Maternity Wards

[nutty]

Any recommendations on good local ones?

[Ant]

Our youngest was born at Kings three weeks ago. She's been kept in there, with a spell in intensive care, and is due back tomorrow. The staff, both in the labour ward and the newborn unit, have all been excellent. Very friendly and efficient, which was a welcome change to the near bullying we received at St Thomas's when our oldest was born. Also, the level of care has been superb. The place itself is a little run down in parts, but it's clean and not lacking in equipment. I don't think you'll find any better on the NHS. The food is abysmal though. And none of the Hospicom TV/radio things seem to work. (That's down to a subcontractor, not Kings or the NHS.)

[nutty]

thanks - nice to have one opinion - anyone else? This forum seems to contain more people moaning about buggies than people soon to be pushing them! :)

[Ant]

We were thinking about home birth for a while, so the mrs got referred by her GP to the Brierly midwives. They're excellent. Very caring, attentive, knowledgeable, committed... Also, if you then decide to go to hospital (or end up going there for whatever reason) you'll still have your Brierly midwife at the birth. Labour's a funny thing - hormones can mess around with it, and a simple thing like knowing who your midwife will be can really help things go more smoothly. (Well, as smooth as childbirth ever gets, at any rate.) And this is on the NHS, mind, so you don't even have to pay a load of cash for it.

They're a team of about six or seven midwives, so it's just about possible you might end up at the birth with a midwife you haven't met before - but if that happens you're no worse off than you would otherwise have been. But you'll get to know at least one or two of them well during visits beforehand, and it's good to see them when they visit again afterwards. Much better than having different faces every time.

[dulwichmum]

I completely agree with Ant, the Brierley Midwives are just as good as having a private midwife, and they can either deliver you at home, or travel with you to hospital and deliver you there if you need to - as far as I remember. The Brierley midwives are fierce advocates for their women, and have a good working relationship with the hospital staff.

Kings Neonatal ITU is a wonderful place, babies are born in Kings from all over the world in order to avail of their care at birth. They do pioneering surgery and other procedures there which are not possible anywhere else. It is so reassuring to be so close to a unit like that when you are pregnant.

I am a healthy person, and never expected to have a sick, premature baby, but these things can happen to anyone. My daughter was premature, arrested three times, and was ventilated for over a week at Kings. Our birth plan didn't come to pass, but at least we did not have to treck accross the country to visit our little girl in some far away place like Cardiff - which is the equivalent distance some people must travel to see their new baby at Kings. I found it a huge reassurance having Frederick Still ward just up the road.

On the subject of prams, I have had a Phil and Teds double buggy for almost four years, and it was simply liberating to discover it. I never anticipated having two children so close together, but when you have one - you somehow suddenly believe two is a great plan, and you end up pushing a double buggy. The double buggy I had initially was like a bag of bricks, too long and cumbersome. The Phil and Teds is great because it is a super single pram, and grows with your family to the most agile and lightweight double buggy of all. We had to get ours specially imported via an internet site from New Zealand, but now they sell them in Soup Dragon on Lordship Lane! You really should take a look. I have turned mine back into a single buggy now as my five year old is walking everywhere, and my little one likes a snooze when we are out.

Good luck.

[all_star]

I can endorse all the comments about the Brierley Midwives - have been super for us to date (due in 3 weeks :) )

[dulwichmum]

Dear All-Star and Nutty,

I wish you the best of luck. Soft tiny bright eyed new babies are exhausting, but the best thing that can happen to anyone. I can't recommend them highly enough.

[Ant]

Yes - best of luck to both of you. I hope everything goes well.

[Guest]

Both born at Kings. No complaints re medical care. Food very variable. Have amazing system where you eat what the person in the bed the day before ordered. So had fish for lunch on the Friday which was ok, and on saturday I had the Jamaican option that had been ordered by the previous resident on Friday morning. Can recommend the rice and peas - I probably would not have ordered it myself, but the list of ingredients on the foil box was admirable and it had much more nutritional value than the fish had. If in Kings again will be ordering from the Afro Caribbean section of the menu. Hope the person on Sunday enjoyed the tuna pasta bake I ordered for them. But the crumbles and custard are always good. Sometimes the loos etc are messay - but childbirth is a messy thing, and some of the punters are clearly not that neat in the bathroom. Labour at home for as long as you can, Kings will do you great. The knowledge that the ICU is across the landing is soooo reassurring. And if you seem like you are doing ok on the post natal ward you may be overlooked - speak up. if you ask then someone will come and help.

[ednerd]

I had our daughter at Kings a couple of weeks ago, and found the experience a bit hit and miss. For the majority of my labour I had a fantastic midwife, but at shift change were landed with someone I just didn't warm to. Equally on the post-natal labour ward (where I only stayed for 12 hours), I thought it was a bit disorganised -some of the people I came into contact with were great, and others on another planet. If going to Kings, my advice would be to keep a sense of humour and stand up for yourself if you feel you're being ignored.

[dulwichmum]

Dear Ms Ednerd,

I am so sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience at Kings. Please, please contact Kings (I am sure you can do it on the net) and complain at length. I know that they really value it. If you do not, the women who come after you, who are less articulate and perhaps do not have English as a first language, and are less able to fight their corner will not have a good experience. Please take time out to complain. They take complaints seriously, and will examine your notes with a fine tooth comb, and find those responsible.

Sometimes when we least need it - we can clash with another personality - that is really no-ones fault. Staff have homes to go to and families to look after as well - but that does not help you when you are in labour, unless you can go to a team of midwives all of whom are familiar to you. Sometimes too things can be incredibly busy - but that too can be out of their hands. I have been told that it is either empty or in full swing. Having a team of midwives like the Brierly, can insulate you from all of these problems. You get to know them all - hopefully, and they are there just for you - one after the other, no matter how long it takes.

I hope you have a good health visitor who makes up for your bad experience. Small babies are such hard work.

Best wishes,

[Guest]

Hi

just to say that I had a home birth too, but not with the Brierly midwifes, just the standard community team (that are based at Kings). They were great - I went and met them at their office before the birth and just my luck managed to get the 3 I hadn't met at the birth! but they were lovely and that says it all - I had THREE midwives, totally committed to my care, and there whenever I needed them.

I then had to go in to King's (for some major stitching that couldn't be done at home) and Dionne one of my midwifes stayed with me well after her shift had ended - I felt really well looked after. I would definitely go for a home birth again - its 2 minutes up the road to Kings if you need it and the benefits far outweigh the risks, in my opinion.

But Kings - well I couldn't wait to get out of there. I had to stay in overnight - hardly slept cos each of the other babies took turns crying (mine was an angel obviously !! :))) ) and couldn't get out till lunchtime the next day even though I was discharged cos the Paed had to see my little boy beforehand - even though he only came in with me and my GP was happy to come and check him at home.

And on the food - don't get me started! I had fish and chips 3 times cos that's what the person before me had ordered. When I got to choose the food I ticked as much as possible so that at least the next lady would hopefully have something nice(ish) to eat!

[ednerd]

Dulwich Mum,

Apologies for the slow response... in the blur of the weeks following childbirth, I actually had no recollection of making that posting. Have since discovered that my experience at Kings was, in relative terms, much less traumatic than that of others in the nct gang.

You're right in that you can't avoid personality clashes with your midwife - our solution was simply to ignore her and have a crack at birthing baby unassisted, which worked out fine, but probably not recommended for a first time mum. We had no joy in securing an Albany or Brierley midwife this time round, but would definitely again if I am ever foolish enough to have a second.

In King's defence:

1. I had a completely textbook waterbirth (am such an earth mother) and probably didn't require much fussing during or after labour

2. My first midwife, who was with us for most of the labour was wonderful and stayed with me an hour and a half after her shift was due to end (probably something to do with me begging her repeatedly not to leave me with her cold-as-ice, officious replacement).

PS I did have a great health visitor, who listened patiently to me rant about how boring I initially found motherhood.

[dulwichmum]

Dear Ednerd,

I am delighted to hear that you are surviving. Having a new baby to look after is traumatic and exhausting enough without having less than supportive care by the team employed to look after you.

Please stay in touch with everyone on the forum, there are lots of mums and dads on here who are more than happy to listen any time. We have been there, and it is exhausting work with no medal!

[ratty]

Wow! Firstly, congratulaions to all the new and expectant Mums out there. My wife is expecting too, although we still have 5 months to go! Can someone please explain a bit mote about Brierly midwifes and how to contact them.

So far Kings have been excellent with us and I know a few people who have been born there.

Anyone have any tips on pre natal yoga classes? My wife is looking around for these at the moment.

[ednerd]

Would highly recommend pregnancy yoga classes, having attended a couple a week throughout my pregnancy. As far as I am aware, you basically have 3 choices:

1. The classes at the Dulwich Therapy rooms with Mangal Jot - I went to a couple of these, but very new age (chanting and the like). Lots of repetitive movements which I wouldn't recommend for everyone, but teacher has a lovely personality and very positive about the birthing experience.

2. Saturday afternoon classes at JAGS - free if you're a member, ?8.50 if not. http://www.jagssportsclub.co.uk/aerobics-dulwich.asp I really enjoyed this class, more so as the preganancy progressed and I became more uncomfortable and whale-like.

3. The classes run at Kings and other London locations by the Sitaram partnership. http://www.sitaram.org/ They offer by far the biggest choice of instructor, times and locations. We also did the yoga birthing workshop run by these guys, and despite my scepticism, it did give us some psychological and practical tools to get us through the horrific ordeal that is labour (er... the beautiful experience of bringing a child into the world)

Bon courage!!!

[ratty]

Thanking thee kindly!

[dulwichmum]

Dear Ratty,

You can get referred to the Brierley Midwives through your GP. They will usually only refer you if you are sure you want a home birth - so tell the GP that you are - and later change your mind. I have written at length about the Brierley (above) and on other threads, and am anxious not to sound as though I am preaching. They really are fab.

Lots of us on the forum have young chidren and babies, and are more than happy to help if you have a question, anytime.

[Gubodge]

Can second (Third, fourth?) the Brierley recommendations, but you'd need to get on to them asap as they book up very quickly. My 8 month old was born in a pool in our kitchen with Brierly midwives in attendance. It was lovely, but to be honest my first child's birth at Kings was pretty good too, with wonderful care in labour there too. I found the post-natal ward a bit grim, but a recent survey seemed to indicate that is the case everywhere.

[bagelh]

I have just had my second home birth, this time with the Brierly, and I can confirm all the excellent things that have been said about them. I would also recommend wholeheartedly having your baby at home, if you have no complications and think your personal surroundings are going to be most conducive to a positive experience. By definition, all home births are 'safe' as no birth with any remote possibility of complication is ever allowed to continue there or start there in the first place. The Brierly, like the Oakwood, Albany and Southbank teams in Southwark are all what is called 'caseloader' teams of midwifes that support couples in the community to have home births. You can be referred to them by your GP, or you contact them directly. It means that you are more likely to have the support and care of the same midwife, or from the same team, through your pregnancy and then during your labour. One to one continuity of care is recommended as by far the best for pregnant women by health experts. Although home births seem counter intuitive to some - it is worth looking into the statistics and surrounding literature about them as they could be the option that is best for you.

However, when one of the Brierly midwifes told me people on this forum were recommending to lie to their GPs and the Brierly about wanting a homebirth in order to secure personal one-one care throughout pregnancy and then opt for a hospital birth, I couldn't quite believe how cynical someone could be and yet here it is below - and it is repeated in the other posts on private birth threads. Apart from the fact that it is not true, and if you suddenly 'change your mind' as suggested below you will be referred back to Kings, (and in doing so, as another contributor has pointed out, deprive someone who genuinely wants a planned home birth) it is also incredibly bad advice to any pregnany woman trying to plan a safe, confident and optimistic birth. What a pity, I really hope nobody on this forum would seriously consider such a suggestion, and I know that the Brierly team are pretty disappointed that such so called 'advice' is being circulated.

Bagelh

dulwichmum Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> You can get referred to the Brierley Midwives

> through your GP. They will usually only refer you

> if you are sure you want a home birth - so tell

> the GP that you are - and later change your mind.

[jim_the_chin]

There's also the Oakwood midwives at the Forest Hill Road GP surgery. We've had them twice and they've been great both times, 3 midwives at each birth and tea and toast made for us afterwards.

[serenity]

Hi everyone!

Have recently found out I'm pregnant, so was glad when I stumbled upon this thread. Any advice?

[Asset]

Congratulations!

what sort of advice do you want?

[ednerd]

I disagree. Often at the start of a pregnancy, you are not sure whether you want a home birth or a hospital birth. It is only as your pregnancy progresses that your preference becomes clear. I would strongly recommend anyone with even the faintest inclination towards a homebirth to get a reference to the Brierley/ Albany/ Oakwood midwives, as if you change your mind and do want a home birth, you may miss out (as I did) and get the 'pot-luck' of one of the community or hospital midwives (a total, sometimes frightening, lottery).

Why should only those that are totally committed to a home birth from the start of their pregnancy have access to these seemingly far superior teams of midwives, and those who feel they may ultimately prefer a hospital birth have to go through labour with a midwife they have never met?

Until every woman (regardless of the place they choose to deliver) has the same opportunity to have continuity of care throughout their pregnancy/ birth/ post partum period, I say 'play the system'; it's one of the most important decisions you will ever make.

[TillieTrotter]

Congratulations Serenity. Hope all goes well for you!! xxxx