St. Georges vs Kingston

[ev3rly]

im 30 weeks pregnant and due to give birth at st.georges. i feel as though they havent really given the service that some others have said they have received and so thinking of changing to kingston. has anyone given birth at either or both? looking for positive and negative reviews

Hi
Congrats on baby!

I know St George's well (I was born there and local) but I wouldn't chose to have my baby there. I would choose Kingston over George's 😊

I'm under Kingston, I havent given birth there but for appointments and scans etc I've been really happy. My friend had a baby there recently and she was happy.

Hi OP, I have no experience of maternity at St George's but I did have my DD at Kingston almost 2.5 years ago. My care whilst pregnant was great and I couldn't fault them but my labour not so much and I had a pretty horrible experience afterwards but most I've spoken to would recommend Kingston. We've now moved to a new area and I'm due in October so will be under Frimley Park. Feel free to PM me xx

I had my baby at Kingston a year ago, NCT friend at theirs at St George's. From what she said about their systems (ie: not her specific birth as that's nothing to go on as they're all different) I'd chose Kingston. However given these reasons are mainly related to birth partners and them being able to stay 24/7 at Kingston, this may not apply anymore sadly.

Surely at this point you're better off staying at St George's as tbh you might only be pregnant for a few more weeks and I think you'd have to have a very very compelling reason for wanting to transfer your care, taking up even more NHS time, at the moment.

Good luck!

Thank you all for your reviews. Of course not at all wanting to take up any unecessary nhs time. I am having a few issues as my doctors wont do my antenatal check ups (not over the phone either) and neither will the hospital - when i call they just tell me to go back to my doctors. I know a friend that is at kingston and they said they are vital to have and So i just want to go where is safe and best. Thank you all for feedback x

When was your last check up? As from memory I think I only had 28, 34, 36 weeks appointments (baby came at 36+6) but wasn't due for another until 38. I ended up going in way more though (multiple times week) as I was diagnosed with OC and also had extra scans due to existing health issues.

If your maternity care is at your GPs then surely you'd have the same situation regardless of the hospital? Have you asked the doctors where you are supposed to go if the maternity unit keep sending you back there, as presumably you're not their only pregnant patient? Or do you have a number for the midwife team and you can explain you're having difficulties getting appointments? From what I've read on here you'd also have to have another booking appointment if you change hospitals (I could be wrong though) so I personally think you'd be better off just focusing on trying to get what you need out of St George's given how close you are to the end, and how little resource there is at the moment.

I know it can be really worrying though, particularly if it's your first and you just want to make sure you're getting everything right. I wouldn't want to be pregnant right now, you have my sympathies, but in a few weeks you'll have forgotten all of this when you meet your baby and you also probably won't care about which hospital you're in either.

Im meant to have a 34 and 36 week appointment as its first pregnancy but theyre not giving me one until in 38 weeks and the last was at 28. Both hospital and doctors keep telling me to call the other. I will try again and take it from there. Im actually quite relaxed especially considering all thats happening around us but theyre causing stress for no reason. And theyre telling me i need the appointment as well but just not giving it to me. Will just keep trying until someone decent answers the phone

Sorry you're having difficulties - has anyone explained why they aren't letting you have an appointment? It could well be that this is what they've decided to do/will be doing for all pregnancies at all hospitals but 38 weeks does seem very late given you're classed as full term by 37+0 and some women (even first timers, myself included) deliver before then just because baby was ready. The main thing the Kingston midwives did at the 34 and 36 week appointment was discuss my birth plan (I was high risk) so I can understand why they may not want to do that aspect given there's no knowing what the situation will be like by the time it's (hopefully) your turn but I think it would help for you to get a real reason/justification beyond "no" - maybe you should take the approach of "well I'll wait on hold until someone more appropriate can speak to me" and see where that gets you? You could also mention that it is affecting your mental well-being, which they won't want either, even if that is a white lie.

Like I said, you can't be the only pregnant patient they have on their books so they must be going somewhere if there are in fact appointments happening.

That sounds really confusing and stressful for you, sorry to hear you're struggling to get the antenatal appointments! Just hopped on to say I had my second baby at Kingston in December 2018 and they were wonderful. It was a planned c section but I had to have a few emergency consultant checks (he was a dramatic baby!) and they were thorough and professional. The birth and aftercare were also great.

I have experience of both and would choose Kingston by a mile.

St. George's are restricting birth partners now due to coronavirus so you might want to check about their latest policy

FWIW my friend had an awful experience at st George's, resulting in a stillbirth so I chose to go to Chelsea Westminster

I had my first at St George’s and due to have my second there, currently 30 weeks pregnant. The antenatal care has all been great, as was giving birth there - I used the birthing pool and had a private room after. My partner was able to stay 24/7. Obviously likely to be very different this time! At my midwife appointment last week (I needed anti D so I had to go in), I was given a blood pressure machine and urine sticks to take home and will now just have fortnightly calls with midwife. I will still go in for 36 week scan but that will be the only time until labour. Sounds like they are reducing in person appointments as much as possible which makes sense

Thanks for all feedback!! I would be happy to have a phone appt or anything like this but every time i call they put me on hold and pass me to someone else. Even if they say dont worry you dont need this appointment just something. I will try again tomorrow.. wish me luck xxx

I’ve had one at each! Brilliant care at George’s for a slightly non smooth 1st baby. Brilliant care at Kingston for a problem free 2nd. Overall Kingston is just less busy than George’s so appointments run to time, I got a private room not a ward bed for the days after (obviously that won’t be the case for all) and there’s more parking! I think I’d choose Kingston again overall but George’s were fantastic so I hope you have a positive experience whichever you choose.

Kingston
2 babies born there, no 3 due in couple of months will be there too. They are amazing! 📹
Good luck

I gave birth at Kingston and had a great experience there . I ended staying 3 nights in the hospital and everyone was amazing . They have a great feeding team there too if you are interested in breastfeeding . I’m currently pregnant with baby number 2 and will definitely be returning to Kingston!!

I have spoken with kingston hospital and they said there is no issue at all with changing and that they would be happy for me to swap over. So have put in the request - thank you all for help and advice. Xxx

Where are you closest too? St. george's is certainly "no frills" but it's good for more complex pregnancies & has a larger neonatal unit.

Im actually closer to kingston x