Mid/West Essex hospitals?

[kittycatlover]

We've recently moved from London to Essex and I was booked at Princess Alexandra Hospital in harlow at the time of our move before knowing anything about the hospital choices for the area. I'm now 29 weeks pregnant. Did a tour at PAH this week and really wasn't impressed. So I'm considering transferring to Broomfields in Chelmsford. We are pretty much equal distance from both so that's not an issue.

Just wondered if anyone had any good/bad experiences of either hospital? I really hoped to use a pool for this birth (2nd DC) but understand Broomfields only has one. I'm also currently considered high risk due to DS being premature so unless I go past 37 weeks this time I will have to go to labour ward for delivery anyway. It wasn't clear to me at PAH if all of their labour rooms have en-suite toilets - this was brushed off by the lady doing the tour ("oh don't worry about the toilets, that'll be the last thing on your mind when you're in labour"!!) but I really don't fancy trotting up the corridors and round the corner to use the loo in the middle of labour! I recall last time that I DID need to use the loo several times. I think Broomfields delivery rooms all have en-suites?

Also, does anyone know what equipment is available in the midwife led birthing suites at Broomfield (they don't do tours) - birthing balls, stools, anything to swing from (sorry don't know what they are called!) etc etc?

I am 37+5 and booked to go to PAH, like you I was pretty underawed by the tour, the building is nothing special but I have been happy with the staff there, they've been really good. I think the rooms in the birthing unit have toilets, not sure about the labour ward though. Is the Rosie unit at Addenbrookes in Cambridge an option for you? I think the facilities are a lot newer than PAH and I have heard the rooms are really nice.

Am booked into PAH without any hesitation whatsoever. My niece was born at 33 weeks there and received the most amazing care. Her mother had her second high risk baby there just this week and several friends have given birth there recently.

The staff have been amazing according to them and my maternity care there has been great. I am currently high risk and the team I'm under cant do enough to help.

Compared to other hospitals I have been in the facilities are quite modern and scrupulously clean when i visited and my midwife was saying that they have just bought a fleet of special labour beds that go into all sorts of positions for optimal labour rather than encouraging people to lie on them on their backs.

They showed us one on the tour and I wanted to take it home! I think I could sleep amazingly on it! (not in labour obviously!)