Giving birth at UCLH London

[fleur89]

Hi there,

Wondering if anyone could share recent experiences giving birth at UCLH?

With my first I gave birth overseas in the private system. Bit nervous about all I'm reading in the news over in the UK about the state of maternity care so wondering whether to stick with UCLH or go private (aware this is a fortunate position to be in). In London the private hospitals I'm looking at have direct to NICU so that's not a concern.

Welcome any positive and negative thoughts / experiences. The staff at UCLH seem great so far but I'm more concerned about the labour experience - access to epidural, being deprioritised and therefore put at risk, overcrowding and being left to my own devices, etc.

Last time I had a very fast labour triggered by being induced and my body going into overdrive. Baby's HR dropped and needed vacuum to get her out in 2 pushes, and they expected I would need emergency c section but luckily didn't. I was continually monitored by staff and machines and feel like this saved her. Terrified I won't get the same duty of care over here.

I've had children at UCLH over the last few years. I can't compare it to private but received outstanding care throughout pregnancy and during labour. I had a potential issue with my pregnancy the first time around and was referred to consultant led care and during this worrying time I felt re-assured that I was in the best hands. It's one of the most advanced hospitals for maternity care.

My only criticism is that the post labour care is not as high touch - once they see that mother and baby are ok then you are left to get on with it. So, I would save your money and resources for that part.

It's an extremely busy hospital and despite that I felt like every issue or concern I had during pregnancy was taken seriously. We booked one of the private rooms for post labour and I would recommend this as the post labour ward can be very hectic.

I did take a doula in addition to my partner for the birth and found having an extra person for support helpful as it's unpredictable how busy the hospital might be when you go in. Also, having a birth plan is useful so that your midwife / doctor can understand your wishes when you go in.

I think very highly of UCLH, have been an outpatient there and have separately worked with some of the research teams. But if I had the resource to go private for a delivery, I absolutely would. Especially after a stressful first delivery; and especially if I had any anxiety whatsoever.

UCLH is great, but it’s also a very busy hospital, and is London’s most central with a major A&E department, so there’s always a slight risk of patients coming in after a major incident and resource needing to be spread more thinly, for example. Plus as PP notes, maternity ward aftercare is generally fairly crap in the NHS due to low staffing.

You’ve already used the word terrified in your opening post on this thread. Book in for private, take as much worry out of the equation as you can x

Thank you so much for your responses, this is really helpful. I've been reading care commission reports and reviews, the feedback is pretty concerning.

Definitely looking into St Thomas' and St Mary's private wards. Will be pricey but I don't feel confident in the NHS given staffing issues.

I had a planned c section there in July last year. Antenatal and birth care was outstanding with a low threshold for extra appointments/scans etc. I really liked having their app for appointments, test results etc. Post natal was pretty indifferent, they were very busy and as we were “fine” we were largely left to our own devices.

They do have a private wing if you are considering it. You can’t book a private room with an NHS birth anymore, it has to be 100% private.