Giving birth - Addenbrookes vs Hinchinbrooke hospital?

[JBrd]

Hi all,
I'm 1st time pregnant and will have to decide where I want to go for the birth - Addenbrookes or Hinchingbrooke hospital. Obvioulsy, I don't have any experience with the maternity units of either of them, so it would be very useful to get some 'insider' information about the pros and cons! So far, I can only go by friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend stories...and the official statistics don't tell you anything about how the women who gave birth feel! I know that Addenbrookes is a good hospital, but that the maternity unit can get very busy. On the other hand, Hinchinbrooke got some very bad press a while ago about hygiene standards etc. Any comments?

Both of my children were born in the Rosie. The first was a ventouse delivered VB, where I had an experience almost identical to Gizmos. It was horrific - I went from 3cm to full blown labour within half an hour but was told not to be so silly, of course the baby wasn't coming, told not to scream because I was upsetting other women (sorry - I scream when in agony) and couldn't have an epidural as the anaesthatist was busy with another patient. This was at abou 9am on a Tuesday morning, not midnight on Christmas night or during a flu epidemic! My (female) doctor there was an utter bitch and I felt I was being treated like a piece of meat. I discharged mtself the same day.

Less than 2 years later I was back there having DD2, this time under elective caesar. What a difference! Although having been told I could have the section I got opposition from a shitty midwife and from a junior houseman, but that aside my care was fantastic, both in the operating theatre and in the ward afterwards. Staff couldn't have been kinder or more supportive.

I had my dts in the Rosie in October. Fantastic birth, midwife led, doctors told to wait outside, just as I asked. But I'd had to agree this and other deviations from twin protocol in advance with consultant and was lucky to get experienced and confident midwives. For me, it was a better experience than my homebirth with ds1. We were home within 8 hours.