Whipps cross hospital

[mumtobe0823]

Hey everyone

I’ve recently found out I’m expecting my first next year. I have my first maternity appointment at whipps cross in January. Was hoping for some feedback on recent experiences?

Whipps cross maternity has vastly improved in recent years, I used to work there as of last year. A few years ago I may have thought differently, but now there is a lot of work being done to improve maternity units, including Whipps.

very mixed reviews from really awful and uncaring to quite good....most choose homerton instead. friends both had poor experiences there but that was appx 5 years ago.

I'd like to follow this as also newly pregnant and my hospital is Whipps Cross! I've had x2 friends who have given birth here. X1 was happy and x1 not as happy!

Most of the mums I know choose Homerton or North Middlesex instead, and have had good experiences. Many had their first child at Whipps (as did I) and while the antenatal care and delivery care were of a good standard, the postnatal care was very poor. It may have changed in very recent years, but it was a long running problem.

Oh gosh historically it had dreadful maternity care. Maybe it has changed. It used to be known for lots of babies being born with broken limbs back when I was a medical student.

Homerton is good

@TheYearOfSmallThings what was bad about the postnatal care of you don't mind me asking?

Had a wonderful experience in March 2021

so well looked after - ended in emergency c section.

recovery ward wasn’t great but I think the wards are just like that.

I was out within 48 hours anyway

i and a few incidents with reduced movements and was able to pop in and checked and was always checked, felt safe and reassured

I mean it’s hard to say though isn’t it - people have good and bad experiences - my friend had a horrific experience at homertom very recently and I was told to go there over whipps cross - I didn’t as whipps was closer

I think bad things can happen in any hospital 🤷‍♀️

Thank you everyone, appreciated

Yep another vote for Homerton

@TheYearOfSmallThings what was bad about the postnatal care of you don't mind me asking?

Now this was 7 years ago so things may be TOTALLY different now. Although friends had similar experiences up to 3 years ago, when people just started asking to go elsewhere.

After giving birth I waited in a holding room for 6 hours with builders hammering on the outer wall before being moved to postnatal. I got told off for bleeding excessively and failing to contain it, but I could hardly move at that point.

No pain relief after C section until I went up to the ward, except 2 paracetamol, and when I asked the nurse said "but see how well you're doing? You don't really need anything stronger!" I really did.

No breastfeeding support offered until I went up to the ward, and then TOTALLY inconsistent advice from each member of staff. One got me feeding lying down, then another came in and said "No no no, up! Up!" and hauled me up. My milk didn't come in for days and DS was screaming but several nurses just told me "How do you know he's not feeding?". He really wasnt. Problems getting pain relief, because they wanted to stick to the mild painkillers they could prescribe rather than chasing a doctor to prescribe something stronger.

Bathrooms were grotty, meals were left in the corridor and I didn't know we had to stagger out to get them so I missed the first few meals (luckily wasn't reliant on them for food).

I basically did not feel anyone on that ward gave a shit, and my best move was to get away as soon as possible. Really disappointing, because the care up to the point of birth had been pretty good.

I live in Wanstead and opted for Homerton based on friends experiences and honestly couldn't recommend enough. I am 23 weeks atm and they have been amazing so far up to now. Xxx

Whipps is my local but I've had a couple of really bad experiences at the Urgent Care there, including pregnancy-related, so I went with Homerton. They've been fine so far, although one not great midwife appointment. Homerton also has a higher level NICU than Whipps (lv3 Vs lv2) if that's the kind of thing you factor in.

@TheYearOfSmallThings see you say that - but in March 2021 I had my baby at whipps and was given all the painkillers and My friend had her baby at homerton and got only paracetamol 🤷‍♀️

Absolutely amazing, as have several friends in the last 18 months. The birth centre is only two years old. I wouldn’t base your decision on people’s bad experiences from years ago.

Ohh.. I have a few hospitals local to me, Newham General, Royal London, Whipps cross and Homerton. I won’t even lie to, this is my first baby and I know people that have given birth in every single one of these hospitals I mentioned and mostly everyone has had bad reviews about it… Granted nobody around me is having a baby or had a baby lately to base my decision off of however I have decided to go out of East London and I have been having my care at UCLH. They have been exceptionally great so far and there are people from all parts of the country coming to that hospital. I haven’t heard anything bad about them so far and my care has been great but do let us all know how your care in January goes!

Sorry by two years old I mean it was renovated two years ago and is beautiful. They have pics on their Instagram.

I had a baby at Homerton over whipps cross and the post natal care was extremely poor, although the ante natal care was excellent so I'd caution anyone choosing Homerton to be aware of that. However the community midwives out of Whipps were awful (lied in my notes that breastfeeding was going well when I said I was struggling) and I had to get a private midwife in the end.

I sadly had a number of miscarriages at Whipps and the treatment was appalling I ended up making a formal complaint.

If I had my time again I'd go to the Royal London.

My birth here was back in 2014 and I didn't receive good care at any point, my second was a different hospital and a completely different experience.

But I bet they have improved, they couldn't have got any worse tbh.

Very similar experience here. But labour notes revealed he was back to back and nobody told me. I had been in agony and he got stuck, but not one midwife told me he was b2b or offered me intervention. Stuff of nightmares. He eventually went into distress and had to be delivered by crash section.

My dealings with Whipps were in 2017-2019 , so I don't think they have unfortunately