To think that the Whittington hospital might actually be dangerously awful..

[CRS]

...after reading the post natal care thread? Only, I would add "Don't whatever you do break your shoulder and whatever the top half of your arm is called if you are likely to be admitted there" to "Don't have your baby there" (I haven't had a baby there by the way).

I assumed my truly frightening experience, which involved being sprung from that place by a friend and taken back to Oxford to the John Radcliffe in her car with multiple fractures, was just a bad luck one off!

Tis true. Honestly. Was a REALLY shit night out, and I haven't been back to that death trap house.

Oh no, I hope it is not as bad as you say. I think this is where my sis is going to have her next DC in August!

I didnt have a baby there, just nearly lost a limb! . And as you can see, others have had very positive experiences.

Sorry, YABU. My experience of the Whittington, giving birth to DC2 last year, was wonderful. The midwives and doctors were kindness personified, and the day I gave birth was one of the best of my life.

The post natal ward was typical of London hospitals, including overworked midwives and doctors failing to turn up and do the required checks to allow women/babies to be discharged; together with the obligatory, handcuffed Holloway Prison inmate and her guards (although her's was definitely the party cubicle). However, like bringmesunshine, I had no expectations, and packed supplies accordingly, so I wouldn't get hungry/thirsty/sleep deprived. The head midwife on duty worked her arse off that day to get me and several other women and their babies cared for and discharged.

I compare this to my experience of UCLH with DC1, which was like a trip to Hades, both ante-natally (appointments running hours late), during the birth process (amongst a plethora of truly shitty experiences, being examined in a store cupboard because there was nowhere else to put me), and post-natally (being denied food, shivering violently from shock and being refused a blanket, hallucinating through lack of sleep, being hectored and humiliated by the midwife....so much more). The only good part was the breast feeding counsellor on the ward, who was wonderful. This was before their shiny new ward opened, but I'm assuming the staffing problems and bad attitude have not altered with the new paintwork, and wild horsed would not drag me back to that hell hole. Oh, and their pre-printed discharge notes referred to "virginal births". Mary was better off in the stable than that hellhole.

I am sorry about your bad experience, CRS

It's OK, I pretend to children that I was the victim of a shark attack involving swimming with my limb to shore if questioned by pupils.

(The very large scar still has staple marks which do look a bit like teeth marks!)

Had both my two at the Whit and, as has been said already, care excellent apart from night time ward staff.

i'm going into whittington next week for dc3, not given birth there before but everyone i have spoken to locally has found it good, so not expecting it to be too bad as you do get horror stories from everywhere...
i have found their antenatal care to be really good and so far happier with them than uch on that side of things