Barnet hospital maternity

[Dalesgirl16]

Does anyone have recent experience of giving birth at Barnet hospital, north London please?

Bump?

2013 and 2017. I felt very well looked after.

2011 and 2012. I was happy. There was always a risk I might have been sent to Chase Farm, but thankfully Barnet was available both times :)

Thank you. I've just read lots of bad reviews online and was worried as I'm giving birth there in the spring.

Pros of Barnet: partners/birth supporters are allowed to stay on post-natal ward, and you can have a private postnatal room for £100. You can go on their tours to have a look.

If you are midwife led, definitely look at Edgware Birth Centre- lovely, relaxed environment with welcoming staff. In the birthplace study, mothers and babies had better outcomes at freestanding birth centres (such as Edgware) than at alongside birth centres (such as Barnet).

2016 and although it was pretty rough, I'm set to go back there for number 2 this year. Don't think it was anyone's fault, just a rough birth and not what I wanted. Hasn't stopped me going back even though others are nearer and have good reviews. Midwife led unit is amazing but I never got to use it

Thank you. Unfortunately, I'm high risk so will be consultant led and can't go to Edgware which I have heard good things about. I read a lot of negative stuff about the post birth care at Barnet but nothing I can do now, I'm giving birth in couple of months.

I'm Enfield but going to the Whittington. Not heard a lot about Barnet but its a complete unknown to me. I know the Whitt

I recently gave birth to my baby boy in Barnet and had a terrible experience I arrived at three in the day to triage as my waters had broken and I was bleeding thick red blood with clots and loosing a lot of blood the midwife told me once I arrived it was just the colour of my waters nothing to worry about I knew that was not right as no one can bleed that much when 39 weeks pregnant she sent me home and told me to come back when my contractions were two minutes apart after arriving home I had to return to the hospital as the pain was too bad and coming every 2 minutes I was still bleeding heavy I returned to triage again got seen by two different midwifes who told me everything was fine I was in early labour and to go home I refused and said I wanted to stay and see how dilated which turned out to be only two cm while checking this my membranes ruptured and they tried to re insert them up me but couldn’t so chucked them in the bin! I was then admitted to the ward with other girls being monitored for a few hours then around 12 transferred me to my own room and hooked me up to the monitor to monitor my babies heart rate and this point the pain was unbearable and coming every ten to twenty seconds my sons heart heart was dropping for around half hour and around 5 doctors was saying it was fine as long as it ranged from the 60 beats per minute it was dropping to too 120 after around half hour they proceeded to leave the room when my sons heart rate dropped to 60 and stayed there for quite a few minutes they then rushed me in for a emergency c section where I did not even get to witness the first moments of my child’s life he was born unresponsive and not able to breath and transferred to uclh hospital up London for cooling and warming treatment to prevent brain damage due to lack of oxygen where he has to stay for two weeks and now have regular appointments to see if he is achieving his milestones. After my c section my doctors told me I had a placenta abruption at three that day when I first went to triage and should of had a emergency c section then which would of prevented the lack of oxygen to the brain the hospital is now being investigated If I had stayed at home and listen to them or they had walked out the room five minutes before my sons heart rate dropped and didn’t bet higher the outcome could of been much worse for me and him! I have heard such terrible stories about Barnet recently from my friends who have given birth there and my experience was terrible! I hope yours is better

That’s awful Miyadana I hope you and your son are ok. @dalesgirl I don’t think there’s a perfect hospital, I’ve also chosen Barnet as my gps wife had his there and said it was good. Their care commission report is also good but no personal experience

Hi. I gave birth in Barnet (August 2018). In a nutshell - I won’t be going back or recommend.

Pre delivery everything was lovely. Clean. Calm. Tour was great. Saw the birthing rooms etc.

What they didn’t show was the post delivery wards. Gosh. Most terrible experience ever. After 36 hours of labour was taken for emergency csection after which was left in “recovery room” for hours with baby and no midwife coming in to help or check. Was then wheeled to and left in corridor with baby - again with no info of what’s going on. Apparently my midwife and the one she handed over to had both finished their shift and forgot to handover properly.

I was finally shifted to the ward around 10pm (having given birth at 2:46pm) earlier that day.

Basically had to beg midwifes for assistance with feeding baby / passing baby to me (couldn’t move because of csection) had so many midwives tell me they’re coming but never came back. Midwife made me remove my own catheter. Had a midwife literally stab me in the stomach with a injection which looked like something out of Dracula the next day. I probably asked 150 times for a private room before getting one for literally 12 hours before I was leaving anyway. Communication between midwives / doctors and patients is poor. I still have not to this day ever understood why I was rushed to emergency c section or given any csection after care info.

So much more happened than I can even explain here. At the time I did complain to my ante natal midwife and I was told that they’ve had poor feedback for Barnet for so many years and always pass it on but the problem is the maternity ward is so big with so many beds and not enough staff.

Because of this so much vital care is compromised.

I hope you have a better experience than I did. I guess if I new what it would be like post baby in the ward it wouldn’t have been such a shock. I felt like I was in a different country!

Is Barnet still bad? Back in 1993 my GP (surgery close to the hospital) sent all pregnant women in his care to Enfield. I am not sure exactly what happened to one of his patients at BGH but he was so concerned about the place he didn't refer another patient there again.