Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

[MarinaKB]

I have just discovered i'm 5 weeks pregnant. I live in Kingston but also own a property in Fulham - which is where my mother lives. so I have kept my GP in Fulham who I visited on Monday to start the ball rolling. I was given two choices of hospitals for birth - Queen Charlottes or Chelsea and Westminster. I chose Chelsea and Westminster with a view to doing some research.

Now I know I should really register with a GP im Kingston but i'm really happy with the practice I am currently registered and my GP Anyway - my dilema is that I don't really know what to do. I have booked 10 week scan at Chelsea and Westminster but would the hospitals available to me from Kingston be better?

kingston will be kingston itself or poss westmid or the one further out (whose name escapes me0... the only thing is that it may be too late to change to kingston (or west mid) as they are usually over booked (long and bitter history here which is why I've ended up going private). Both west mid/kingston have ok reps (although probably loads

the real issue about hospital further away (provided you are ok with what is on offer there) is the hassle of getting there for antenatal and particularly labour.. I wouldnt recommend an hour and a half in the car fibbing to dh about how fast contractions are coming so am assuming you can camp out with your mum nearer the big day if necessary

and am not joking re teh 5 weeks thing.. its a **W$& joke how over pressured the hospitals around here are

Hi Poppy34

It would take less than half an hour to get to c+w from where I live in Kingston so I don't consider that too long. ???? I did mention this to doctor she thought I should give it some thought to having the baby at Kingston - she said that they had excellent facilities.

Yes the idea is that I would stay with mum. I still have a lovely room there. Ante-natal isn't a problem - I work in Victoria, my old home is Fulham - just want to make sure that - I am comfortable with the idea of giving birth in Chelsea the area. I only been in Kingston for just over a year having live in Fulham all my life and I still feel a little odd and sentimental about it.

What are people's experiences of C&W? I have read so much negative information about so many hospitals including Kingston that i'm getting worried.

I wish I could go private. The thought of being in a ward fills me with dread..

What do you meant about 5 weeks thing??? some text missing??

I've had a look at what both hospitals have to offer. Both are marked as below average. I also not really sure at this stage what I want with regards to a birth plan.

What do you meant about 5 weeks thing??? some text missing??

I've had a look at what both hospitals have to offer. Both are marked as below average. I also not really sure at this stage what I want with regards to a birth plan.

sorry 5 week thing meant that my experience of telling doc at similar stage of pregnancy still didn't mean I got a place at etiher kingston or west mid (ie its ridiculous how pressured the beds are there)

I'm pretty sure that there have been a couple of recent threads on c&w if you hunt through

Marina

I am going to Kingston for my second as I had my first at C&W and was very unimpressed. Antenatal staff were at best harrassed (yes, I know it's the NHS), at worst useless at answering my questions. My delivery was difficult and after being stitched up was told "now hurry up and go shower, we need the room". Shower was dirty and I didn't get so much as a cup of tea after. I had to ask three times for water on the postnatal ward. Worst of all I overheard the night staff looking through peoples notes and sniggering.
I hope Kingston is better, I have heard many positive things.
Best of luck.

btw re kingston 2 of the antenatal class I were in had their little ones there and were full of praise

Thanks for your comments. I didn't realise you had to pay for nuchal scan?

I had my first and C&W while a friend was having hers at Kingston. My experience was horrendous and, sadly, not uncommon. I would never recommend C&W to anyone but have heard lots of positive things about Kingston.

ante-natal care was pretty good for me at C&W but post-natal care was dreadful in my experience. Wouldn't recommend for that reason.

Had first baby at Chelsea and Westminster-very happy with the birth experience but the post-natal care is deplorable .. midwives making women cry, disgusting bathrooms, crowded, noisy all the complaints you hear.

Stuck with them for my 2nd because it is so close and I was hoping not to be in post-natal ward for very long being my second. But Chelsea refused to admit me because I was having a non-standard labour, sent me home, and repeatedly told me not to come into labour ward on all my phone calls until I gave birth at home.

Am now 39 weeks and going to C&W for my third. I know glutton for punishment. But my other option was Queen Charlotte which I liked but really felt was too far away for my appointments and worried about making it there in this labour. I am just well prepared to be very demanding with C&W. I think its just a very busy overstretched maternity unit. But have no experience anywhere else.

I had my twins at Queen Charlotte's although I live in Fulham (about 5 minutes away from C&W in fact). However, my pregnancy was twins and complicated and my GP strongly advised me to go to Queen Charlotte's because they specialise in multiple births and have an excellent NICU and SCBU (I had a high risk of premature delivery). Queen Charlotte's was excellent and although I was on the private ward I did spend time on the labour ward and also the ante-natal ward when I was in and out of hospital with my various pregnancy scares (I had recurrant bleeds). I found the facilities excellent and the midwives, although stretched, were always fantastic and very kind. My consultant was also excellent, as were the horde of other consultants/registrars I saw over the course of my many catastrophes. They have a birth centre (birthing pools, bean bags, etc.) although I obviously never got near it and the standard of cleanliness was excellent. They WERE stretched and they do have staffing issues, but I would certainly recommend them over C&W, where several of my girlfriends had their (singleton) babies.

They all said that C&W was fantastic for scans and ante natal appointments and the level of care during delivery was excellent, but they all said that the post natal care was dire. Overcrowded wards, invisible midwives (again, they are totally understaffed) and, in some cases, really quite surly "mean" midwives. They also all spoke of filthy bathrooms (all had to wipe out bloody baths and bathroom floors, which is terrible). You might get lucky - it's sadly all down to that and whether you get a quiet (er) night and a kind midwife who isn't running between 10 labouring women, etc - but it's a risk.

I only know one friend who had a baby at Kingston and she raved about it. She had a fairly uncomplicated birth, but her level of care was excellent and she said the hospital was clean and the midwives good.

My vote would be for either Kingston or Queen Charlotte's. You could have an excellent experience at C&W but I think the positive stories are quite thin on the ground compared to those for the other two hospitals. All will have their fair share of horror stories, but C&W seems to have a bit too many at the moment.

Hope this helps and best of luck.
K

I think postnatal is prety poor throughout London seems to be like that in the vast majority of comments on here regardless of where, when, type of delivery etc.
I have heard truely excellent things about Kingston and I gather you will get a single room too! As others say you might be too late it probably depends on how in area you are.

Whether 30 minutes is too long or not depends on your labour (might be OK since it's your first) personally I'd choose one devoid of all speed bumps and traffic lights

Had DD last summer at C&W. They were great-even postnatally, and we were in for 6 nights after the birth. Friends have have mixed experiences there and all over London.
Am going back there in Feb for No 2. My GP reckons they have got a bit quieter since the introduction of the congestion charge.
Having said that, if you live in Kingston I would def go there. You won't want to struggle through the traffic to C&W and especially QC if you're in the throws of labour (esp if it's a match day...)