The Rosie, Addenbrookes Cambridge

[Larksway]

Hi,
Has anyone got any experience of giving birth at The Rosie, Cambridge? I am a little bit nervous about what to expect!

Had a good experience there. I used the pool in the MLBU, it was great and the midwives were lovely. I had to transfer upstairs to the main unit for help as DS was in distress towards the end (cord around neck), but they moved us back down to MLBU straight afterwards. Postnatal care was a bit lacking, the staff were great but it seemed a short staffed. But generally very good.

I had ds2 there in 2007 and I loved it. I had a difficult pregnancy with my waters breaking at 22 weeks and the care was amazing. I have nothing but praise for the staff there and the care I received. I had a few overnight stays and I found the wards to be nice and clean, the tv/phones with the beds were very nice. I had dd and ds1 in London.

So glad it's improved. I gave birth there 7 years ago and the post natal ward was really, really awful. Somewhat better 5 years ago, but not good.

Midwives, and indeed all staff on delivery suite were marvellous though.

Also report good things from couple years ago, though whole unit was closed to new admissions when i was due to attend for induction (didn't tell me they were closed at the time, just that i should come in a few hours later, prob a good thing...). Once there, care very good, all 1-1, took time to read my birth plan and attempted to incorporate contents tho not now all possible. Labour extended over 3 midwife shifts and all were lovely. On Lady Mary care still good when you got it but very rushed off feet, was glad to get home day post birth.

Appeared v clean throughout during stay.

I have to say though that I only spent a few hours on the post natal ward but I did find it nice and pleasant while I was there. Think I was transferred there from the labour ward at about 4pm ish and got them to send me home around 10pm, I wanted to get home and relax in my own house asap.

I gave birth at the Rosie at the start of January this year. I went to the Midwife Led Unit (MLU) when labour was just beginning but had the choice to stay or labour at home, I went home. When I went back 14hrs later the MLU was full and ended up being offered the same experience but on the delivery unit thankfully the pool room was free and was great. I ended up going through three shift changes of midwifes and all were great and never left me on my own and encouraged me to be as active as possible. I eventually ended up with an emergency c/s. They got DS to latch on and he fed for an hour in recovery. So nothing bad to say at all.

Post natal ward - Lady Mary was not such a great experience. I think because it was so busy. There was one particular midwife who was not very friendly very efficient. I managed to get out in less than 36hrs as there was a lot more help and support at home.

I gave birth last November. Used the MLU and the pool. I had one-to-one care throughout and only needed gas and air - very easy, gentle experience. The pool room in the MLU is lovely; even has an LED light set into the ceiling above that alters colours, for you to gaze up at! And the pool is so, so comfy - I could float in it (I was HUGE, too) and it was comfortable to rest against. I had no internal exams at all as they monitored me with a doppler and thermometer, listening to my breathing to count contractions, and my wishes were really followed. It was a very gentle labour in a very pleasant setting without anyone interfering with me, but with a top notch hospital in situ as reassurance. Perfect, really.

I was the only person in the MLU the two days I was there, and it can take 6 post-natally, with two rooms for labouring women. It's erratic as to how full it gets, I think. But my experience of the midwives was great.

bumping as I'm due in November and I'd love to hear more about people's experiences! Debating between MLBU and homebirth...

I am due to give birth at the Rosie Jan 2010. I haven't got the option of the midwife led unit as have a high bmi. But was wondering if anyone new if they allowed waterbirths at the delivery unit. Would also appreciate any experience of the delivery unit as I won't be able to view it because of swine flu.

I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, in fact I feel very angry about my whole treatment & will be making an official complaint.
Im amazed to see a good word said about ththem because since getting out, every woman I know has said they "didn't like to tell me" how bad their own experience had been before I went in. Even my local midwives have said they are "not surprised" to hear how bad my experience was.
Nasty, lazy staff who couldn't care less about the patients. When I was there, 3 families were having disputes with the staff - because they'd also been treated like & security even had to be called.
Cramped, claustraphobic conditions (esp if you're placed on top of the ancient radiators), good luck if you press your help button too - someone might come perhaps one out of every three times if they can be bothered.
If you've had a c section & can't move, someone will just yell that food is available but they won't say where - no one THINKS that you're a human being. The doctors were just as bad - if you were lucky enough to ever glimpse one. One spoke appallingly to me, belittling me that I wasn't important enough to bother with. What an easy life it must be working there - seldom have to get off your bum.
If you can, ask people who will be honest with you about this ward BEFORE you have to go there. All of my friends hadn't wanted to worry me but I would rather have been prepared for how bad it was.
I couldn't fault the theatre staff but anyone who works on the lady Mary ward should take a long hard look at themselves & ask themselves why they entered the profession.
They tarnished the birth of my child and to be honest how dare they do that - how dare they

parkablue I second everything you've written - had my daughter there in 2013 and it was vile. I can't say any more than that :( And they botched my induction beforehand too - I thought about making a formal complaint but was just too exhausted and horrified by the whole thing. Lady Mary Ward is absolutely awful, the staff are lazy and rude and the appalling breastfeeding support is worse than of it didn't exist. And similarly, I've not yet met a single person who hasn't said the same.

I thought the induction ward was brilliant, the labour ward is quite outdated but they were doing construction work whilst I was in labour. I was left alone not long after giving birth as my DS was taken to NICU (I sent DH with him). It was about 90 minutes and I couldn't reach the buzzer and was still immobile from the epidural. Luckily I was fine but quite a dangerous situation in hindsight. I was just worrying about DS.
Lady Mary was busy but I had a side room and spent most of my time in NICU anyway. I'd come back to find pots of antibiotics and pain meds had been left in the room for me
The midwife that did our discharge was lovely though very rushed and busy. This was in 2013.