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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Choosing a maternity unit in the North East

20 replies

RaRa1988 · 18/12/2013 17:03

Can anyone advise? Currently booked into Alnwick, though I've had two appts at the Wansbeck and also been on a tour of the RVI and been to MAU there. Also considering UHND and Hexham. I should hopefully be low-risk and want to give birth in a MLU. I'd like to use water, ideally a pool but a bath would be fine, and I want to be able to get pain relief drugs without a fight. I don't want to be anywhere where I'll get 'interfered' with too much or not listened to - I've had a few bad experiences and I'm not particularly trusting of doctors (ok with nurses and midwives so long as they are friendly and don't mind telling me what they're doing). Can anyone recommend anywhere/share their experiences good or bad? Thanks

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Sammie101 · 18/12/2013 17:13

I gave birth at Wansbeck and found it all in all a good experience. Got the pain relief I wanted without any difficulties. I'm not sure about their facilities for water births however.

The only problem I had was that I had so many midwives giving me contradicting advice in regards to BF. however if you're formula feeding this won't be an issue.

I then went to Rakelane hospital for 2 days because i was having problems feeding and it was closer to home. I got excellent support from a lactation consultant however I still found the midwives gave me different advice. As I didn't give birth there though I don't have any advice on what facilities they had but I very much appreciated having my own room and bathroom!

Justyou · 18/12/2013 17:20

I had my 3 dd at rvi and no problems at all, help with feeding was great and births very much my wishes respected.

MrsP23 · 18/12/2013 20:05

I have friends who gave birth at Rvi recently and they were really impressed. A lot of the rooms have their own birthing pools in and the Rvi allows partners/hubby to stay overnight with you.

IAmTheOneWhoKnocks · 18/12/2013 20:38

I had DS at the RVI and it was great. I got the pain relief I wanted, midwife stayed with me majority of time and was lovely. I was there nearly 4 years ago and they only had 2 birthing pools, not sure if this has changed.

Cuckoo82 · 19/12/2013 16:33

I'm due at the end of April of because of where we live could have chosen to have the baby at Gateshead (QE), RVI or Hexham - after a bit of research we've chosen Hexham. From our visits there so far it seems lovely - very relaxed and only around 200 births a year so plenty of support, plus they don't rush you out the door straight after the birth which was really important to me as this is my first and I'd like help with bf etc. Only slight concern was that it was a MLU but they have told us if anything happens it only takes 20 minutes to get to the RVI in an ambulance and you go straight to the top of the queue. I have friends who have given birth at Hexham and only have good things to say - hope that helps.

Original poster

RaRa1988 · 19/12/2013 16:53

Thanks Cuckoo, it does indeed! I hadn't even given Hexham much thought as it's a bit out of the way for us, but I read some very positive things from a couple of ladies on a totally unrelated thread a wee while ago, so I've started thinking of there now. I don't want to be rushed out conveyor-belt stylee either - like you, it's my first and I'd like someone on hand to help me for a couple of days. Have you been for a look around?

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PotteringAlong · 19/12/2013 16:57

I had my DS at the QE in Gateshead and couldn't fault them - the staff were excellent, the care fabulous, all explained well, I had a private room on the post natal ward, great Breastfeeding help. Cannot reccomend it highly enough!

Indith · 19/12/2013 17:06

an MLU sounds like a good plan for you. Or have you considered home birth?

Hexham is nice, and if you do have to transfer in labour you can go back there for your postnatal care which is nice. RVI has the fancy birthing unit with security of the Drs close at hand.

Consider where you live and how far you want to have to travel in labour too, the places you have suggested are pretty spread out. How are you going to feel if you travel in and get sent home again because you are not in established labour? Or how will you feel if contractions are coming thick and fast and you don't think you have the time to get to the pace you are booked in at? Not that your local hospital will turn you away if that happens but just something to think about, keeping an open mind about possibilities so that you feel comfortable and in control should your first choice not go to plan is important.

Indith · 19/12/2013 17:10

UHND is a busy unit with everything all in one place so not separate consultant and midwifery led units but they have recently got a pool and taken the rooms around the pool as a little midwifery led area and I have heard very good things about the way that is working.

Original poster

RaRa1988 · 19/12/2013 17:34

I don't want a home birth.

Tbh, all of my options bar the Wansbeck, where I DEFINITELY don't want to go, are at least a half hour drive. Not much I can do about that I guess. UHND is the furthest, but that's assuming we're going from home. As I plan to work up until my due date, it's possible we may be going from work, which would make UHND a lot closer than Alnwick, for example. I've just spoken to them and they sounded lovely and said they were awarded as the second-best maternity unit in the country yesterday . I'm gonna try and go to see them. Does anyone know their policy on chucking you out after the birth? Is it a 6-hour discharge like the RVI or a stay several days for help with feeding etc like Alnwick?

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Indith · 19/12/2013 17:40

You can have what you want. which should go for everywhere. 6 hour is the minimum. At uhnd they encourage you to stay as long as you need to feel confident feeding. The maternity care assistants do a lot of bf support and are lovely and very good. They have a postnatal ward you would stay on if you wanted to stop in hospital for a bit. They run monthly bf workshops where you can meet the maternity care assistants and discuss feeding and find or about what support there is in hospital and beyond.

CMP69 · 19/12/2013 17:43

I had ds in Wansbeck they were great and have a pool. I work in the QE and they are also fab neither of these are MLU
Rake Lane, Hexham and Alnwick are the only MLU around here. Personally I would hate to be dragged out of a birthing pool and blue lighted to the RVI in a blanket as happened to someone I know

Original poster

RaRa1988 · 19/12/2013 18:31

Glad you had a good experience, CMP69, but the Wansbeck's not somewhere I'm particularly keen on, and I had a very bad experience with a consultant and a midwife there yesterday, to the extent that I immediately cancelled my 20-week scan there and will not receive any further care from them.

UHND is sounding like quite a good option then, Indith My only issue is having to travel that far for scans as well as the birth, but I guess something's gotta give!

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PotteringAlong · 19/12/2013 18:37

You can give birth somewhere different to where you have your scans!

Original poster

RaRa1988 · 19/12/2013 18:39

Can you?? Even if they're different trusts?

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Indith · 19/12/2013 18:54

Ask your midwife, they should be able to organise things for you. UHND like to do all their own stuff though. Ultimately you just have to visit places and see where you feel comfortable.

Cuckoo82 · 19/12/2013 21:43

We visited Hexham when we were deciding and they were really welcoming, showed us around and explained how it all worked. We've been back a few times since for scans and blood tests and its always been very relaxed. Like a few people have said you have to balance up the distance you will have to travel for appointments and on the day with how much you like the place. I was a bit worried about travelling into newcastle and trying to negotiate the car park at the RVI while in labour which sounds daft but I just want things to be as calm as possible and Hexham is an easy drive down the A69 and has a nice big (usually half empty) car park!

WorriedMouse · 20/12/2013 01:12

Can I ask why not Wansbeck? I've had 2 births; one at rvi and one at Wansbeck. Rvi was a disaster from start to finish with the exact opposite experience at Wansbeck. When I was in a few weeks ago the lady beside me has elcs at Wansbeck and transferred less than 24 hours later to Alnwick. I've had 2 friends who've used north Tyneside recently. One thought it was great, the other hated it. I believe it wholly depends on the staff you see on the day.

LittleH78 · 20/12/2013 15:56

We're due in a week, and are going to UHND - when we went for our visit round were very impressed with the facilities (although they only have one birthing pool) and all the midwives we have met have been really helpful and friendly. They've said to us that the time I will be in for depends on how quickly we get the hang of feeding and when I manage to have my first post-natal wee. Apart from that they said they like people to be comfortable with baby before they go, so don't chuck new mums out if they're not happy, but likewise they won't keep me chained to the bed if everything seems to be OK and I want to go home. Rooms (delivery and post-natal) also nice and modern, and I thought they were quite big.

I was considering Hexham, but it's the possibility of the A69 in an ambulance that put me off completely!

You can change your mind about where you want to go up until quite late - I've a friend who changed her mind at 36 weeks (ie after all her scans and ante-natal classes) and neither Trust seemed to mind.

Suspect every unit has good and bad stories about them - I certainly stopped reading the online reviews as no-one ever puts that they had a nice straightforward delivery - they only post the horror stories!

Original poster

RaRa1988 · 22/12/2013 14:17

WorriedMouse: I just don't like the Wansbeck. It's my local, and I was born there, but I don't like it. When I've been in, I've usually encountered incompetent and uncaring staff and very long waits. I've found the RVI to be much more professional and caring, and I've spent quite a lot of time in there this year unfortunately. What's really put me off the Wansbeck though is an experience last week with an extremely patronising midwife and consultant (two people, I mean), who labelled me as High Risk on account of having had a small glass of wine several days prior, and effectively told me I was the same as a smackhead. Was not impressed at all. I also received F all sympathy regarding my feelings (caused by sexual assault) on not having men other than DP in the delivery room. I was told 'tough', and that I'd 'have to deal with it'. The RVI and UHND, on the other hand, couldn't have been more accommodating and understanding, and I felt that they viewed me as a person rather than just another number to process as quickly as possible.

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