Which hospital to choose?

[char1ie]

I have heard so many bad things about Kings, most recently that it's dirty. We (well it wasn't actually me, it was the wife) gave birth in the Home from Home unit at St Thomas' which was amazing. Very caring staff, a big room to ourselves, pool birth, nice environment, nice people and a great view of the Houses of Parliament to boot.

Charlie

[ludoscotts]

hi I had my baby at kings 7 weeks ago and it was great. very clean and the midwives were excellent. you can go on a tour mondays at 7 I think thurs at 4(double check these times!) it was really reassuring to have a look around so you know what to expect when you get there. I went in twice with pains in the week before I actually gave birth and both times the staff were lovely, there was music playing in the room, the lights were dimmed down, no noise from other rooms once you were in yours. very chilled out and relaxing. the midwives were fantastic with us even though i was only 2cm dilated! on the actual day i gave birth there was just one midwife with me throughout and she was brilliant. I was only there for an hour before ella was born so all very quick and was complications so was so pleased to know that the theatre was just down the corridor if it was needed. would have been beside myself if it had all happened and we had been at home!

after the birth the midwife gave us some lovely family time alone to bond the 3 of us. let me get myself sorted and bathed in my own time. unhurried and not fussing around. the only negative was that I had to wait 3 hours to be stitched but it was late at night on a sun and we had to wait for the doctor to come but was fine just bonded with my daughter.

we stayed overnight due to the complications ward was fine. again staff were all great. gave you space if thats what you wanted but were more than happy to sit with you and talk through worries if you were concerned. didnt get much sleep but that was due to other babies being noisy- cant be helped.

all in all a fantastic experience and will def go to kings for my next one! good luck with yours

[ladywotlunches]

I had a home birth about 18months ago - went on the ward tour at 35 weeks, and by 36 was booked on for a home birth. So its never too late. All went very well, and when labour really kicked in I was SOO grateful not to be faffing about getting to the hospital and trying to get into that rip-off they call a car park.

I did have a really quick labour (4 hours from established labour) and that meant I got to experience the delights of the postnatal ward after all for stiches, which was really disappointing after doing the hard bit it all myself (OK, with just a bit of gas n air!)

But that apart, I had THREE midwifes with me throughout (one had just transferred to the community team and wanted to get some more experience before going it alone).

On the risk side - in ED we are minutes from the hospital, and if you get into complications the midwife is with you all the time and picks it up straight away - plus if you have to get an ambulance you are top priority call as there are 2 lives at risk (which I found reassuring, not scary).

You can opt for a homebirth and at ANY point change your mind and go into hospital, where you still get to keep your dedicated midwives. Not that I'm suggesting that 'work' our overstressed NHS, but y'know....

Good luck - it'll be great, whereever you choose. Just relax and enjoy it!!! :))

[PeckhamRose]

Just saw this on BBC website, thought of you. Best wishes and good luck, get friends to bring cleaning stuff and good food I guess...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7207683.stm

[Goose]

Funny isn't it. You ask a question on the forum and the healthcare commission send you a report on exactly that. Sounds like St Thomas' as they are 'better' and Kings are only 'fair'!

[Scruffy Mummy]

hmmm....and some people think you are crazy when you opt for a home birth. At least you know the dirt in your home is your dirt and you can eat what you want, when you want it!

[Sandperson]

My thoughts exactly Scruffy!

[sillywoman]

I think it's the other way around isn't it? "better" is lower down the scale of acceptable than "fair". This would tally with the little that I know. Whilst both Tommy's and Kings have similar issues on the labour ward it's post natally that Kings comes up trumps. Tommy's are really desparately short of PN midwives and you will be lucky to get one visit post baby. Kings - whilst not perfect - are better off and you should get at least 2 or 3 in the 10 day post birth period.

Of course, as has been mentioned before, you're best off with a home birth. read any study you like, look at any statistics you like home birth comes out top for safety, satisfaction, speed etc etc every time. I do understand that most women with their first baby chose hospital as Homebirth has demonised by our society for so long that 'hospital is safer' has become part of our national psyche. It's not true though. For women and babies with normal, healthy pregnancies quite the opposite.

Regarding things going wrong - it's extremely rare for things to go wrong in an instant. There are usyally signs and indications that a midwife (with you for the whole time at home, in and out for first stage in hospital, unless it's a quiet patch) will pick up on and of they're uneasy they'll be suggesting that you go in to hospital straight away. They go with you (they can even take you in their car if you want) and will stay with you until the baby's born so you still have one to one care. They have the same priorities as *Bob* except that they include Mum in their 'safety' aims. However if it's not your thing i'd opt for Kings.

By the way did you know that Southwark now has the highest homebirth rate in the country? 7.9% I think. Well done to the Midwives whose hard work and committment to the care of women has achieved this.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

My sister had her first baby in Kings College, she got her own room, she was released from hospital the next day and the staff were pretty good regarding the birth, gave her lots of attention.

However she was left for ages without food or drink, they didn't even tell her that there was a college machine outside that she could use for free so she was sat in her bed for hours wondering when she was going to get a drink and the bathroom was not clean, my mother actually turned up with cleaning products and cleaned the bathroom so my sister could wash.

St Thomas, my sister was neglected there, the staff were rude and not helpful she was supposed to be released within ex amount of time but was kept waiting for no particulary reason for hours and hours until my mother demanded to see the head person and my sister was released.

Both had good and bad points, it all depends on the staff, what mood they are in, how busy they are and so forth.

My sister would like to go private next time!

So no help here!:)

[Growlybear]

When I was pregnant, my GP tried to persuade me to go to King's, but having been to visit a number of friends who'd given birth there and seen for myself the filthy wards and the surly and uncaring staff, nothing would have made me consider it. I flatly refused to to go King's and insisted on going to the Mayday in Croydon, and it was a really pleasant experience - or as pleasant as the horror of childbirth can be! I had exceptional treatment from all the staff, the hospital was very clean, I got a private room within a few hours, the staff were warm and friendly, and the food was really good. I would recommend Mayday without hesitation.

[citizenED]

There are a number of comments on here now supporting the idea that homebirth is better and safer than a hospital one. I think a number of studies concur. The reason is that basically being pregnant is not an illness. Given birth is not an illness. These are just normal conditions for a human being. As such pregnant woman should not be in hospital unless something is wrong. In the vast majority of cases nothing goes wrong. It could be argued that, considering that hospital births are more expensive that homebirths, healthy pregnant women should not be using up scarce NHS resources by unnecessarily clogging up the wards.

By that recent report, London Hospitals are pretty poor all round for Maternity anyhow. Stay at home, have your own food, community midwives, have your own stuff around you, and your bloke (or birth partner, if you like) can stay with you the whole time. If there is a problem - Kings is a short ride over the hill.

[Growlybear]

I think the only thing that I would have found worse than the idea of having my baby in Kings would have been a home birth!

[KalamityKel]

:s your experiences are not filling me with much confidence for whenever I may decide to become a mum! :s

[Asset]

I didn't want a homeborth first time round as I lived in flats with bad soundproofing and didn't want the neighbours listening to me in the throes of labour.

[KalamityKel]

My neighbour tried a home birth... after many hours of us listening to the agony she ended up going to hospital due to complications...

[trinity]

Kalamitykel - Most likely she would have had hours of agony in a hospital due to complications so not really a reason to put you off homebirths.

[Oglandia]

re ?sillywoman? ? the media reports on the Healthcare Commission review of maternity services had St Thomas? as the only service in London that was above average. I think that means ?better? is better than ?fair?.

[cactus]

I gave birth in St Thomas' two years ago and I couldn't fault them. I had an experienced midwife who had worked there for

12 years and a lovely student. I had my own room throughout, and we were allowed to remain there after the birth for as long as

we wanted. It was a quick and straightforward labour, so we didn't stay overnight, therefore I can't comment on the aftercare on the post natal ward, however I had no shortage of midwives visiting once we were at home.

[LizzygotDizzy]

Although Kings do not have the cleanest of hospitals or the friendliest accommodating of staff, (had my first there)if you have a problem birth or there are difficulties with the baby or something goes wrong, the neo-natal ward in Kings is untouchable for the most advanced of equipment and a lot more of it than most hospitals especially for prem babys

[dulwichmum]

I would go for The Portland everytime. You can have your bikini line waxed under epidural (the only way to have the rug pulled from under you - so to speak) and Bharti Vyas herself comes in to provide facials! (It really is the only way to get an appointment with that woman). There is a romantic dinner for two with Champagne on day three too! I think it is something like 10K for a C section (for maternal distress - which is a real medical condition you know). The munchkins were given Portly Panda bears and intitiated into their special Portland type club, and now we get special newsletters and invited to the annual picnics in Hyde Park. Networking (even for the tiny) is so very important if these poppets are to get anywhere in this town... you have no idea!

[KalamityKel]

:o

[Selma]

I am now 6 weeks pregnant and have chosen Kings. I liked the fact they are close, even walking distance away.

If all goes well I will be able to let you know what they are like after 22nd September.

[KalamityKel]

I would probably advised against walking there in your time of need tho :P

[Elfy]

I gave birth at Kings 2 weeks ago. Was initially planning a home-birth but there were a few complications and Kings it was. Initially, I was disappointed, but I received fantastic care at Kings; both during labour and on the ward post-natally. A midwife stayed with me throughout labour and was immensely supportive (she didn't take a break for 10 hours!) On the ward afterwards, a midwife took my inconsolable red-faced son off my hands for an hour so I could get some sleep (after 2 nights with no kip.) I was very grateful.

I did all my research and thought that home-birth was best...but a friend was recently monumentally let down by a homebirth midwife...she could have died. She ended up at Kings and they saved her life. It's worth remembering that things don't always go to plan and it's a good idea to keep an open mind!

[Boris Karloff]

St Thomas' not Kings