Brighton Mums

[tubbycustard]

Yet another escaping Londoner moving to brighton next month.

Love to hear any reccomendations from Brighton mums on nurseries, GP's, meet ups, mother toddler groups etc... in the Preston Park area. We're just west of Blakers park.....have 20 month old dd and one on the way in October.

Thanks loads

Wow, that's quiet a thumbs down for the Royal Sussex. Feeling quite nervous now, especially as my fist birth experience was totally screwed up by bad hospital care. Had a midwife who thought I was fully dilated when I wasn't. Pushed for two hours, my waters hadn't even broken yet, messed up the cervix, pushed for another two hours, ended up forceps, retained placenta, blood transfusion. Not fun.

How do you get into Worthing Hospital or hayward's heath? Is there a choice? Guess I'll find out.

Also some thumbs down for brighton itself. Sure it has its share of problems but given that our options here were a tiny flat with no garden in a part of London we love or a small house in a part of London where you feel unsafe popping out for a pint of milk in the morning, I'm more than prepared to give it a go.

My ds was born in London so I have no advice re maternity unit,sorry.But I have had a lot of treatment there for serious illness and I can't fault them in that dept.I have been here years and although I know drugs are rife etc I still love it and near blakers is a great place to live.My ds practically lives there in the summer.I think life is what you make it wherever you are

Sorry Tubby - got distracted - back to your OP. I had my first at the RSCH 6 yrs ago. The care I got in labour was fab. Midwives were friendly and respectful. My birth plan was read and followed. The pool was broken and the gas and air canisters a bit hit and miss, but I had a fine labour and birth with no intervention.

Having said that, I went on to have two home births, which were better, and Brighton midwives are great with home births.

Hwr, I personally wouldn't have a huge prob with having a baby at the RSCH. Most of my friends have, and bad experiences are less common than good ones, give or take the odd mean midwife.

One thing I would say is that the RSCH closes A LOT for births (at least once a month) as it is so busy, so I would recommend looking at Worthing and PR as well in caes you need them. My option would be the PR as I have not heard anything bad about them at all. Brighton does have a shortage with midwives (despite what you might hear), and this has got worse over the last couple of years. I would also want a quick discharge if I had a baby at the RSCH, as it was the dreadful post natal 'care' that made me decide to have home births. Hwr, now that most women seem to leave a few hrs after birth anyway, this shouldn't be too much of a problem

Best of luck with everything, just be very clear and assertive at the RSCH and you should be fine. Good luck with the parking though!

Oh, and to add, my pg yoga fave - Karen Wykes. She doesn't advertise as she is so busy just through word of mouth. Very lovely (bit scatty though - sorry Karen if you are on here lol!), and less, erm, radical than Karel Ironside (who is good, but a bit lentil-weaving, anti-vaccination etc etc).

Anyway, if you fabcy classes, ask around for her number, they are lovely and relaxing and a great way to meet other mums to be...

have to say I love living in brighton and would not wish to live anywhere else. I have been here about 25 years(come from surrey) I have found it a brilliant place to bring up dc's and have to say it is really good with help with dd(friends who live in other areas are jealous of the ammount of help I get)
parking is bad. But the buses are good.

Tubby - Haywards Heath is part of the same trust as RSCH, so no probs with going there, just tell your community midwife that that is what you want (that's what I did with DS2, having ended up in HH to have DS1 because RSCH was closed).

Worthing is a different trust, I think, so not sure about that, but I imagine they'll be happy to swap you to another trust, given how busy they are.

You'll have a lovely time, Brighton is fab and Preston Park is definitely one of the better bits to be in.

Hi Tubby - to go to Worthing you just have to ask your GP or midwife for a transfer - as it was, both my GP's recommended I go to Worthing so I didn't have to really ask!

I think you're pretty much in the lap of the gods when you give birth though, wherever you are - all depends on how busy the wards are, who is on duty etc - but my experience and that of every other mum I have met I the last 2 years apart form one, is that the post natal care at RSCH is just dreadful - and I've only heard great things about worthing - I think cause it's a much smaller hospital, they don't have visiting rules and have more midwives on. One of the problems at RSCH (my dr friends tell me) is that the experienced midwives hve left and moved to other hospitals or gone into community work due to their disenchantment with that hospital - hence the problems with care.

I would have loved to have a home birth and as I think I said before, the community midwives are fab!

Interesting points about Brighton - I've been here for nearly 6 years and have to say love it, but I have noticed a change even in that time. I'd be really interested in hearing from people who live near here though (like Lewes) - just in case we need to move for some reason! Tubby, don't worry, you'll love it!

oooh - that hit a chourd with me. Interesting sub text to what chocolatemummy is saying. First I will fess up to being in love with Brighton and thinking it an amazing place to raise children. Thought it a bit patronising to say that anyone who likes brighton just hasn't wised up to what is just "novelty" and that in your mysterious "line of work" you get privilged information. My dh also has a line of work that sees this and yet still loves it. You could make an analogy with relationships - you have people who move on after the honeymoon stage...or novelty stage to a new relationship, dissing the last one and seeing only the good in the new one(to reassure themselves they have made the right choice and not being able to live with the idea that other choices may be valid) until that novelty wears off and so you hop on to the next relationship (or town - see where I'm going with this...) and others stay put after the novelty wears off, see clearly the faults but see more clearly what is really good and enduring. I vote for the long term relationship with Brighton, warts and all - [cue Brighton anthem].

p.s. and I had an amazing birth experience at Sussex. Was busy but a top team of midviwes.