Kingston Hospital or St George's or Chelsea & Westminster. Which hospital would you choose?

[CCTu]

Hello,
We are moving from north London (St Mary's Paddington) to Southfields one month before due date and need to decide on which hospital to move to? The nearest hospitals are Kingston Hospital or St George's or Chelsea & Westminster. Any information or views on experiences would be greatfully received, as this is our first child.
Thanks
CC.

I had DD at Kingston last year and they were fantastic. We were really well cared for and they were fantastic at helping me get started with breast feeding a fairly jaundiced and sleepy baby. I would recommend it 100% - my neighbour decided to have her DS there in the spring this year after she heard about my experience and was also delighted, he arrived 1 month early and the care they both had was amazing.

I know people who've had babies at C&W, Georges and Kingston - Kingston is easily the most highly rated. If we have another one I would definitely want to go back.

Hope it goes well for you wherever you choose

LD x

Just bumping this thread as I am coming up to 6 weeks pregnant with my first, and need to tell my GP at the end of the week if I'd prefer St Georges or Kingston. Based on the threads I've read, I'm leaning towards Kingston, but just wondered if anyone has any more recent experiences / advice to share. Thanks!

I have no experience of Kingston but had my DS at C&W 3.5 years ago. I ended up having a C section and the theatre staff and doctors were fantastic however the after care was truly truly shocking. The 6 bed ward I was in was full throughout my stay which I guess is pretty typical for the NHS but the catalogue of errors began with my catheter being taken out after only 12 hours in the middle of the night (at which point there was no way i could pee and trying to go to the loo left me in agonising pain which resulted in them administering morphine).

Night 2 didn't go much better when my DS was choking on phlegm at 3am. I rushed to the midwife station (as best i could with drain and drip attached) at which point the midwife proceeded to slap him very hard on the back and pressed the emergency buzzer to call the doctors. The doctor arrived and used a suction tube to clear his airway and then told the midwife that what she had done was very wrong and irresponsible after which the midwife proceeded to start arguing with the doctor. All of this happened in front of me whilst i was standing there shaking and terrified that my DS had come close to stopping breathing.

On Day 3 they told me they would remove my drain (draining blood from inside me). They did this without pain relief and it was the most agonising experience I have ever experienced. It has since been explained to me that after 48 hours the internal tissue starts to "stick" to the tube, hence the shocking pain. I begged and begged for G&A but the midwife told me they didn't have G&A in the postnatal ward even though I could see the labour ward through the doors down the corridor.

My lasting memory is of trying to get to the dirty disgusting toilet dragging a drip and drain with blood pouring down my leg into a puddle on the floor and my baby screaming beside me and no-one to help me and i remember thinking at the time that this didn't feel like the first world and if hell existed this was it.

It was truly awful and frightening experience and one I would never want to repeat. All of that said, I am sure if it is a life/death situation there is probably no where better to be than at a big London teaching hospital and I have friends who have had natural deliveries at C&W and overall a good experience. The doctors were on the whole great and they had a sympathetic and kind breast feeding nurse on the ward. Re St Georges, i have had had a birth experience there but my DS has been admitted there twice when poorly (strange non fading rash and then avian bird flu) and the paediatric care is fantastic. I am now pregnant with my second child and am considering St Thomas's or St John & Lizzies.

My friend got turned away from st georges 2 weekscago as they were too busy so had to go to st heliers. Apart from that she said st helier was great and v quiet!

I've had two at St Georges (jan 2009 and feb this year) and been mostly happy with the care I got. Started out on Carmen suite (MLU) both times in nice room with ensuite, pool, beanbag etc. Was transferred downstairs with first one due to meconium in waters but had great waterbirth with second. They are busy and there were often long waits in Antenatal clinic though.

i am wondering where to have my baby ? St Georges, Chelsea & westminster or Kings - does anyone have a any recent experiences ie 2012 of any of these hospitals to share?