked my dilation which caused some of my waters to break - I heard them say 'haha she's peeing'. I was not. There was a full page in my notes that said in large letters the anaesthetist should do my cannula - these women did not see it and did it anyway, causing a lot of pain and telling me off for not being able to cope with it. Hours later in my last minute episiotomy it somehow slipped and the anaesthetist had to put another one in my other hand. Again, I was so broken by this labour that complaining about it was the last thing that occurred to me, although now I wish I had taken every avenue available to me as I do not believe this treatment was acceptable.

I am so torn about whether or not to recommend this place bacause I really do believe that when it comes to the real danger you are in very safe hands, but is it worth all the badly run stuff around it? For myself, I would not go back there again even though I'm sure if you're not unlucky with who you get you could have a great experience there.

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Anjuska · 01/09/2022 13:18

Hi there,

After reading all the comments during my pregnancy, and finally having my baby at UCLH, I really have a need to chip in with my experience.

From the beginning itself, as many have mentioned before, I didn’t feel supported at all. Every time different midwife, different doctor, after the first trimester I was seen on approximately 2 months, which was extremely frustrating for me resulting in me booking private appointments constantly (I know I had a healthy and straightforward pregnancy, but it is my first child and I wanted to make sure everything was progressing properly).

However, let’s focus on the experience with the labour itself.

My contractions started on a Saturday evening, and I came to the hospital on Sunday 6:45am. After 30min of waiting at the reception, they put me on that firm examination bed for CTG (where my water broke as well), and left me there till 2:30pm (the only reason why I was not sent back home, irrespective of string contractions, was because they noticed my baby had heart drops from time to time).

At 2:30, we finally get a room at the labour ward, where the support from each midwife was absolutely fantastic the entire time. Unfortunately, I definitely cannot say the same for the doctors.
I finally received epidural, and they confirm I was 1 finger open (which already shows slow progress keeping on mind when my contractions started).
3 hours later, with the help of oxitocin, I was 5 fingers open.
However, 6 hours after that - nothing, still 5 fingers open. They decided to increase oxitocin, however my blood pressure suddenly dropped as well as babies heart beat. Instead of immediately sending us for an emergency c-section (seeing I am not opening properly, they are draining both me and the baby), they decide to revert to the previous oxitocin level and check us again in 5 hours, even though I was telling them I’m definitely up for c section. In the meantime, I started developing resistance to epidural, meaning the window in which I needed a topup was shorter and shorter (at the beginning every 2:30 hours, coming down to only an hour and 15min).
5 hours later, I was still open 5 fingers and they confirm it will have to be an “emergency c-section”. My turn for the “emergency c-section” came 6 hours later. At that point, I was in hospital for around 29/30 hours, and my water had broken 27 hours before.
During the c-section I had lost 1.4l of blood, which they casually told me and my husband once we were back in the room (without any explanation around what went wrong), and refused for my husband to donate blood for me even though we are the same blood type.

(Also - I was forced to sign a paper accepting responsibility for the c-section and any outcome, as it was a selective c-section.
I didn’t have a choice - it would rather be that or I potentially die, so why are they making me sign the paper.)

To summarize labour ward - midwives are great, carrying and I can’t express enough how lovely they were. Each and one of them.
Doctors are absolutely terrible, detached from what they do, their patients. You don’t get a feeling “oh, we are trying, but we can’t manage it all”. NO, you get a feeling they do not care at all, and would do everything to postpone c-section.



That night, they moved me to the maternity ward which was hell of its own…
Even though I had a major surgery, lost so much blood, you get your baby next to you the entire time, there is no nursery - meaning (even though the idea is nice, you get to see your child the entire time, check if he/she is good, etc.), I had to feed, change and care for him the entire time. My baby did not want to sleep in the basket they provide, so I had to hold him in my arms the entire night, and make sure I don’t fall asleep and drop him. They only took him for 2 hours one night when I asked, but every other night they asked me why I was asking that, and whether I’m aware how busy they were. In 3 days how much I spent at maternity ward, I slept for 4 hours (because my husband could only stay 8am-8pm, and because of the noise, I couldn’t sleep during the day when he was there).
Even today, when I mention my experience there, I instantly start crying, and I’m convinced I have PTSD from it.

I deeply regret my decision to deliver my baby in London, give myself and my child in the hands of NHS.

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