Hi. I am 31 weeks pregnant with our first child and was admitted to Lewisham Hospital (labour ward), with bleeding, 3 weeks ago. The problem was identified quickly that day- low lying placenta, touching the cervix. The plan for me, however, was not fully established until day 3 of my hospital stay and it went from ?staying in hospital for 1-3 days? to ?until the baby is born?, which could be any day, if there was a major bleed, via EMCS or via ELCS after 37 weeks.
In terms of the care in Lewisham: The first few days have been the most frustrating as we had to ask to see doctors and waited for hours. Then often a different registrar turned up and we had to explain our situation again (why do I have a book that keeps the records?). Many times they would give different information. E.g. they were not clear about keeping an IV. One of the registrars told us it can come out- which was a huge relief for me as I was thinking I could have it in potentially for 10 weeks- and then the same night, the night registrar said it needed to go back in because ?in the case of an emergency doctors can panic, it would save time and they could resuscitate me easier in the event of an emergency?. Up to that point my mind was really stable (5 days in hospital) ? but then I lost it. There were a few other things that were said which clearly indicated she did not read the plan that was established for me. My partner got quite furious and ended up staying the night and telling the midwives how unhappy we are with the lack of communication and that we wanted to speak to the consultant in charge of my case. The following day we saw her and things were really well explained to us. It was not that we felt the registrar was not medically qualified enough but more her choice of words, which clearly was completely out of line.
Since then I have met most of the consultants (there are 9 in total) and must say, apart from 2, I am very happy with the conversations we had. They do listen and explain things in a calm and informative manner. They go out of their way to make my stay comfortable and they read my notes carefully. It feels like I am part of my plan now and a bit more individual.
Now, obviously my situation is very different from someone who is deciding where to give birth (Lewisham vs. Kings, Birth Centre vs. Labour ward) but maybe I can just give a little insight there too!
Before I was admitted, I had a dream pregnancy: no sickness, no mood swings, glowing hair and skin, all scans tests brilliant. So I was thinking where to have the baby.
At first I was thinking of going to Germany which my GP supported, but that is a different story...
Then I considered Lewisham and Kings. Comments about Lewisham and Kings have been very similar and I came to the conclusion that it depended on:
- What sort of birth you were having (pain, duration, etc.)
- Who your midwife/ doctor was
- How clean the facilities were or what facilities you were expecting
Personally, I found the idea of the new Birthing Centre very interesting and found it comforting to know that the maternity unit and the neonatal unit are just a few floors up. Also I researched some of the consultants and the units and was very happy with what I found.
Having been here now for a few weeks, I can say that I would chose Lewisham again, although I now know how difficult it is to get into the Birth Centre itself.
.....still haven?t mentioned the midwives.....
From day 1 the care I received from the midwives was outstanding. I have to say it can be different from midwife to midwife, but I regard this as ?their own style? and that is fine by me. Sometimes they also can run late or be a bit on edge, but then we all can be. I have to say, I find them very caring and calm. They answer all my questions and provide me with loads of information. Generally they try to assign the same midwives to patients- so they get to know you very quickly. The same happens once patients go into labour- they try and give you ?your own? midwife. I like this a lot as I do not have to explain loads of things all over again. They also listen to me and try and work towards my needs.
The labour ward itself is clean and the equipment seems fine to me. I have always been seen quickly (had to come here once before my admission) and get the impression that the women that come here in labour, are also seen very quickly.
Upshot of all this? Am I looking forward to a birth in Lewisham? Well, maybe I would not go quite that far, but that has got nothing to do with Lewisham but with the birth itself. I certainly have my concerns about some of the registrars -too many of them not being informed enough about patients and their needs, but surely trained enough to work as a doctor- but I also truly believe that it will depend on who you are with on the day. I will write down a few pieces of information and wishes for the birth and will discuss them with the consultant and if I can with the midwife. I think that it is important, no matter where you go, to be firm (maybe even a bit pushy) and say exactly what your (reasonable) wishes are.
This is a lot of information- maybe some of it is helpful?