kent hospitals

[mum2bee]

Just wanted to know if anyone has any experience of antenatal care in Kent, which hospitals have you used and which are the best?

I had a normal delivery and a cs at Maidstone Hospital. I also had a home birth whist living here. I've not visited any other hospitals so couldn't really comment. What did you want to know exactly?

Pembury hospital labour ward midwifes lovely, but upstairs afterwards was hell, i got left for 8 hours and noone came to see me, i had had an epidural and had to chuck my numb leg into the little cot to get my baby out to feed her....not recommended by me anyway.

Kent is a big place, which bit?

I guess I have to choose from Canterbury, Ashford or Maidstone, which are closest to me in that order. I have heard that Canterbury has a great head of Obstetrics, low intervention but is a bit grim/dirty postnatally, the other two I know nothing about at all.

I had my 4 in Ashford (Wm Harvey) & the only problems I had were that when I had DD in 1986 they had temporarily closed Buckland Hospital (Fstone) & I got a dragon of a midwife from there.

Each experience was different so it's probably changed again. I had heard that Canterbury was better. Does the post-natal bit matter now that mums are discharged so soon?

Not sure I can help a lot, but I had one at Maidstone - very modern facilities, very organised, midwives on p/n ward very remote and switched off from everyone. Midwives changed shift in middle of a 4 hour labour which I found upsetting at the time. Antenatal care there means regular clinic visits plus GP midwife support.Had 4th baby at Conquest Hospital, Hastings, as I live in the south of Kent now, and I could have gone to there or Pembury. Care at Hastings was first class, and the midwives very very good (had to stay for 5 days so saw a lot of them!). Antenatal care was all done at surgery, their policy is only to see you in clinic if needed. Also do nuchal scans as routine which was my main reason for choosing Conquest, as I was 41 at time.Generally the view round here seems to be not to go to Pembury (victorian facilities) or Ashford (lots of negative vibes!) but if you have a SCU baby Pembury is considered the best in Kent.

I think that I am going to head for Canterbury; I had very rapid first stages with both no.1 and 2 and it's alot closer than the other two, also I have heard that they have a pretty low intervention rate, which is quite important to me having had two that ended in theatre - one c-section, one ventouse. So any knowledge of that hospital in particular would be very handy.

Oh and I should declare that i am in fact an old mumsnetter, emmagee, but was undercover until I had told family and friends, so I'll post as that next time!