Uch / Elizabeth Garrett wing

[Izniz]

Hi all. First pregnancy and considering giving birth at the Elizabeth Garrett wing. All the threads on this topic seem quite old - any reviews or stories of your own experiences in the last couple of years?

I’d be interested in reviews of UCLH too, its one of my options. I have a friend who delivered there 3 years ago and recommended it. But any recent experiences would be great!
Izniz when are you due? I’m mid Nov, also 1st baby!

I had both my two DCs (now 7 and 4) there and will be returning to have my third in the Autumn. Clinically the hospital is excellent (I had two emergency C-sections, both without any complications) though I'm afraid I don't know much about the birthing suite as I wasn't able to use it either time. The facilities looked lovely when I walked round though!

It isn't the most 'cuddly' environment, particularly at the antenatal stage, but probably doesn't differ much from any large, busy London hospital in that respect. All of the midwives I had were kind, conscientious and respectful, however, and the hospital never felt understaffed. I work in the clinical negligence field, and all of my senior colleagues recommended it, which I think is informative.

Good luck to both of you

Amazing that is super helpful @applepearorangebear! I used to work in clinical negligence in south africa and knew all the best / worst hospitals as a result, so this is very reassuring indeed!

@decafplease - due in January 2019, very excited!

Congrats to you both!

I’ve had both my babies at UCH, in 2015 and 2017. Good experiences both times. First birth ended up being a bit complicated and in theatre etc - they really were excellent and I felt like they had it all completely under control at all times. It’s very very busy and you may not see the same midwife twice, but that really hasn’t ever bothered me. All the midwifes I’ve dealt with have been lovely, especially the two we had during the birth of #1.

It can be slow due to how busy it is - eg I’ve waited over an hour for my midwife appointment, and the consultant clinics can have ridiculous delays (consultant led both times). None of that impacts on the care I had during labour though - 2nd baby arrived within 15 mins of getting to the hospital and they had me in a labour room with time to spare.

Similar to a pp, my best friend works in clinical negligence, and told me she wouldn’t have a baby anywhere else, so that clinched it for me when I was deciding. It depends what your priorities are I suppose, as of course it isn’t perfect. Postnatally I was in for about 24 hours both times, again very busy, but everyone very nice and caring and we got everything we needed.

Sorry that’s quite long, but my most recent experience was only 7ish months ago and I’d defo recommend it. Oh also a great thing they do is that you can usually get your combined screening results from the 12 week scan on the same day as the scan, and both times the sonogrspher has gone through them with us to explain what it all means (no issues either time with the scans or anything)

I also have friends who have sadly had complications/bad news at scans, and they have had positive things to say about the care and support they have had, and have returned for subsequent pregnancies.

I had DC1 in 2015 at UCLH and am again with them for DC2 due in July. Agree with pp's that it is busy, but always felt safe and in good hands. Staff are very professional and take their time and it does not feel understaffed. Facilities are quite modern. I had to be induced, so had no option but to be on labour ward, but actually preferred the room to their birthing suite rooms, which seemed very small. If I had the option to go to a birthing suite, I would probably choose the Whittington as their BS is amazing. I chose UCLH because they have a very good reputation to deal with high risk pregnancies and as I was 41 with my first (though no other risk factors), I just wanted to be in the safest hands. Despite induction and having to stay another 2 nights on postnatal, I would have done it all again straight away in a heartbeat. I think that says it all. Also, they were really flexible and let my partner stay with me 24/7 throughout.

Thanks for all the recommendations! it’s reassuring to hear your experiences! Congrats everyone on your bouncing babies! X

I was going to give birth there last year due to complications that then resolved themselves. I ended up in my local hospital so no actual experience of birth. I can say that the drs and midwives are excellent, very kind and very good at what they do. The down side is that the administration is very impersonal. I preferred my local hospital for its accessibility and kindness but I had absolute confidence in all the clinical staff at UCH and felt very safe there.