*Yeovil Hospital*

[WellsSuz]

Trying to decide where to have my baby - what experiences have others got of Yeovil?

I've got a friend who delivered there, and another who's a MW there. No personal experience though! Hopefully somebody else will be along soon to help you.

Hi WellsSuz. I live in Yeovil and have loads of friends/family who have delivered there over the last 6 years. I have heard good and bad stories but mostly bad.

I decided to have my dd in Dorchester. It was lovely. Only took 25 mins to get there. You have your own room with a birth bed and a comfy bed, en suite bathroom and the you stay there until you leave unless its really busy. It was great, the midwives were fab. I will defo go there again.

My advice would be to have a tour of Yeovil and Dorchester (if you are prepared to travel there). From what I have heard in Yeovil you are on a ward until you are ready to deliver, taken up to the labour ward then back down once you have had your baby but not sure if that is true.

Another vote for Dorchester here. Have had 2 v. positive experiences there. Facilities absolutely brilliant and staff were excellent.

Dorchester is lovely, 2 great birth expereinces there.

Dorchester is Lovely! I have had 3 babies there and had my own room each time - everything was explained to me, i didn't feel like i was "in the way" and the midwives and support workers take the time to chat to you and your family and get to know who you are.

It took me about 3 weeks to get my Yeovil midwives to change me to Dorchester. They werent happy about doing the extra paper work and didnt understand why I didnt want to go to Yeovil. If you have Yeovil midwives and do decide on Dorch put your foot down as they are lazy.

I had both of mine at Musgrove,so can't comment.Hope it all goes swimmingly though ,whatever your final labouring place!

Hi Poshwellies.

I had both DC's at Yeovil - both C-sections (one em and one elective). The first (em cs) was sligthly traumatic but only because of circumstances of birth (undiagnosed breech - missed by my own midwife at local surgery, nothing to do with hospital midwives). In terms of the treatment I received from the midwives at Yeovil, I have nothing but praise. They were lovely on both occasions - v friendly and reassuring.

Sure, the aesthetics aren't so nice - it's basic looking and you are on wards of 6, not a private room. I have friends who have delivered at Dorchester and it does sound lovely but for me too far away as I live towards Bruton/Shepton Mallet. My friends who have had babies at Yeovil also have +ve things to say.

FWIW, another observation is that at Dorchester, they do the nuchal scan on the NHS as part of your standard treatment. At Yeovil, I had to pay to have it done privately.

Sorry - just realised WellsSuz was OP not Poshwellies.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I used to live in Dorchester and so know how lovely it is at the hospital (lots of friends have devlivered there). Can I last 1 hour 20 mins in labour in the car though?!

You are not always guaranteed your own room at Dorchester, I was lucky after my cs but a friend had her cs the day after me and ended up on the postnatal ward.

I didn't think the postnatal care was very good but thankfully dh stayed with me from 9 am to 9pm.

I had my ds at Yeovil - 2004, though, so will be a bit outdated.

Parts of the birth were great - brilliant midwife, really calm and experienced, followed my birth plan (stayed active, despite monitoring, gave birth upright not on back, skin to skin straight after etc etc). The birth room was fine, although basic. Everywhere was very clean - the cleaners seemed to be circling constantly - and the bath, showers and toilets were all fine.

I ended up staying in 4 nights, trying to get breast-feeding established, and that part of the stay wasn't great. Ds was small, a little jaundiced and very sleepy. He wouldn't latch at all. I was given help, but only from the midwives, no breastfeeding counsellor available. And he did end up having formula top-ups because by day 3 he still hadn't really fed, and his blood sugars were awful. The midwives all tried to help, but each 8 hour shift saw a different midwife giving slightly different advice and none of it actually worked.

I was in a 4 bed room which was ok, but very cramped. The food was edible, and the midwives very attentive (helped get breakfasts, made me cups of tea in the middle of the night when I was trying to feed, very friendly).

So.....bit of a mixed bag really. HTH

WellsSuz, I had my ds2 there last year and was thoroughly impressed. I had an elective caesarean, was given plenty of information, very supportive and excellent after care. The midwives were fantastic, especially at night. I asked for a private room should there be one available and was given one for the whole of my stay.

There was a lady in the private room next to me who laboured there until close to delivery when she was taken upstairs to deliver, so she wasn't on the ward until after delivery.

Ds1 was delivered at Bath, which was a horrid experience by comparison. And dd arrived at The Portland, which of course was an amazing experience, however I would say that I would be hard pushed to say anything bad about my experience at Yeovil, even the food was ok!