Kingston v St George's - Recent experiences?

[crazymiracle]

Hi All,

I posted this on Mumsnet Talk but thought I'd add this thread to local talk too to widen the net!

I am newly PG and also new to mumsnet! So pardon me if I dont use the right acronyms.

My PG came as a surprise as just this cycle I was told that I had blocked tubes! I am therefore still in a bit of a shock and after a number of trips to the EPU at St George's - everything seems to be fine and we might actually be having a baby!

Its just come as a big surprise to me that I need to choose my hospital where I want to give birth so soon. I live in Wimbledon and therefore have the option of St George's at Tooting or Kingston Hospital (or maybe other few)!

I read a few threads comparing these hospitals and have had mixed messages about both. Wondering if anyone has any recent experiences - late 2009/ 2010 at either of these hospitals and if you could please help!

Thanks so much.

I owe dd1 to St George's. I have the utmost respect for their NNU and the support I received (including free 'private' room for a week on the postnatal ward) after dd1's arrival at 27 weeks.

Congratulations! I've had 2 babies at Georges and they were great both times. DS1 born by ventouse in theatre. DS2 waterbirth in midwife-led unit. As PheasantPlucker says, their NNU is amazing, though hopefully you won't need it. I think all London hospitals are busy so you'll find stories of no-so-great care on post natal wards at both hospitals but as your likely to only be there for a day I wouldn't worry about that.

I had my DD at St George's, it was very busy but I had a reasonable birth experience - 1 great midwife but unfortunately I didn't give birth on her shift so I had another midwife who was ok. I went into theatre afterwards and they were superb.

I'm sorry I disagree with TheHouseofMirth, do consider the postnatal ward. I was there for a week and in all honesty, it was the worst week of my life. That was 2 years ago though, my neighbour has just had her second child at St George's and she found the whole experience fine.

I've heard from the woman who ran our hospital antenatal course that Kingston is better. She told me this after my birth and she'd given birth at both.

Hi CrazyMiracle

Congrats on such lovely news, I hope your pregnancy goes peacefully. If I can be so bold with my opinion, feel free to discard it if you don't agree.

Whilst the cosmetic/human comfort elements of a ward/hospital are important, a key decider for any new mum has to be the quality of the Neonatel Intensive Care unit. Don't get me wrong. If the ward is noisy/hot/crowded, you might be cross. If the water-pool is being used or the private room on the side-ward has already been booked, you might get frustrated. But what really has to be the biggest decider is the quality of the care that a hospital can give a baby if it is in trouble. This is the kind of care you never want to call on but need to really wish is world-class should you need to. George's has a highly respected NICU and, having experienced difficult births in both hospitals, I would book Georges again, without a thought.

Its only my opinion so please feel free to overlook (and likewise, don't stress about firing off a response if you don't agree - we are, after all, entitled to think differently). When things didn't go so well for me, it was a big, HUGE reassurance to know that the people handling my baby were some of the best in the country. You can make yourself more comfortable in any ward, if you try hard enough. But you can't magic up world-class medical professionals. And you might end up needing them more than a bed by the window in a 4 x mother ward.

Good luck with everything!

HI Jodyhatter, thanks so much for being the voice of reason. I agree, when the going gets tough, i'll want to know that i am in best hands. i have gone ahead with St Georges and have my first midwife booking appointment today. Thanks again and I hope things worked out with you.

I went to Kingston and had a great experience, but know plenty of people who went to Georges and had a good experience too. They are both busy and hot, not much escape from that - my husband's top tip to your's is - bring shorts!

best of luck!

I had a very difficult,long and traumatic birth at St Georges, and have to add that the delivery team were fantastic. DS was in neo-natal for a couple of days and they were amazing too.
The post natal care was a different matter, I echo what Bananamum says, I was there for 4 days and I was begging DH to come and get me. It was dreadful, and that's not just the hormones talking. The staff were patronising, unhelpful, didn't explain anything. a couple of them were friendly. And the state of the bathrooms left a lot to be desired. I had to step over a bloodstained mat to get in the shower, and i thought the showers/bathrooms were filthy
However this was 3 years ago, just before the new maternity unit, so really don't know what it's like now.

However I would book again at St Georges, hoping I would be in and out quickly, as I do believe their emergency/ specialists are the best.