So what hospital did you give birth in?

[EmptyCrispPackets]

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

Barnsley District General Hospital
Excellent antenatal and postnatal care, I have nothing bad to say about them at all. Can;t really comment on care in labour as went in at 8 cm dilated and had emcs within seconds (undiagnosed footling breech).

Also spent 6 weeks in there when pg (hyperemisis) and then DS was in for 9 days last year. Again, not a bad word to say about gynae or paediatric wards.

Will be booking in there again.

Royal Gwent with dd1.

Neville Hall with twins.

Both were classed as high risk pregnancies, so actually had quite good care both times...but my MW who told me that twinnie care at Neville hall was far better than the gwent will always be on my christmas card list.

I wanted to go to caerphilly miners with 2nd pregnancy as mw led care only, but couldn't as it was twins.

all in all, I think I was very very lucky both times.

The Portland, both times. Our health insurance covered it as I had placenta previa the first time and twins the second. Both ELCS, both fine. Aftercare excellent, own clean en suite room, room service, fab BF support, open visiting, husband stayed over in my room. Some shortcomings but nothing like some of the experiences on this thread.
I had my antenatal care via Addenbrookes and I really couldn't fault it, but heard so many stories about poor aftercare I transferred privately and am v glad I did.

St Marys, Paddington, London. Absolutely fantastic care as I had some complications.

I had a wonderful male midwife who stayed with me for nearly 12 hours until my son was born and gave me a lot of confidence in my own abilities.

However postnatal ward was a bit apocalyptic!

DD1 - East Surrey - 2006 - good once actually got onto labour ward - absolute circus trying to get admitted and pain relief. Actual delivery was a crash c-section and they were brilliant.
Post Natal - generally good - could have done without the heavy sighs and eye rolling everytime I asked for help bf though.

DD2 East Surrey - 2008 - VBAC arrived v. quickly - all good. Post natal care was good as well - was particularly impressed how head midwife dealt with an extremely aggressive and threatening father. (not my dh another one)

MC - East Surrey - 2009 - once you got through to them and were in their care the epu were fantastic BUT contacting them was a nightmare - 2 days trying on the phone with no replies and no phoning back to my 10-15 messages. Eventually rang day unit and they sent someone down to get them to phone me :(

Kettering General, 2008. Aftercare lovely (I was born there and there was actually a nurse on duty who remembered my mum!) but actual birth AWFUL.

Can't fault the anaesthetist though, he's my dad

Just had my little girl at the Horton in Banbury. Couldn't have been better. Total reversal on original birth plan (had planned to be in Chipping Norton MLU for waterbirth) as she was two weeks over and I took the option on being induced, then the induction was moved from the John Radcliffe to Horton. Ended up in unfamiliar hospital with ALL the drugs, epidural, ventouse and eventually forceps, lost loads of blood and quite battered.

BUT, wonderful staff, all of them, couldn't have been more supportive or professional. Consulted me on every change to my birth plan, got me the epidural within 20 minutes of me requesting it and the aftercare has been great too, with paediatric checks done at home so that I can rest up and not have to go to GPs

Princess Anne, Southampton. Nothing like what you've seen on the telly. Piss poor on labour ward, but Surgeons/Anaesthetist and theatre staff were brill and aftercare was very good. Food was quite awful.

Another Stroud Maternity MLU here - feel so lucky to have been living here when dd was born.

Great pool birth. Can't praise the midwives enough. Two who I'd never met before. Both great, professional and we absolutely trusted them. 5 days aftercare - wonderful - tho' dd tricked us all with her wonderful impression of breast feeding whilst not actually taking any in. But we got that sorted out.

First night was in Gloucester Royal 'cos I tore badly and had to go there for an epidural (!). They were nice apart from niggles - like reaching dd out of her cot was incredibly difficult and they put my bag where I couldn't reach it and I was desperate for clean pants. And I wasn't assertive enough to ring the bell in the middle of the night. But those are little things in the scheme of things!

cresswell in dumfries. i loved it there, the midwives were amazing and it was just lovely. DD was a 'high risk' delivery and i couldn't have asked for better treatment. i've even told DP that if we have another he has to drive me back all the way to scotland because i wouldn't want to have a baby anywhere else.

they don't do epidurals there though, sorry ladies

George Eliot Nuneaton. I had Ds there 5 yrs ago and the midwives on the labour ward were terrible, didn't believe me when I told them I was in labour strapped me to a monitor for 20min which turned into 45min DH had to get them to come to me, they finally (and very grudgingly) examined me after lots of complaining from me and DH to find I was 5 cm dilated and DS was in distress. I was wheeled down and prepped for EMC and gave birth to Ds on the operating table. BUT the post natal care on the drayton ward was great and the MW's were all lovely.

DD 3yrs was an unassisted homebirth but we had to spend 1 night in the George Eliot. We were put in a private room with a window that didn't shut this was in March so it was freezing, the blinds on the window didn't shut, the room was grubby. I called for clean sheets which I ended up changing myself.

The poor MW's were run off their feet I was one of 19 ladies on the ward and there were only 2 MW's.

When I was discharged I was talking to one of the MW's and she told me to complain because things would only improve if ladies complained, I also said that I would like to be a MW and she told me not to bother, she said she'd been doing the job for 20 yrs and was by nature a very caring person and it made her sad that she was to busy most of the time to do her job the way she used to 'ie' spending time with new mums and advising them.

Telford Princess Royal sorry another person had a problem with a member of staff on the Day ward. The midvives I had were excellent all bar one who did the post birth tests she was a cow.

All the rest of the staff were lovely and it was very clean and the food was edible and nice sometimes. The bathroom were spotless and they had lovely music playing.

I had a bad experience with my previous baby sadly passed at Royal Shrewsbury the male consultant was a git of extreme proportions.

I get a shiver even when I see the hospital name sadly.

This thread is making me broody !!

Narketta, tell me to bog off if you like but you said: "DD 3yrs was an unassisted homebirth" can I just ask if this was because you had a bad time before?

Had dd in St Michael's in Bristol.

Care during labour was good - had 1-2-1 mw care for the 3 hours until dd was born, but postnatal care was terrible.

Had to stay on labour ward for 12 hours after delivery as no room on the post natal ward - was left alone for hours and in the end had to go out to reception carrying dd to find someone to ask for more water (and promptly got told off for carrying her and not using the plastic 'tub' thing that they sleep in

When finally went up to postnatal ward discharged myself after 1 hour due to lack of care, disinterested midwives and poor hygiene.

dc1 - Okehampton Maternity unit - fabulous

dc2 - Royal Devon and Exeter (needed csection)

dc3 - as above (vbac)

Preferred the low key MLU by a million miles.

Had dd in St Michael's in Bristol.

Care during labour was good - had 1-2-1 mw care for the 3 hours until dd was born, but postnatal care was terrible.

Had to stay on labour ward for 12 hours after delivery as no room on the post natal ward - was left alone for hours and in the end had to go out to reception carrying dd to find someone to ask for more water (and promptly got told off for carrying her and not using the plastic 'tub' thing that they sleep in

When finally went up to postnatal ward discharged myself after 1 hour due to lack of care, disinterested midwives and poor hygiene

I'm with you. I was bitter for a long time about my stay there. Being so far away from home with a very ill baby and being post op is hard enough, but the lack of care was awful.

west suffolk- normal/average/good care

kings lynn queen elizabeth- normal/average/good care

norfolk and norwich- mix of fantastic care and utterly appalling (also had time at coventry-new one) awful awful and kings lynn- fantastic)

Kings lynn again- mw fantastic pn call doc no so, overall good experience

I cant quote by the way!

The last paragraph was mine

Hi EmptyCrispPackets

I had planned to have DD in hospital but on the morning she was born she arrived so quickly that she was delivered by DH on our kitchen floor.

I woke at 6.15am having a huge contraction and she was born at 6.59am.

St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth (all services now transferred to Queen Alexandra), in 2008. Lovely midwives, had the same one (Carol) throughout my delivery, but that was due to DD coming quickly while she was still on shift! DD born at 00:03, transferred to Blake Birthing Center in Gosport for aftercare at 3am. Blake is lovely, midwives very caring, lots of BF support and no "judginess" if you don't/can't - well not from any of the midwives I encountered anyway!

Had a community midwife (same one throughout) for antenatal care, and for delivery it was the luck of the draw with who was on shift!

Had great care from the Portsmouth midwives, the Blake midwives and the Fareham and Gosport community midwives.... I think I was fortunate because I have heard some horror stories!

Had m/c in May 2010, care I received was second to none.

Am now 28 weeks into another pregnancy, again care is fab. Off to QA in May.

DCH Dorchester. Was in out and out from around 24 weeks. Sometimes spent the whole day on my own without seeing anyone more than once.

Birth was fantastic, CS, with a fab team.

Aftercare was pretty bad and bf support not good either but more to the fact they seemed very short staffed. Was told "You will never feed that baby if you don't relax" Ds had tongue tie and only I could tell.

I must say most people do have a good experience there.

Both DS's born at Eastbourne District General - fantastic care, lovely supportive midwives and great breastfeeding support.

Rosie Addenbrookes. DS was 11 weeks early due to placental abruption and everything that matters was fantastic. Although by the time I was in labour I was obviously very high risk still midwife led, and without pain relief as I refused gas and air as it makes me very sick. I was clueless and frightened the midwife was very experienced, patient and maintained her sense of humour, even when telling my DH to pull the crash cord as DS was born.

the midwife had warned me that the room would then get very busy and it did, but the staff who were obviously very busy were very courteous and polite, and kept me informed as DS was whisked away.

NICU and SCBU staff were great, nresatfeeding support on NICU and SCBU was great, community aftercare with NICU and SCBU also great.

I stayed for 4 days and then asked to be discharged. No pressure to leave.

Things that weren't so great mattered less. For example the food is awful, and served at the wrong times when you have a bay in NICU as you couldn't get any when the ward rounds were on which was the one time I was guaranteed to be on the postnatal ward. Lack of beds meant I was in an open ward with other mothers and their term babies crying while DS was fighting for his life. That was hard and in the delivery room they'd promised it wuldn't happen. But that's no-one's fault apart from the governments as there is no money.

The HCAs also great and were always available for a chat and a cup of coffee even if the midwives were stretched. They gave the sense of really enjoying thier jobs.

Am now fundraising for the new Rosie!

DS1 - 1999 - East Surrey - straightforward delivery.

DD1 - 2001 - East Surrey - induction, resulting in emcs.

DD2 - 2003 - East Surrey - straightforward VBAC.

I cannot fault the hospital for all three births and aftercare. The MWs were fantastic and I was very cared for post-natally.