Oakwood midwives - advice needed please

[MichelleT]

I guess I should take the offered appointment, as if I don't who knows how long I'll have to wait.

My feeling so far has been that these people who are supposed to help and reassure me have actually been the cause of most of my stress, and that feels wrong somehow. I know about folic acid and iron supplements - what I don't know about is the protocol of having a baby. Plus being what they kindly call a 'geriatric' mum, and having been told at Kings that I might need a bit of extra monitoring because of fibroids, I just wanted to see a midwife as soon as possible. But I will stick with Oakwood and see how the appointment goes, and hopefully everything will be ok.

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments and kind advice. xx

[MichelleT]

Ps - interestingly NICE recommend that all pregnant women should have had their booking in appointment by 10 weeks...

[HOMum]

I think that in an ideal world this would happen. As Emily did say we like to see everybody before their 12 week scan. It just isn't always possible.

Hey MichelleT atleast things are looking more promising for us from now on! xx

[MichelleT]

I hope so! xx

[craigy]

Michelle, sorry to hear that you are finding the whole midwife thing stressful...

The harsh reality is that midwifery care does not really kick in until 24 weeks+ as that is the age of viability and also when the complications of pregnancy can develop. In the 1st trimester other than a bit of advice the midwife does do very little... just the way it is... Is also worth considering that NICE guildelines are just that and does not mean that a hospital has to adhere to them..

We live in an area with 2 excellent teaching hospitals (Kings & St Thomas') but unfortunately they are also densely populated areas with lots of women having babies and not enough midwives to go round..

As for work, you will not be provided with any official paperwork until about 26 weeks when they give you your MATB1 so you should just go ahead and tell work that you are pregnant and you are entitled to time off for appointments and there is nothing your employer can do about it other than moan.. But they will have to get used to it as it may be that all of your appts are at that sort of time... Always worth remember that it is the midwives working day too that you are fitting into and they cannot always offer appropriate timed appts especially if they are on call....

I had my baby with a caseload team frm St Thomas' so do not have any experience of the Kings ones but would say that in this part of London it is the best care that you are going to receive so sit tight and be thankful as there is a lot of worse systems out there...

[sillywoman]

Very succinctly put Craigy, good advice too.

[MichelleT]

Thank you everyone for all the advice; everything you're saying makes sense! If I hadn't thought that I was going to have my booking in appointment in December I'd be a lot less hassled - it's appointments being made and then cancelled that I've found frustrating. I don't want to knock the midwife services; I'm grateful to have them!

xx

[wodey]

Hi there

I am 6 weeks pregnant and just starting to look into which midwife center to join once Im a bit further along. I was with Oakwood 4 years ago and found the service inadequate. I was seen initially at home and my first impression of the service was how casual it all seemed. A lady turned up with what looked like a grubby school lunch box covered in old stickers for a medical box.I was then told I would be seen by someone else next time as the first lady was going on holiday. After my second visit I was told my key worker was being replaced as she had decided to leave. I went in to labour 2 weeks early and when I paged the third lady (who i had not met) I was told everyone was too busy and I should go to hospital. When i came out of hospital there were messages on mobile from the center asking, quite rudely, why I had not been in touch with the midwife to tell her that everything was ok.

luckily i had a very easy pregnancy first time round and knew little of the complications that can arise. This time i am a lot more nervous after some previous problems and really expect the reassurance from a more reliable team. So any tips would be most welcome.

[jollybaby]

It's a very stressful time and I sometimes think that all of these posts about getting the best midwife support can add to the pressure of the situation ie. if you don't get onto the Lanes, Oakwood or Brierley lists you are destined to have a terrible pregnancy and birth.

I'm trying to stay quite relaxed about it and have chosen to stay at my own surgery and have midwife support from the Kings based midwives. The idea of seeing a different midwife on each visit doesn't really bother me, nor does the idea of giving birth with a midwife I've never met. I was with my sister when she gave birth and she went through 3 midwife shifts- all were lovely and there didn't seem to be too many problems with continuity.

I don't know if this is partly because I'm medical and rightly or wrongly have great faith in their ability to be able to pick up my notes and get on with things- as this is something I have to do on a daily basis when seeing new patients in clinic (although admittedly it is much easier when you see a patient you've met several times before!). I also don't have any particular strong feelings re: birth plans - one healthy baby please (and ideally an intact perineum)

Maybe my feelings will change as my due date gets closer and antenatal appointments more frequent - I'll keep you posted .

[laurac]

Wodey

I am 15 weeks pregnant with my second baby and am with the Brierley midwives. So far my experience has been very positive - lovely lovely midwife, a booking in appointment at home at 9 weeks and a second appointment last week - I have to say I am pretty surprised at the frequency of the appointments but definitely not complaining!

However to echo jollybaby's advice for stressed-out first time mums, with my first baby I also chose to have a home birth, but had all my antenatal appointments with the community midwives at Kings - and saw a different midwife literally on every visit - and had met the main midwife who delivered me only fleetingly (and she definitely didn't remember me). But I have to say it didn't matter at all - every midwife I came into contact with was lovely, my two delivering midwives were so warm and fantastic (great stitching on the sofa!) so I would say don't feel you are getting second best if you can't get with one of the specialist midwife groups because there is definitely really good care available outside of these groups.

[bonce]

The Oakwood are fantastic midwives, working at the moment under very difficult circumstances and in very difficult times for all health professionals. I understand they have 4 midwives doing the work of 6. They offer home antenatal visits, are friendly, knowledgable and calm. They are only humans and they do their best.No wonder midwives are leaing the profession in droves!!

[HOMum]

They no longer offer home antenatal visits.

[bonce]

Well then that just shows how busy they must be.

[prdarling]

Michelle if you gave up your Oakwood place, you'd almost certainly only be offered a waiting list place at the Lanes...there are simply too many pregnant ladies and not enough midwives especially with the demise of the Albany. I only have positive reports about Oakwood, but I had my children in 06 and 07 and the situation was slightly less chaotic then. However I didn't see a midwife until after my 12wk scan at Kings - I think I was about 17wks with baby 1 and 13 weeks with baby 2, not for any reason other than that's when i must have appeared at the top of their list. I don't want to be too blunt but as many pregnancies don't make it past 12 weeks so there is little point in getting into the system until you get viability confirmed. As someone has said, the Early Pregnany Unit at Kings is excellent for any concerns in the first trimester

I agree that it is hard to contact them, but i can echo others to say that once you have a team and a pager number they get back to you immediately.

Midwife services like this are a precious commodity and we are bloody lucky to still have such a thing..it's virtually unheard of elsewhere and while it's clearly not a problem to see a different person each time, continuity of care is an amazing resource.

[LizzieS]

Does it ever occur to you that the Oakwood midwives read these posts? Just because they have to keep a professional silence on this forum doesn't mean that I have to. One of my great friends happens to be one of those "flakey" Oakwood midwives. And I happen to know that it pains them just as much as it obviously does you, to have to reduce their home visits service. You are right, they have been praised for their level of care for the past 10 years in E.Dulwich and many women have accessed their services.

The that they are suddenly working with 4 midwives for a workload of 6 is through no fault of their own. A reduction of a third of their workforce is not reflected by a reduction in their number of clients. If you have to complain about anything, try the general state of midiwfery services which is working below numbers across the country, not just in London. Quite a political hot potato. It's also a postcode lottery. There are a lot of women booked under Kings for whom hospital-based care is the norm.

As for having to go the surgery for your appointments, what is wrong with that? When I had my babies 20 or so years ago all antenatal care was centralised at the hospital. We sat in a long corridor (in a hospital gown please) waiting to be weighed, have our pre-prepared urine sample tested, and our blood pressure checked by 3 different people. Then we had a quick 5 minute "consultation" with a white-coated doctor who passed a cursory glance across our abdomen before scrawling one sentence across something resembling a library card. We certainly did not have 24 hour access to any kind of midwifery service for advice or counselling.

But perhaps it's a generational thing. In these days of having our groceries, clothes and many other consumable goods delivered to our home, very often within an allotted time window, perhaps we are losing the use of our legs. I thought exercise was supposed to be good for the pregnant woman.

[Polly D]

Who said they were flakey?! I think most of us have written in great support of the amazing and inspirational work that the Oakwood midwives do.

[LizzieS]

"Inconsistency bordering on flakiness..." posted by MichelleT

[Belle]

To be fair to the OP she was asking if her initial experience was a fair representation of the service as a whole - and the majority of responses have said no, and to hang on because the service is fantastic. If I were an Oakwood midwife I'd hopefully take heart from the very positive commendations made here. Yes, there was a post regarding a negative experience with the service but isn't it the right of anyone using the forum to tell bad and well as good experiences? As I said, the majority have been very positive about Oakwood. Equally, many people have said that if it's not possible to get registered with a caseloading team then all is not lost as it's perfectly possible to have a good experience going through the King's midwifery route. As to those feeling let down that they can't get the home visits - surely that's an understandably human response, rather than a criticisim of Oakwood as such? If we hear about people having a certain experience such as home visits of course it's natural to be disappointed if we can't then access it. Nobody is saying the alternative is a great hardship, just that those who've had the benefit of home visits have appreciated it.

I really didn't read these posts as an attack on the Oakwood - the opposite.

[Devonlass15]

I'm a little confused by people saying they no longer receive home visits with the Oakwood midwives?

I always have received home visits and had one last week and am expecting another in 3 weeks. I think it may only be if you are in the earlier weeks of pregnancy that they are asking you to visit the surgery, I am now in my last Trimester and they have always made the effort to come to see me.

Elly

[HOMum]

I can clarify - If you are new on to their books - you will now have to visit the surgery in order to see your midwife. They can no longer offer home visits. This is according to the letter I received. I have one next week - in the surgery.

It isn't that I am 'moaning' as such, I appreciate I am very lucky to even be on Oakwood's books, Emily who I have met has been lovely.

It is very reassuring to here so many positive posts and such excellent feedback.

But times are changing at Oakwood, they are under a lot of pressure, and therefore the service I will experience will probably be different to most of the posts above. I am not saying worse just different.

The biggest thing that appealed to me was the home visits as I suffer from 'white coat hypertension' (basically I have a huge fear of anybody in white coats) - so would be better suited in my own surroundings.

However, I am lucky to be offered such an excellent midwifery service to me - and I know that.

I would also echo and agree with what Belle has said in her previous post.

[linzkg]

Wodey: contact Brierley midwives (my son is 7 months now so I was with them recently)

The support I received from them was amazing. They offer home visits (but I think mostly only towards the end when you're "big" otherwise they run their clinics at the Dulwich hospital [which obviously makes sense] but I definitely had home visits early on too.

They do try to get you to meet with all of their team in case when you go into labour your midwife isn't available - I felt this was a big bonus!

They have a good relationship with Kings so you're definitely looked after there as well.

I was overdue - so often on the phone to them calling for "help"! They answered their beepers in good time.

I had a difficult labour - they controlled the situation very well and I never once doubted their ability.

[LizzieS]

Yes, the Brierly Midwives are great but their criteria is homebirths and women with serious mental health issues. All the group practices with Kings are going to have waiting lists and be understaffed, from what I can gather. If they have all this great feedback from the past women, maybe you just need to cut tham some slack and it will get better for you all. They are dealing with more than one woman at a time!! It's a relationship in the end, so if you are nice with them.....

[Bibs]

Something very curious seems to happen with the increase of progesterone. Normally lovely, reasonable woman become self centered, egotistical and totally unreasonable!!! You're PREGNANT not terminally ill. Wodey.... are you seriously complaining about the midwife's 'medical' box? Maybe she was trying to de-medicalise her equipment, bit of vintage?? You also seem to very 'put out' that the midwife took annual leave. The cheek of the woman ...to have the nerve to do it during YOUR pregnancy. All I can say is no wonder the third left. You can't have it all...complain because your not seen before 15 weeks (and for what??) complain beacuse you can't get seen at home and then surprise, surprise, complain because the poor midwives are so rushed off their feet pandering to your demands, that they can't respond instantly to your 'numerous' phone calls. Show abit more compassion but more importantly COMMON SENSE!!!!!

[mrsw]

I have had 2 babies with Oakwood and they are in my opinion absolutely fantastic. I had a hospital birth first time and a home birth second time. I would not hesitate to recommend them, I feel hugely fortunate to have been offered this service. As other people have mentioned there is always your GP and the Early Pregnancy Unit if you have concerns in the early stages. I hope the OP can enjoy this special time and not worry too much - as it goes so fast and second time round, there isn't so much time to enjoy it.

[wodey]

Dear Ladies,

thanks for all your advise it has been much appreciated. However, as a first time user to such sites, I am going with my intitial reservations and will be opting out of any future postings due to a small number of peoples (ie. Bibs) unconstructive replies. Its like having a conversation with someone who is not really listening to you and just wants to do all the talking with their own preconceived opinions and issues in mind.

I did not expect to be seen before 15 weeks as i only registered around then or did I expect to be seen at home. What I did expect was the service i was told i would receive and that was to be able to have a home birth with consistant care from the same 1 or 2 midwives who would be there at the delivery. As I understood it you are booked in with a midwife who is not going to be on leave around your due date. I was seen twice by two different people with a third I had not met on call for the home delivery, but when it came to it I was told to go in to hospital.

Although the site is useful to gain and share information and support I think it is ruined by the few who like to sit on the computer on an evening with a bottle of wine and have a rant at people on issues they dont seem to know much about.

thanks again for all the other suggestions.