Hospital Worries!

[Rachael200694]

I am 34 weeks and 2 days and getting closer and closer to the big day! I live near Barnsley Hospital where they've got an excellent reputation for care and I was happy to go there to deliver. However, because they've recently won an award for care theyre getting a big refurb of the whole department meaning the labour ward is closed and mums are currently delivering on the post natal ward.

Because of this I don't think the proper birthing pool will be available but they have baths. Has anyone had experience labouring in a bath, i imagine it to be uncomfortable compared to a pool?

A midwife also said mums get their own "cubicle" on the post natal ward which sounds to me like you share a room to deliver?! Is a cubicle just where they pull a curtain round?

I'm also considering looking for a different hospital to deliver at because i'm really thinking a water birth will be for me. Has anyone had experience with Sheffield or Leeds or anywhere in that area?
I'm a bit disappointed really as I was so pleased to be near to a hospital with good care, but I don't think i want to miss out on a water birth!

I don't know anything about that hospital but I would not be happy about giving birth in a cubicle! Would you consider a homebirth? You're guaranteed use of the pool if you have your own!

I quite like the idea of a home birth but I don't think I could forgive myself if anything was to go wrong ie. need a emergency CS. So my plan is to labour at home for as long as possible in the bath and transfer Tia birthing pool at hospital. The midwife was asked by a lady if we still get our own room and she answered "yes you get your own CUBICLE" so I'm definitely going to check up on that one!

Rachael - It's totally reasonable to ask to be given a v quick tour of labour ward, they should offer it as part of the ante-natal classes at the hospital. If, as you suspect, it turns out to be labouring behind a curtain in a room full of other people, then you will have the chance to change hospitals / go for a home birth / explore your options.

I was admitted about 18 hours before DS was born because he was back to back and I had bad HG so was getting v dehydrated. Initially labour ward / home from home suites were all full so I was also on post-natal ward from about tea time til about 2am. Part of that time they gave me a seditative so I was sleeping but around half 11 / midnight it had worn off and I was walking about trying to get contractions started again.

Basically I was labouring behind a curtain with just gas and air in a room full of sleeping mums / babies for a couple of hours until a bed was available on labour ward and it was tough going, trying to be quiet and not really having any privacy. But at least I didn't actually have to give birth in that room, and if that is what is going on at your hospital at the minute I would probably be having second thoughts as well.

Its obviously your decision but if you go for a homebirth the whole time you're labouring at home you'll have a qualified mw monitoring you and your baby which is actually much safer than staying at home as long as possible and then going into hospital. I've had one dc in hospital and one at home and any problems would have been picked up much quicker with the homebirth as I had 1-1 care throughout which unfortunately doesn't always happen in hospital.

I took the midwife's comment to mean, you'll deliver with midwife and birthing partner and whatever obstetric staff in attendance in a room. Surely rather hectic with any more than one mum-to-be in a room? Maybe I'm gullible but pretty certain NHS isn't a total conveyor belt even during refurbishment.

From my own experience post-natally they'd let you and pfb lie quietly somewhere screened off hence 'cubicle' where they can still monitor you.

Thereafter they'd wheel you and newborn to a ward maybe not the usual delivery wing but still clean and staffed.

We're going to have a look round the ward on Monday so we can find out exactly what is going on up there! I'm also going to discuss with my midwife about the possibility of a home birth, I never thought of it from the point of view that it'd be safer than staying at home as long as possible! Thank you all for your posts. Fingers crossed we get things sorted!!