Experiences of labour, birth and postnatal care at the Royal Devon and Exeter (RD&E)?

[LittleRedTealight]

Hi everyone,

Would anyone be kind enough to share their experiences of giving birth at the RD&E? It’s our closest hospital with a maternity unit, and we’ve been under gynae outpatients there for early scans so far (and recently had the standard 12-week scan where everything looked great so far).

Their care so far has been brilliant and I’ve felt listened to and supported (including when i was a patient there for a MMC last year). But the report today has worried me because they’re listed as ‘requires improvement’, including concerns about mums’ and babies’ safety.

Can anyone share their thoughts and experiences? Thank you so much x

I had my DD there in 2022. She was premature and born by c-section as she had stopped growing and the care I recieved was nothing short of phenomenal. I felt reassured, listened to and respected. The staff were very busy but they made time for me whenever I needed it.
I'm having another baby this year there and am really looking forward to it. Good luck 😊

Edited to add: please be really wary of asking for people's experiences on forums- you tend to find that you'll hear about everyone's negative experiences but you really need to remember that for every negative experience there are hundreds of positives. Remember that as a society we tend to relay our negative stories!

Not maternity care as my DD was born elsewhere where we lived at the time. I have spent a lot of time at the hospital though (and 2 other hospitals ) as my DD has had numerous operations. The majority of the time I have been very happy with the care at the RD&E. My advice for any hospital is to speak up if you feel they could do better. I don't have any medical training but am always asked if I do as I keep a very close eye on what's going on. If you see something you are unsure of ask what they are doing (or why they not doing it!).

Thank you both so much for your posts 🙏🏼

@icallshade that’s a really good point - not as many people will come to Mumsnet to post about what a straightforward and smooth experience they had, I guess?

@newhousenewhouse that’s great advice thank you. I hope your DD is doing ok now.