So what hospital did you give birth in?

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Following on from the epidural thread and seeign that sometimes your level of care can depend upon the area you live in, I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread on which hospital you have given birth in, or are going to give birth in and any comments ie - good, bad, excellent, etc

I often wonder if women get a rougher deal if they live say for instance, in a bigger City. I remember looking after a woman a few years ago who was having a ELCS after a really traumatic delivery in London and her after care on the wards made me so sad for her. She moved to the country and her next baby was born here, and she said it couldnt have been more different.

So fire away

Baby no. 1 - Harrogate Hospital.

Didn't have a good time, wasn't going back in there again.

Baby no. 2 - My House. See above.

St Georges
Delivery and midwives were great, emergency and neo-natal were fantastic, aftercare was shocking. Just awful, I complained actually.
but they have a new maternity wing now, so not sure if anything has changed

DS born in St John's hospital, Livingston Just outside edinburgh.
Was admitted before birth, care was freeking terrible, i was overdosed on BP meds which they later admitted, left suffering the after effects on my own and chucked in a bathroom at 36+5 to have an "ice bath" to cool down!!! Hence i left at 1am and demanded to be able to sign out!!!
However son born at 37+5 by emergency section, and the doctors and midwifes that day were brilliant!!

Gloucester royal dd1

Episiotomy and instrumental delivery, 5 days postnatal care, fab breast-feeding support that enabled me to bf so easily that we did it till she was 3, if I looked at this delivery differently I could say it was barbaric, being cut with no analgesia on board, etc but it was needed, baby needed to be born and that's it. Lucky for me that next time things were better.

Ds1 Stroud maternity unit, glos midwifery led unit, 10 lb baby, in the pool fab again, just the best place ever!

Dd2 home pool birth, Fantastic community middies, felt very safe and supported throughout.

Leeds General Infirmary both times.
Birth was good both times, although 1st time I was discouraged from giving birth on all fours but second time midwife just let me do what felt best.
Had private room throughout with big bath etc.
Midwives were excellent.
Aftercare was good first time - they taught me to BF before I was allowed to leave - can't fault their support.
Second time it was crap. I was left alone, no support, no buzzer by my bed and the paediatrician came round to tell me my son would have a big birthmark on his face.

That was it.
'your son's going to develop a birthmark on his face, ok? Keep an eye on it over the next year as they keep growing for a good few months. Bye'
A couple of hours postpartum and this left me a little shocked and upset.
Couldn't get out quick enough.

St Georges Tooting for ds1. Awful, awful, awful. Aftercare terrible. Should have complained as when I asked for helping latching ds1 on, mw picked him up under one arm and dumped him in cot saying "perhaps he is not hungry".

Ds2 - East Surrey. Was ok, but left 6 hours after delivery as I just wanted to get home.. Back a week later as ds2 had a serious infection.... Often wonder if he picked it up at the hospital as it was an umbilical infection.

Dd1 & 2 - my house. fantastic. Mws were great and lovely and had 2 wonderful experiences. Felt that it was how birth should be.

Kings mill Mansfield Notts jul 2004 ds and jan 2007 dd, hospital hasnt got a good reputation but both births fine and looked after very well.

supadupapupascupa - i was born there ( although i think its been knocked down and rebuilt.

both my dd's born in fairfield general in bury. i found it very good. i stayed in for 4 days with dd1 to establish bfeeding. mw very suportive.

Wexham Park, Slough Antenatal care very mixed. Had horrible midwife. Ds's care in NICU/SCBU was superb and the reason he is a strapping nearly 7 yr old. When he was a week old I was told he was unlikely to survive.

Northampton General for both births- Apalling first birth as in care, brill second birth as in care :)

Both DSs at the Rosie Maternity at Addenbrookes, Cambridge.
#1 1999 - standard first birth really. Epidural (but no further interventions). Stayed in for 3 nights even though I didn't really need to. They had the room, I don't mind hospitals, so they looked after me and I looked after DS. Had lots of BF help. All great really.

#2 2009 - in at 8pm, DS arrived at 9pm. Wanted to go to MLU but they were too busy so it was closed. I got the birth pool room (though by the time it was full he had arrived - had my tea and toast in it afterwards, while discreetly washing all the gunk off DS). Could have gone straight home, but I wanted one night in. Got a side room because that's all that was free and spent the night with DS co-sleeping. Perfect.

The only complaint is that because I live right on county borders my MW care was from Essex and the Rosie is in Cambridge. I didn't know who to contact when I had a PP infection.

Ds1 - Kingston, when the maternity unit was nearly brand new. Excellent.

Ds2 - St. Peter's, Chertsey. Had a very ineperienced and young midwife who couldn't get the needle in my arm, had to call in a amore experienced one. When I eventually asked for an epidural (slightly over-estimated my pain threshold for induction!) I nearly got it ( the anaesthetist seemed to take a long time explaining the procedure/risks etc to me) but then there was an emergency call from another labour room and everyone left (except DH, of course). So no epidural, no midwife, nothing.

Fortunately they arrived back just in time to do the last bits.

Aftercare there a bit so-so, except for one lovely lady who helped me express colostrum. I would happily have throttled the BF 'expert' who barged into my room at midnight and bellowed at me as I was nearly asleep for the first time in 48 hours.

Bedford for DS1 - ok experience -but they were packed, I was a young first time mum - meh - they fobbed me off

DS2 and 3 were both at Kettering..........but for the difference in experiences it may as well have been the North and South poles...

DD1 - Queen Elizabeth, Woolwich (SE London). Dire. AVOID. Mistakes made by disinterested bank midwife caused short term and long term serious medical issues. I'm not the only one I know who has had big issues with their deliveries there. Consultants a mixed bag. Postnatal ward a bloody nightmare with very variable care depending on the midwife but zero resources. Community midwives absolutely lovely though, and very, very pro homebirth.. if only DD1 hadn't been premature.

DD2 - Kings. No real complaints over failed induction -> EMCS, but postnatal ward was horrific. Mistakes were made there too and one midwife in particular seriously needs to reconsider her career as she clearly hates women. Some midwives were lovely though. Midwives beforehand were often very busy and although most were lovely, one in particular was completely incompetent. Consultants mostly good at Kings though, as you might expect.

DC3 (DS1) - is planned unavoidable ELCS at Chelsea and Westminster but I'm at Queen Elizabeth again for the antenatal stuff as it's two hours in traffic closer. Again, community midwives wonderful, really perfect. A++++. My main consultant is not great because he does not listen, but all of his registrars have been lovely.

PLymouth Derriford

midwife from hell. aftercare was shit, and they were all bossy and patronising 2002.

Home birth with community midwives from the MLU at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff. Fantastic care, before, during and after. Lovely lovely midwives, fantastic antenatal care, brilliant breastfeeding support - I was very very lucky.

St. Mary's Paddington. No problems at all.

Can't fault the care in the slightest, couple of midwives who I wouldn't go for a drink with but that's fair enough.

Northwick park (north london) 2006. Emc, waters broke 72 hours before, no one cared/believed me. Absolutely awful before and after care.
Wythenshawe (south Manc) 2008 Elc. wonderful care, lovely midwifes.
Thinking about no 3 at the mo, nearest hospital is Whipps Cross. See Previous poster-Just dont!

DD at St. Mary's, Paddington Labour Ward- had a lovely community midwife who kept me sane but the other midwives were awful, and the postnatal treatment I received has scarred me mentally.
The ward was filthy as were the toilets. It was the most awful experience of my life!

I was petrified when I found I was expecting DS but luckily they had built a new birthing centre which I requested. During the labour I had to go "upstairs" to see the witches who were rude and sarcastic because I wanted to have the baby downstairs in the lovely clean birth centre. I remember shaking with fear when I stepped on the ward and being told that I was in labour and it was nothing to be scared of. I wasn't scared of the labour it was that filthy labour ward I was frightened of.

The baby was moving ok so I could go back downstairs and giving birth to DS was the most wonderful experience. The midwives in the birth centre were fantastic and encouraging, and it showed me what proper care during and after labour should be like.

Both DCs at Queen Charlottes, West London. Amazing amazing amazing. First birth a water birth in the birth centre and second one on the maternity unit and both equally fantastically staffed.

We had heard rumour of an amazing male midwife and got him by chance with our second DC, and he was something else. The most calm, warm and efficient midwife i have ever encountered.

Aftercare n both occasions was excellent. I would recommend without question.

DD Lincoln county. Really lovely midwives epidural when requested. Help with breastfeeding not good, but everything else good.

DS1 Lincoln again. Awful midwife that didnt believe i was in labour, wouldnt examine me and ds1 born on to the floor, on my own resulting in a umbilical hernia and blackeye. Was told they had rung dh, as i was in or an induction that hadnt worked they thought, but they hadnt! So he missed the birth!
The midwife was beyond awful! I had rung the bell, no response and only got somone in the room when i scrreamed, "I have had my baby!" Complained etc as resulted in ptsd and just didnt want it to happen to anyone else!

DS2 Boston Pilgrim. Grim hospital not even a toilet in delivery room, let alone an ensuite, but lovely staff!

Maybe is there a link between time of birth and postnatal treatment? If you are unlucky enough to give birth just before or anytime after visiting hours then you are shoved straight onto the labour ward and told to be quiet because everyone is sleeping. And I have always found the night staff to be less sympathetic than in the day.

Although I had DS at 9.30pm and the postnatal care I received was excellent- but obviously there was a smaller staff to patient ratio which made this more likely.

Both births at the Rosie in Cambridge.

DD1, elcs, breech. Section was fine, aftercare dreadful. No help breastfeeding, 2 nights sharing a bay of six meant no sleep, no clue what to do. Horrid. Was planning a home vbac with dd2 but...

Had placenta previa/accreta, and despite never wanting to go near the Rosie again ended up spending almost 9 weeks there. Won't start to go into what it's like living in a maternity hospital for two months. But when it comes down to it, they delivered my baby safely, saved my life when I had a massive pp haemorrhage and saved hers when she experienced breathing difficulties. I still want to weep with gratitude when I think of the doctors who operated on me, and the NICU staff. We wouldn't be here without them. Plus, they had got their act together by then with breastfeeding support & despite the rocky start helped us to establish bf to the extent that I fed her for 11 months (4 weeks with dd1).

Queen Mary's Roehampton. Dreadful, filthy place, now closed. Treated badly and had to get violent in order to be given an epidural. Picked up a nasty infection and needed a lot of aftercare. Pelvic floor inadequately repaired at the time and still having surgery decades later. After that, HB and many fewer problems.