Queen Carlotte -- opinions of post birth care / facilities /rooms

[Uwila]

I will be having a baby at QC at the end of may (hopefully by elective caesarean). I haven't toured the hospital yet. I was just wondering what other mumsnetters thought of their experiences there. Would you get a private room? Or, if you stayed on the ward, how many beds are there to a room? How bad was the food? (I think I'll put hubby on food delivering duty)

Thanks for your input! :-)

I am having another c-section. I have a very small aneurism on my brain and its a bit of a risk if I have to do alot of pushing so its advisable to have a c-section. It never causes me any problems but it doesnt seem worth the risk really. I get really upset by people assuming though that a section is the easy way out - if I had the choice I would like to experince childbirth the natural way but it will never happen so I will make the most of it! Hope to see you in QC in May.

Uwila, pester them for a tour. I forgot to do it and then near the end of my pregnancy, I called them up and most of the tours were full but because I had left it so late (37 1/2 weeks), they let me join on the end of a tour. Strangely enough, I gave birth the next day!

Minky, if I can make you feel any better before you go there (I know it's a long time off!) then I will.

In case you go on to the main ward....when I was there, there were curtains between each bed that wrapped around the bed (kind of like you see on Casualty etc.) so if you wanted privacy, you pulled the curtain round. You can put the baby in a cot that wheels round with you (if you want to take them into the loo/shower). I can't remember what I did but I think I just went to tell them at the main nurses station that I was going to leave the baby in the cot (next to the bed) while I went off to shower/loo.

Oh my, Minky. That's certainly not worth any risk at all. Caesarean would definitely be my choice. My first baby was born by caesarean as well, and I started telling QC at my booking appointment that I wanted an elective. They sort of looked at me like I was a freak, but when I gave them the opportunity to convince me otherwise, she didn't have a very compelling argument. So, I have written "CAESAREAN, PLEASE" all over my maternity notes. They are sure not to miss it.

I just remember that the squeaky wheel gets the oil... so squeak I shall.

Uwila, I'm surprised you initially got negative vibes about wanting a second c section. I had to fight tooth and nail to try a vbac there - all doctors and consultants were routinely opposed to vbac and v pro c section. The midwives were generally more open minded.

You should be offered a tour of the maternity unit as a matter of course, once you are booked in there.

PFTMD,
Well, not so today. At least not the consultant I talked to. She didn't even want to discuss it until I am 36 weeks, which I felt was rather late to be just starting to discuss method of delivery. But, as I am not a bashful person, I started lining up and documenting my preach as early as possibly. Also, when I got my notes back from QC (at the next visit, which was my 20 wk scan) it said that I had enquired about methods of delivery and was pondering my options but that I was happy to discuss at 36 weeks. So, I added my interpretation of the conversation and said that I agreed to revisit the discussion at 36 weeks but that I had expressed a clear desire for caesarean, and that the consultant agreed that if I had not changed my mind at 36 weeks, we could book one.

So, I'm prepared to fight for the caesarean. So, I will most likely get it. Expect it will be booked for 39 weeks, as she said that was their policy (39 weeks, not 38 for elective).

what happens if you go into labour before 39 weeks (naturally I mean)? Can they still do a caesarean?

I'm very much pro-choice and can see why you would want one after your 1st birth but what I can't understand is why they make you wait till 39 weeks. Perhaps at 36 weeks you can badger them a bit more. I have friends (admittedly this was a few years ago) who have had elective caesareans there and not encountered such problems.

I don't think anyone who has had a previous c section should be pressured into a vbac.

Oooo fox, that's my big concern. When I go in to discuss at 36 weeks (when I will also be having another scan to check the placenta because it was a bit low -- but not very low so it will probably have risen up out of the way) when I go in to see the concultant to make my wishes known loud and clear. I'm going to aak for no later than exactly 39 weeks. So if they do them in the middle of the week, then I want it at 38 1/2 not 39 1/2. They prefer to do it at 39 weeks to reduce the risk of delivering a premature baby.

From what I have read, the contractions of labour are mostly at the top of the uterus, and the caesarean is down at the bottom where there aren't many contractions so going into labour doesn't prevent a caesarean, but it does make it urgent.

The worst bit of this is that I work in Leatherhead (south side of the M25, which is quite far from QC). I plan to work until week 39. So if I should go into labour there, I don't know if I'll be able to get to Queen Charlotte. I had my first baby at Epsom General. If I think I won't make it to Queen Charlotte, my back up plan is to show up at Epsom with maternity notes in hand and demand a caesarean... I'm sure they will be positively thrilled with the demand!

I was also told that they wouldnt discuss the date for the c-section until 36 weeks - which from my point of view is ridiculous seeing that with my first baby I had the section booked for week 38 and still went into labour in week 37. They were saying they would do it at week 39 this time which I think is madness as the chances are that with my second baby its all going to happen early again. I have also pointed out that as I have a 21-23 day monthly cycle, I think that the baby is actually due at the end of May rather than early June but although they have made a note of that, they dont change the due date unless the scan shows it is over 5 days out of the date. Chances are it will therefore be another emergency section (I was packing my hospital bag while in labour last time - this time it will be packed well in advance!).

Minky,
This is perhaps a rather bold course of action, so don't know if you'd want to do it. But, I have already marked up all over my maternity notes that my preference is absolutely for a planned section. It's added to the consultants notes as well as in big bold capital letters all over the birth plan section of the maternity notes. I also plan to casually mention to the consultant that I have a copy of the notes. The not so subtle hint there being that I have my desires in writing, I can prove it, and if anything goes wrong with a vaginal birth, QC will have to answer for it. I expect that this approach will get me my planned section (although I may make an enemy or two in the process). But, that's life.

And I totally agree that 36 weeks is rather late to be discussing the plan.

Oh, one more thing, they accidentally put the wrong person's blood transfusion into my maternity notes. Someone else has the same last name, and presumably she has my sheet. Just mentioning it because you might want to check that your blood transfusion sheet really is yours. Goodness, what a massive tradgedy if someone needed a transfusion and they used the wrong type of blood... scary stuff.

Thats useful info - thanks for the tips. You have to be so on the ball to make sure that you get the right treatment these days - luckily my mum is a trained nurse and knows alot about the medical side of things so if I am ever in doubt I always ask her what she recommends - its been a godsend on many occasions. Accidents like what you have mentioned shouldnt happen but sadly do - last time, my notes went missing for several weeks before they were found!

Have you done a tour of the hospital? Is this the first child you will have at QC?

Just wondering, maybe we could arrange to go on a tour at the same time. Might be fun to meet up just in case we do end up in there at the same time.

AS this is not my first baby, I am not going to the ante-natal classes. But it would be really nice to meet someone else who is going to be at QC around the same time.

Minkyjj, are you still here?

Hi Uwila,
Yep, I am back again - sorry, have been out of contact for ages. I have just booked my casarean for 23rd May so may well bump into you!