East Surrey Hospital - your experiences?

[cluelessbutecstatic]

I'm likely to give birth at ESH soon and wanted any recent views/experiences from mums who have given birth there in the last 6-12 months - any thoughts?

Pre hospital, make sure you have something containing glucose because you do not want to end up with a glucose drip if your blood sugar goes low. e.g. organic grape juice-plenty of.On monumental occasions such as giving birth, emotions can be running high, therefore have a note book with you with lines in and at least 2 biros, Every time you have contact with a member of staff, Make sure you write date, time, nurse/doc badge name, nurse/doc real name of not the same and what they looked like if you have time. Write down what was said and how long the meeting took if applicable. In the NHS world, a long discussion is 5 minutes therefore iot is good to write down how long a discussion takes. Also write down how you felt, any medical observations and anything else you feel is relevant.
Remember, you could be setting up camp for 2 days.
Make sure you have you birth accompanying person booked and ready with supplies.Take a few spare knickers and a couple of spare nighties.Toothbrush etc, smellies etc etc.
You may need plenty of food so that your boula (birth companion who does not leave you) does not have to go off to the canteen. If you are having a boula, make sure it is on your birth plan otherwise there may be a problem with visiting hours. Have one or two copies of your birth plan and make sure as much as possible that everyone knows what your wishes are. Refamilliarise people with it when the shift changes.Check who is lined up to visit you if that is what you want and that someone is co-ordinating visiting, It can be too hectic, therefore it may be better to let them visit once you are home as a hospital can be a rather cramped and inhospitable environment. If anything goes at all wrong, take it up with a member of the team immediately and write it all down in the book. Have the telephone number of PALS handy in case you need extra help with a problem (office hours only). Take a good book. If desperate or bored, call the chaplain 24/7; hospital can be a very lonely place.Hope it all goes well.

18 months ago, so maybe not as relevant. I had a yelling match with the Head Midwife, until my DH pulled her aside and told her that yelling at me was only going to get my back up and not get me to 'do as she told me to'. (Seriously, how long did she really think I was going to believe her that 'just 2 more pushes and your baby will be born?!!!! I challenge anyone not to tell the midwife to F off after an hour of that!!!!)

Medical staff were brilliant. They even reassured my DH (DS was stuck, and they had a last ditch attempt with forceps in theatre with a caesarean team on stand by, luckily forceps worked).

They have a few private rooms, which are worth their weight in gold if you are stuck for more than a few days - DS needed antibiotics so we were there 5 days.

General staff were very friendly and helpful (head midwife wouldn't look at me in the eye whenever she walked through though!!!).

If your DC needs any extra medication you have to go to the neonatal unit so it's a bit of a walk with your baby in their little trolley. Pretty depressing if the medications are every 12 hours and your 'slot' is 4 o'clock. Walking through the hospital at 4.00 am is a bit freaky at first. The staff in the neonatal unit are lovely, but be warned, if they have an emergency you can wait a long time there - and rightly so, your baby's not about to die but they are desperately attempting to save the other child's life!!!

Overall a nice hospital - as far as hospitals go. A valuable lesson for me, make sure you have someone supportive with you. The head midwife threatened not to give me pain relief because I was 'hysterical and therefore not in any fit state to make such a request'. If not for my DH I would have suffered for a lot, lot longer.

I had a brilliant experience for both antenatal and postnatal care. I went into Burstow Ward for antenatal due to severe round ligament pain (couldn't walk) and they looked after me overnight. The midwives were kind, patient and attentive.
I had a very bad delivery which lead to an emergency c-section. Mt son also needed special care. I stayed a week at East Surrey, in one-on-one overnight, then Burstow then Transitional care. Especially in Transitional care, the nurses and midwives were outstanding. The midwives in Special care were fantastic at looking after my little one.
I know many people have had some very bad experiences at East Surrey, and perhaps I was just lucky, but I could not have made it through the first week in the state I was without the midwives and nurses there and I'm eternally grateful to them.

I had my second there in 2007 and third last october 2010. 2007 was pretty good, overall, but very over crowded. Last year, much much better and no complaints really. i have been down there quite a lot since for various things with the dc and, tbh, i think it is pretty good for a local hospital.

Park in the golf course, is cheaper.

I gave birth to my daughter in April and couldnt fault the care at ESH. I ended up having a c section (which was done on site) after 24 hours of labour and then stayed in burstow ward for a week due to complications with my placenta.
All of the delivery and post natal midwives were great and really helped me breastfeed my daughter.
I have heard lots of bad stories, but everyone I know who have had their babies there have had a good experience.