Royal Berkshire Hospital Maternity Unit

[toadstool]

Anyone got any experience of it? I may be transferring there right at the end of my PG (it will be consultant-led whatever happens) but my midwife here said, 'First check they're good'. Any feedback welcome!

hi toadstool. i'll be delivering there in july, but have only just moved to the area myslef so don't know an awful lot about it. people i've spoken to since arriving have given positive reports though

Hiya - I've heard lots of good reports of it. Me and my Sister were born there and I had DD1 there. My experience wasn't fantastic but it was Xmas day!!

Seriously though, I've heard lots of good.

Hi toadstool had one of mine there, I liked it very much, thought I had the perfect birth!

Many thanks to all, that sounds pretty encouraging.

I'm due in early September (first baby - already very afraid) and have been trying to research the Royal Berks but am struggling to pull up any meaningful info.

Not entirely convinced there are any alternatives in any case but am really keen for info. My midwife seemed to rate it but then, well she would wouldn't she?

For the Royal Berks, I've checked Dr Foster and the NHS ratings site, but it's not very helpful. I used the postcode search engine on the site for Independent Midwifery (sorry, don't have the link) and nothing came up for RG1 - but then the current issue over them keeping going is off-putting too.I'm sure I saw a house on the road between Reading and Maidenhead that had a sign for some sort of birth centre, but can't trace it!

Hi I have a consultant led pg at RBH, my last pg was as well, and I cant fault them - have been very well looked after with my care, my consulatnt is Helen Allut and she is very nice - good luck, hope you have a good experiance

Hi,

I just had my daughter at RBH 2 weeks ago.

I was under consultant care there which was great.We found all the staff very friendly.

The delivery suite staff were outstanding even though they were rushed off their feet.

As for the post natal care,I was in Marsh ward and I didnt think it was that good.I hardly saw anybody from 9am when I got there to when my DH arrived at 3pm.

I will be having my next child there so my experience couldnt have been too bad.

birth choice website, gives stats and details for all maternity units and hospitals in the UK!

toadstool, there is a midwife-led birth centre in wantage (other side of reading towards oxford) which I have heard is very good if that helps.

I had my D at RBH 3 yrs ago, I had a scheduled section and had a very good birth experience. Also, my DD unexpectedly had to go into special care immediately after birth for 2 days and the staff both there and in the post-natal ward were excellent- I was put in a side room alone at no cost because I was distressed at being separated from DD, and had constant attnetion from the docs and midwives. Don't know what the experience would be if you had a straightforward birth and ward care thereafter, but have not heard any complaint from friends who gave birth there.

There is a new birth centre at Wexham Park Hosp, (i had my dd 10 months there) very nice but may be too far.

The birth centre you say signposted was possibly the midwifery centre which my lovely midwife left the nhs to set up (i saw her through a surestart scheme which offers the benefits you only get private elsewhere) but due to insurance etc. (hot topic independent midwives and insurance) they dont do births though they will act as doulas i believe.
I couldnt recommend them enough, but obviously i was lucky enough to get them for free! Great help with breastfeeding as well.

Littleducks, thank you very much - that sounds great, as I will probably need a doula this time round. Shame about the treatment of independent midwives right now , but good to know they are keeping going.
Shanks and Lupins, thank you for the RBH info, as I'll be consultant-led, so will probably end up there.

I had DD1 there in 2002 in the midwife led unit which was lovely - really supportive m/w, fantastic experience. Had DD2 there in 2005 and wasn't able to use the m/w unit as she had pooed in the waters (I know there is a proper name for that but I just can't remember it!) so was on the delivery suite which was really nice - it had been refurbished since 2002. Generally all m/ws very good, a couple I encountered weren't, same as any job really. Would happily have any future children there.

The reputation is very good, but my personal experience with the early pregnancy unit were devastating: one incomplete ERPC (official chance 5%), then cervical dammage (1:10000), no aftercare, got turned away without investigation or scan after bleeding and suspected ectopic twice. I will never go there again, but the maternity unit might be different. I have failed several complaints but haven't heard back yet. Sorry, but I would have preferred to know.

I had my dd there in 2000, and I know loads of people who have gone back to have 2nd and 3rd childrn there. It is a great hospital - refurbished a few years ago and now pretty smart.

It honestly is a very good maternity unit.

I had a baby there seven months ago and found it basically fine. I also did an informal survey of people I knew who'd had babies there a year or so before that, to find out what it was like, and generally people said fine/good for the birth, not necessarily so hot on the postnatal stuff on the ward. I had no particular problems with either, though I didn't try having a shower or anything like that, I got out as fast as I could. The day assessment unit was very very busy the day I went into labour and had to be assessed, but I think they're probably like that anywhere! The breastfeeding clinic on the ground floor every weekday morning is good.

Thank to all that have posted here - haven't looked for a few days so its great to see mainly positive feedback. My community midwife hasn't given me masses of faith in local facilities but your responses have reassured me a lot so thanks.

Am I really the only one with a bad experience?
I know my posts reads a little made up, but I swear it's what happened to me!

Bad experience with first, great with second.

I gave birth to my first there. In hindsight, I'd say it wasn't great, but wasn't bad. When I first got there, fairly strong contractions, they examined me and told me I wasn't even 1cm dilated and to go home. I lived 30 mins away. But I duly did that.

Got home and my waters broke, was back less than 2 hours later. They were VERY dismissive of me, like why are you back already. They put me in a room and said 'we'll be back in a bit' - at which point yet another huge contraction came on and the noise I made stopped them in their tracks.

Once they realised that I was about to give birth, they snapped into gear and were good. I gave birth in the 'natural ward' i.e. no epidurals, natural, homelike furnishings etc, and I thought it was good, pretty spacious birthing room.

Afterwards, i found the wards very noisy and the midwives fairly dismissive. My baby screamed and screamed and I was exhausted and they just said: well look how many others we've got to look after. sorry.

At the time, I didn't think it was bad. I just thought: that's they way it is.

But I had my second at a maternity led unit in Wallingford. The birthing room was tiny, but the care I received was exceptional.

I think you could do a lot worse than Royal Berks, but you can also do better depending on where you live.

J&J - I'm strongly considering the Wallingford unit. We're booked to do the tour in a couple of weeks but from what I've read and a few things I've heard it sounds good. Anything else you'd care to tell me about it? (Other options for us are the JR at Oxford or Royal Berkshire, and if we have/decide to go for "big" hospital I think it'll be the JR)

Jamantha, Wallingford was great. It's really small - just 4 beds on the 'ward' I think. There are two birthing rooms but they are small. I can't remember - I think one of the rooms has a birthing pool for water births.

The care I got was great. I used hynobirthing and had written in my birth plan that I wanted to basically be allowed to concentrate on my breathing without too many interruptions. I didn't get examined once (internally I mean), they just let me get on with it, but stayed with me the entire time.

Afterwards they will bring you tea and toast in bed if you're doing midnight feeds and they spent a lot of time helping me get my little one to breastfeed as he wasn't interested in latching on.

The only thing that wasn't great was when I asked if I could bath my son (he was covered in poo because he released his bowels as he was born), and they weren't very helpful then. Just set up the bath and left me to it - which was hard as nothing was in reach.

But besides that it was good.