any experience of Royal Berks Reading Maternity

[elizaregina]

Hi, anyone had any experiences recently of royal berks in reading> thanks

Just so your not left hanging I'm in reading & have used the community midwives (chose to have a home birth) but had antenatal classes at rbh as well as some vaccinations. Anything specific you wanted to know? I'll help if I can! :)

I was born there 36 years ago, and so was Kate Winslet in the same week. The following week there was a fire there.

Unfortunately had a really bad experience there 2 months ago. They were very short staffed, and busy. I was kept waiting for 2 days for them to find a room and doctor to induce after premature waters breaking. I ended up with an em. C-section and huge bleed (care in theatre was brilliant) but aftercare was again awful). Personally I will be using basingstoke or swindon in the future.
Sorry to be so negative. Hope everything goes well with you wherever you decide to give birth

Hi Peta,

Four. 5 years ago it was brill but had heard rumours of going downhill. So sorry ot hear of your nasty experience. Such a shame, Wexham is worse though.

Long time lurker here de-lurking for the first time because I wanted to inspire some confidence in the RBH. I had my DC1 there 15 weeks ago and I had a really positive experience. I was feeling anxious about going due to hearing bad things and wanting a homebirth really, but deciding against due to DP's reluctance. I was expecting a long drawn out labour getting gradually more painful and ended up with a very quick labour with double/constant contractions from the word go, which made me panic A LOT.

I was seen on the Marsh Ward (the MLU) and had an amazing midwife, and a really calm, lovely labour- managed to deliver DS naturally with only a bit of g&a when I got to 9cm, and considering I'd been begging for an epidural when I arrived an hour before, I think credit goes to the midwife for restoring my confidence in myself!! Paperwork etc also done very quickly, and i was home snuggling with my DS in my own bed less than 6 hours later, all in all a really great first time experience!

I was born there in the same week as Kate Middleton :)

DS1 was born there nearly a year ago and I'll be in there again in July/August to pop out DS2

I thought it was pretty good, all things (i.e. THE PAIN) considered. I was examined once on the MLU and thought it seemed nicer than delivery suite where I eventually gave birth. However I did need to go into surgery post-birth and so it was nice to just be wheeled down the corridor to theatre.

Post-natal care wasn't stellar; I was left sitting on a mat covered in my own blood for hours because no-one told me I was allowed to get up. I was also attached to a catheter but didn't know if I was meant to empty it or what. I didn't get the ward induction (i.e. here is the loo/kitchen/where you can get water) and got told off for having DS1 in the corridor in my arms rather than in his tub (didn't know that rule). I think all that only happened because I needed surgery though.

However, one or two midwives stood out as angelic. One of them hand-expressed loads of my colostrum for me while I sat there crying and another comforted me during ANOTHER crying jag and then proceeded to give me lots of extra cake bars when she brought the meals around 'to keep my strength up'.

Put it this way, I'm freely choosing to go back :)

I was born there 34 years ago! Another helpful one!

Just a quick thought, they're opening a new delivery suite there soon (was supposed to be this month but has been delayed) I think it's going to be to allow more midwife led care, but not 100% sure. Worth enquiring about though.

Thanks for the feedback, post care does worry me an awful lot as I am asking for an ELC.

Such a shame about neg experiences as said before didnt hear a bad word about it over 4 years ago. Everyone including me said it was fantastic.

when are you due, elizeregina? Maybe I'll see you there :)

Whoops. Sorry about the typo!

nov

Ah, I'm late July. Funny though, I know 4 women in Reading who are also due in November! Hopefully that doesn't imply potential overcrowding

Hi HERRENA,

I have googled it and it seems there is alot of crowding there. I know the midwives were under strain back in 2007, i guess its cracked now!

It's a massively busy unit - always has been AFAIK. I had DS there Sept 2007 and whilst the birth was horrible that wasn't their fault. There was some pissing about with "come in to be induced as waters leaked and labour wasn't starting," making me wait 4 hours then sending me home again as they were full. Then phoning me up again etc. The post em cs aftercare was good - I had to stay in for 4 days. Interestingly my NCT mates who had less medicalised births than me around the same time reported much more negatively.

I had DD there in Jan 2010 and it was fab (2cm to babe in arms within around 3 and a half hours) - I was very lucky and got a great midwife right at the start of her shift very late on a Saturday night. She was lovely and even found time to put butter and jam on my toast afterwards! Way beyond the call of duty. It then got much busier and I was left for a good few hours but to be fair I was blissing out with DD, DH was asleep on the chair and I didn't really mind.

Am due to have DC3 there in 4 weeks time......

I have had 2 babies there (emcs both times). Last baby came 2 weeks ago, so my experience is recent. I could not fault the staff, from doctors to midwives. I think I received excellent care. I know that they shut down sometimes when they are full but never had the sense that things were rushed or people were under pressure.
With a CS you can stay up to 3 days (day 0 being the day of the CS) which is what I did both times. I stayed in the Marsh ward, which was fine. You can ring for staff to come and help to change baby or/and give you bottles in you decide to ff. Overall I found them very helpful.

wasabipeanut

I was there in sept 2007 too! 16th sept! I found my two MW brilliant. Good luck with dc3!

DialM, great you had two positve experiences there.

Ideally Id love to have DH over to stay too to help out....

Your DH can stay all the time you are in the delivery room but whilst in the ward will have to be off early in the afternoon btw 1 and 3 if I remember rightly.

DialM you're right about the mandatory break in visiting time, but did you notice any partners just hiding behind the curtains while you were in there? In my ward quite a few mums quietly closed their curtains and their partners stayed until 3pm, after which they opened the curtains again. It seemed like the midwives didn't enforce it as long as partners were quiet :) This was 1 year ago btw.

Congrats on your new DC!

No did not notice cause btw 1 and 3 is siesta time.

I didnt notice any enforcement - some people had tons of visitors in, i mean i want DH over night! I really struggled the first night I didnt know how to change a nappy, one MW would come in and close the window curtain, then one would come in and open it - one put baby in cot - another put her next to me! literally it was comical each person who came round did exact opp to the last tone.

Tbh you are unlikely to be able to have your DH overnight but might have a better chance to get away with it if you pay for a private room (about £100 a night I think). They are not always available though.

Private rooms can be bargainous. They never sent us the bill for the 4 night stay with DS :)

Btw thanks Eliza - I was 10 days ahead of you!