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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

maternity ward

17 replies

daisystone · 09/08/2010 08:27

Just did the virtual tour of the maternity ward where I will be giving birth as they don't do walk rounds due to MSRA.

I don't have a fear of hospitals but after viewing the video, I have to say that I feel a bit apprehensive. It all looked so cold and clinical (it's a hospital, what did I expect?)

I suppose I am worried about being left in one of those rooms while in pain and going into a panic.

I am sure that when labour starts I will be preoccupied and not thinking that I am in a cold and unfamiliar place and I know that I am not explaining myself very well here, but when you go into hospital, did you feel taken care of or were you left to get on with a lot of it alone?

Those labour rooms give me the heebie jeebies. Please tell me you were looked after and that the staff were friendly and helpful!

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foureleven · 09/08/2010 08:34

Theya re shite unless you go private but honestly once you are in labour you are really not going to notrice or care where you are, I promise.

And the staff are usually very helpful. Being a midwife is thankless and the hours are crap, you would only do it if you genuinely cared about labouring women and their babies so yes they look after you.

I had all those concerns, I actually did the walk around and much to my embarrasment now, had my nose in the air and my hand over my mouth the whole time at how basic, cold and sterile it was but come the actual day I could have benn anywhere and I wouldnt have cared as long as there were people trained to help me.

japhrimel · 09/08/2010 08:35

Are you taking a birth partner with you? Make sure they're well up to speed on your birth plan and general preferences. You can get left a lot in hospitals judging from friends' experiences but you may like not being fussed or you can get your birth partner to kick up a stink about it if it happens.

MrsBadger · 09/08/2010 08:41

yes they aren't very pleasant - the fluorescent lighting is particularly nasty ime

you really, really need a switched-on birth partner who you've talked it through with and who will have the presence of mind to draw the curtains / dim the lights / fetch you pillows / a birthing ball / whatever you ask for without fuss.

foureleven · 09/08/2010 09:05

Note: this is often not the father of your child.

... I learned this the hard way. Sooooo wanted him there but what I would have given for my mum and my best friend when I asked him to get me some squash and he came back with an egg sandwich and a newspaper...

Original poster

daisystone · 09/08/2010 09:13

Luckily my DH who is my birthing partner wouldn't do that foureleven (i hope). He knows that he would get a tirade of abuse.

But I am worried that he won't be proactive enough and won't do all those little things like make the room comfier. Although I intend to discuss it all with him at a later date, women are sometimes better at these things than men. However, my Mum is not an option as a birthing partner and my close friends don't live nearby. One of my close friends is pregnant herself so she isn't an option!

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Threelittleducks · 09/08/2010 09:14

I had a nice experience in our labour ward and it was heavy duty as I was classed as high risk. Yes, it was clinical etc, but it was kind of reassuring to know that it was all to keep us safe.
I know that you can take some homely touches with you if you wish - maybe pack a blanket/ pillows/comforting bits to take with you.

Plus our midwife was super nice, which made it a friendlier place.
TBH though I wasn't too bothered about the actual labour ward, more the maternity unit where I spent the next 5 days. Now that wasn't the nicest thing. Couldn't wait to get home!! For that I would take homely bits with you - photo's, books etc.

Lulumaam · 09/08/2010 09:24

the rooms can be made more comforting with some small touches. regardless of whether it is day or night, when i am supporting a woman in labour, i draw the curtains and switch off the main lights ( no dimmers in the hospital i am at !)

i also speak in a low voice/whisper, which encourages MWs and docs to do the same, which keeps things nice and calm - unless there is a need for a firm loud voice.

you can take your own pillows/ blanket/ birth ball/bean bags

you don't have to wear a hospital gown, you can wear your own night gown.or nothing at all.

when i was in labour with my DD, the room felt much smaller and darker than it actually was, my perceptions were totally altered by the labour and the pethidine !

foureleven · 09/08/2010 09:28

Ah yes, the gas and air... you may well think you are in Oz

nunnie · 09/08/2010 10:13

Can't say I noticed what the delivery room was like, I had other things going on, the midwife left the room for no more than 10mis, and was there with me and DH the rest of the time, however my labour developed very quickly so she didn't have a great deal of choice to stay really. Maternity ward was very clinical but there were plenty of people in there to keep us all sane.

MarineIguana · 09/08/2010 10:28

It's true, you hardly notice. First time round I had a CS after a long labour and afterwards I was annoyed that I remembered so little about it and had hardly been able to take in my surroundings.

So for my second birth, a planned CS, I resolved to be more switched on and soak up the details. Didn't happen... I went into labour early and had the CS after loads of checks and several hours of agony... and it was all a blur. I had to ask DP afterwards what the operating room was like, I didn't have a clue.

Agree whoever your birth partner is they need to be primed to follow your instructions and represent your wishes as it's easy to become very indecisive and helpless if you are in pain.

MarineIguana · 09/08/2010 10:31

Oh and btw clinical is good - what might look a bit bare and characterless on the screen is being kept that way so they can keep on top of cleanliness. In terms of comfort, a nice atmosphere and feeling cared for it was the lovely staff who did all that - lots of humour, affection and jolliness which really helped.

jbells · 09/08/2010 10:33

i remember going to look round the hosital and went into one room where it had nice little fairy lights up and a cd player for some nice music on, i left and told my dp oh i really hope i get that room, once i was in labour i have no idea wot room i was in or wot it looked like and quite frankly didnt give one and as for music there could have been rave music on in the backround and i wouldnt have noticed haha, u wont focus on those things once labour starts trust me ;)

slimyak · 09/08/2010 10:50

I agree with a lot of what people are saying. In labour I could care less where I was as long as I had access to G&A, something to lean on and a midwife popping in or staying with me when I needed it. If I'd been in tesco car park with all those things to hand it would have been fine at the time.

Make your after stay as personal/comfortable as you can as that's when you'll notice, or do what I did and get out of there as soon as they'll let you.

Also, labour/maternity wards may look cold but believe me they are stupidly hot all year round.

MarineIguana · 09/08/2010 20:48

Both times we carefully put together a CD of music for baby to be born to - and then didn't use it because there was so much going on and it would have been a distraction.

CrankyTwanky · 09/08/2010 20:55

Make sure you ask the MW to dim the lights. Makes a huge difference IME.
A lot of rooms ahve a CD player, or bring your own.
Does the unit not have a home-from-home style room?
Wear what you want.
Dont feel you need to get onto the bed. Lots of units are now pushing them to the walls, so they're not the focus of the room.

Good luck!

IsItMeOr · 09/08/2010 20:59

I can remember getting really wound up about how lovely the (en-suite) Midwife-led Unit was and how pokey the standard delivery rooms were.

When it came to it, I had to go in the MLU because all the other rooms were full and I really, really didn't care. I was just relieved when DH got them to move me to one of the standard rooms so that I could have some drugs.

It is scary, and although you won't believe me now (because I didn't when I was in your shoes), it will seem very unimportant in a few short weeks.

The maternity ward was more of an issue and I was itching to get home two days after an EMCS. Worth taking ear plugs and eye mask if you can sleep with them, as the other mums were a PITA. Babies no problem.

ReshapeWhileDamp · 10/08/2010 19:29

I was in a delivery room for my induction (so basically, right from the start of labour) and was never left alone once things got going. I was glad to be left with DH for the first 2 or 3 hours as it was all a bit of a non-event and we listened to the radio and mooched.

I don't remember being left at all once my waters had been broken. Maybe it was because they were keeping an eye on my BP, but I never felt abandonned.

I personalised both my delivery suite and my cubicle on the ward later on - own pillows in nice cases (take LOADS of pillows!), a couple of A4 sheets of paper with collages of photos and nice pictures on, including my favourite scan images, wedding pics and some flowers I photographed. I also had a mini digital radio that I listened to with earphones, and sometimes had on the 'birdsong' channel to white-out the constant tv noise from the bed next door.

(I was in for 9 days afterwards, I had what looked like a baglady's den by the end!)

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