Anyone from Winchester or Southampton?

[Annner]

Hello!
I'm newly up le duff with my second. DD was born by what I now feel to have been an unneccessary ECsection in 2004. I'm anxious to avoid a second section if at all possible this time around.

Having looked at Dr Foster and Birthchoice UK, I am horrified by the Csection rates at Winchester, while the Princess Anne in Southampton looks on the face of it to be a better bet for the baby coming out of the right hole this time.

Has anyone has any experience of the Soton hospital? I know that it is huge, and last time I dismissed it on the grounds that it would be a huge baby factory. Winchester, on the other hand, seemed smaller and more cosy, but they were just too quick to reach for knife, IMHE.

Has anyone had any good or bad experiences of either place? Taa loads.

I'm not due until October, so plenty of time!

Hi there - both mine were born at the Princess Anne. DS1 was induced, very long labour and then forceps delivery and DS2 was very quick and just whooshed out. I don't know any figures re C sections tbh, some of my friends have had them there obviously but never heard anything particularly bad. It is a bit of a baby factry of course, being so big but I transferred to Romsey both time for a couple of days which was lovely (and I got a bit of peace and quiet).
A very dear friend of mine is a Midwife at PAH and she did her dissertation on VBAC and is very into it so it certainly isn't an issue I guess.
Hope that helps - don't think I've really said anything useful!

Hi, no experience or knowledge of c-section's at either, but I had my first baby at Princess Anne and vowed never again. This is partly due to my own personal birthing experience, but it is a very large maternity department, extremely busy, not very personal and I hardly saw the same MW twice in my week long stay there ( ds was being treated for jaundice ). The department at Winchester is much smaller and friendlier - I have friends who have birthed there, and I know of one lady who had her first at Southampton and because of her experience had her second at Winchester, which she much preferred.

I was due to have ds at princess anne but due to having him early I had to go to winchester. Because they were the nearest to us with a special care cot.
I found it was a lot nicer there & newer! But after 8 days was transfered to PA and had to see a midwife there for my last few days of aftercare and she was like Hitler(once she could actually see me!) This over 4 years ago though!
Could the figures seem higher because the maternity department at winchester is smaller than Southampton?

I am due to have my baby at Winchester in May and people have said its very good there. Was surprised to see the percentage of c-sections carried out though...My workmate is currently there recovering from one though she did have complications.

What is the csection rate?

You can find section rates (as well as other statistics) on www.birthchoice.co.uk.

My sister was transferred to Winchester from Taunton 5 years ago when she went into labour with her twin boys. This was because it was the nearest hospital with 2 SCBU cots free.

She found it to be a lovely place to have the boys, very friendly. They really looked after her. She was a first time mum giving birth to not one but two babies!!

Dh and I now live in Winchester (moved here last September) but as yet haven't experienced the hospital (apart from visiting my sister 5 years ago of course) but have heard good reports about it. (I also don't actually intend to visit the maternity department myself again

Thanks for all of your replies! My dilemma is exactly as you have outlined: while I was in Winchester in November 2004 I really did feel that it was small, friendly, clean and new, etc, and that I would never even look at going elsewhere.

But having come out the other side, more than slightly surprised to have been sliced, and looked at the figures, it really is just about the worst in the area for sections. Exactly the opposite of what I had thought it would be. 'Mazin how a modern bathroom makes you think that they'll be right on! And all my perceptions of a teaching hospital itching to get its paws on pregnant woman to train up more obstetricians... actually has a 15% emergency CS rate compared with Winchester's rather more scary 26%. Which is quite a big difference when you have unwittingly become a statistic yourself. I was all ready to whinge about us lot up here being too posh to push, but that would surely only explain the elective rate. My figures are from here ,by the way.

The other pro Soton factor is that DD was found to have a tongue tie, which nearly sent our breastfeeding down the pan after a 20% weight loss. The tongue tie gurus of the South are based at the Princess Anne, and the new babe could be checked out before being at risk of falling down the plughole...

Tommy, do you think that your friend would be prepared to share her thoughts on VBAC with me?

Chjlly, why would the fact that it is a smaller unit affect the statistics? Sorry; i'm no good at interpreting figures, and any help would be most welcome!!

I know that a VBAC is largely down to me, but it all went tits up last time once I was hospitalised, and I know that feeling that I have really thought about where to go will help my confidence. Sadly Andover and Romsey won't touch me with a lochia-stained barge pole!!

Cheers, Annner

Annner - I can certainly ask her and get back to you.

Many thanks, Tommy: I'd be interested to hear an "inside view" on our local hospitals before making a decision about where to go this time.

Cheers, Annner

Hello, having this same conversation with my husband at the moment. Anyone have any more up to date views or experiences with Princess Ann or Winchester please?

I had my first at Princess Anne Broadlands Birth Centre. It was fine. We were left alone quite a while after the birth and didnt have the same midwife throughout (different one for delivery, for checks, for stitches). I hated the postnatal ward, wasnt shown where my call buzzer was and couldnt reach it. Midwives seemed rushed off their feet.

My friends had births at Winchester and seemed impressed by it. I think it's less busy which is probably a good thing.

I had second baby at New Forest Birth Centre and it was so much better. Comfortable rooms where partner was also able to sleep (on a reclining chair). We had the same midwife throughout, so it felt much more personal, including the postnatal checks the following morning. I would highly recommend it there.

Thank you so much that's really useful! There's a lot of info online about them all but nothing like people's own experiences!