Hospital Tour in the UK: the good and bad

bandwife · December 2012

Note: we're Canadian ex-pats living in a UK territory. Had first son at home in Canada with MWs. They offer home birth here but I got rejected for one last week by the head midwife here because they consider being GBS+ as high risk. :: eye roll:: (was GBS+ last time and had a home birth) I am pretty sure she just didn't want to have to have anyone on call for home birth over the holidays. They only do a few HBs here out of the 800+ babies that are born on the island each year.

We went for a L&D tour last night. Thought I would share because we're in the UK and I never saw a L&D ward in Canada.

The good:

The delivery rooms are set-up well for laboring. They had huge bean bags and thick mats on the floor so you can labor on all fours or lean over something. Looked really comfy.

You can dim the lights and they encourage it. Beds were raised so you can lean over them. Each room has a CD player and iPod doc/speaker.

The tour guide also teaches a prenatal class and was talking about how they discourage women from lying down on the bed because it doesn't help labor. They are very pro med-free birth which is encouraging.

This is a very small hospital: there are only 4 delivery suites!

They have two inflatable birth pools and then one fancy birth pool room. It has special lights and is gorgeous. Fingers crossed I get it.

The bad: I've realized I just really don't like hospitals and having my first as a home birth spoiled me. It was such a peaceful experience with no moving rooms, getting in car or dealing with care providers I didn't know.

I'm probably just lazy but the whole hospital delivery route sounds exhausting and distracting. Getting up to the hospital while in labor, laboring in a curtained off area until I get to 6-8cms and then moving to the delivery suite.

THEN most likely be put in a 4 bed room with other new moms for 24 hours and not getting any sleep from the noise of nurses coming and going and other moms and new babies. Last time I was all tucked into my own bed with DS and DH a few hours after birth and feeling awesome.

There is also no bathroom or shower attached to these 4 bed rooms. You have to go down the hall.

So I'm both happy and relieved that I've seen the place and know what to expect but still bummed out that I'm having a baby in the hospital. It's too late for other options like moving back to Canada for the birth.

And after researching more about GBS I've decided to not get tested again and that getting the antibiotics is the right choice for me.

Also, because I am GBS+ and will probably have a quick labor based on last time, I can't just show up ready to push.

Sigh.

I've decided that if the timing works out I might leave 6 hours after delivery and then send DH up with the baby for the 24 hr newborn check (it's supposed to be really quick).

As we were leaving I asked DH what he thought and he said, it was nice but having a baby at home just seems easier and more comfortable. Couldn't agree more.

aylafsu88 · December 2012

The hospital seems like they are really trying to provide a quiet calm environment for L&D which is nice. It is also great that they provide a couple of birth pools and a fancy birth pool room so that you have the option to labor in the tub. I can totally see where you are coming from with your bad points. I can not imagine sharing a recovery room with 4 other moms! That seems like a confusing, uncomfortable mes, especially after you have had a home birth. I delivered in a hospital and the whole hospital delivery route really was not that bad. I thought it would be but when I was in labor I kind of phased it out and had my H/doula shuffle me around. I hope everything goes well and you get the fancy birth pool room! GL!

frlcb · December 2012

I had my son in the UK and I was induced at 42 weeks, and was induced in a room with 3 other women, and it was overnight and my husband was not allowed to stay. They called him to come in at 8 or so in the morning, and I had my son at 1. He was allowed to stay until 8 pm, and then he had to leave and I spent that night in a ward with 3 other women and their newborns - I won't lie, it sucked. We went home the next morning.

I am surprised they offered testing for Group B strep for you, that wasn't an option for me at all and they said it is because so few women have it that it isn't worth the cost to them. They also rolled their eyes and said something about me being American when I asked about it, but that is an entirely different story

mystrana · December 2012

Wow four women in a recovery room? That's got to be awful, what with each baby waking up on its own schedule. I can't imagine.

The other parts sound decent though. But still, I can imagine how it would suck to go to that after a homebirth.

bandwife · December 2012

frlcb:
I had my son in the UK and I was induced at 42 weeks, and was induced in a room with 3 other women, and it was overnight and my husband was not allowed to stay. They called him to come in at 8 or so in the morning, and I had my son at 1. He was allowed to stay until 8 pm, and then he had to leave and I spent that night in a ward with 3 other women and their newborns - I won't lie, it sucked. We went home the next morning.
I am surprised they offered testing for Group B strep for you, that wasn't an option for me at all and they said it is because so few women have it that it isn't worth the cost to them. They also rolled their eyes and said something about me being American when I asked about it, but that is an entirely different story

They didn't offer it - I had some bleeding at 15 weeks and they swabbed for infection and the Group B strep came up.

I do find it strange that they don't test for it here when 1 in 4 women carry it. But the head OB I saw here said there is some evidence the strain(s) of GBS in N. America are more harmful than the ones in the UK.

Thanks for sharing about your UK hospital experience. I agree, a 4 bed room sucks!

bandwife · December 2012

mystrana:
Wow four women in a recovery room? That's got to be awful, what with each baby waking up on its own schedule. I can't imagine.
The other parts sound decent though. But still, I can imagine how it would suck to go to that after a homebirth.

I know. I've heard from a few women that they were desperate to get out of there. Getting no sleep and having no privacy just when you need and want it most. Sad

Temp76535187505890 · December 2012

So you have to labor up until transition in a group room and only then you're transferred to a private room? And the private room is the one with the soft floor and such or the other room has the same?

With my first kid I got a private labor and delivery room but then had to get up and walk down the hall to my recovery room which I had to share with one other person. That sucked so I can't imagine 3 other people AND family plus visitors. I'd be checking out ASAP too!

nosoup4u · December 2012

Aw, that has to be really hard to have a hospital birth after a home birth. I don't like hospitals at all either! That four to a room after birth sounds miserable, I would want to check out as quickly as possible, too. I'm hoping you have a fast and smooth labor/birth!!

tokenhoser · December 2012

Shared recovery rooms suuuuck. I only had to share with one woman (and baby and husband) and it meant so much less sleep. My hospital has a variety of recovery rooms - from super fancy private to regular private to doubles to quad "overflow". I happened to give birth on a busy day, so a double was the best I could get. If I end up in a shared room again, I will be pushing SO HARD to get out fast. Like, within 24 hours fast if at all possible.

I hope you deliver on a slow day. They'll probably be more liberal with getting you into a suite (and kicking you out), and you'll have less people to share with.

Temp76535187505890 · December 2012

tokenhoser:
Shared recovery rooms suuuuck. I only had to share with one woman (and baby and husband) and it meant so much less sleep. My hospital has a variety of recovery rooms - from super fancy private to regular private to doubles to quad "overflow". I happened to give birth on a busy day, so a double was the best I could get. If I end up in a shared room again, I will be pushing SO HARD to get out fast. Like, within 24 hours fast if at all possible.

This is how I ended up sharing with one other mother (and baby & husband plus all her visitors that traipsed in and out all damn day).

tokenhoser · December 2012

ArmyQM:
tokenhoser:
Shared recovery rooms suuuuck. I only had to share with one woman (and baby and husband) and it meant so much less sleep. My hospital has a variety of recovery rooms - from super fancy private to regular private to doubles to quad "overflow". I happened to give birth on a busy day, so a double was the best I could get. If I end up in a shared room again, I will be pushing SO HARD to get out fast. Like, within 24 hours fast if at all possible.
This is how I ended up sharing with one other mother (and baby & husband plus all her visitors that traipsed in and out all damn day).

It's just a terrible situation. My son was the first grandchild on DH's side, so there were a lot of people in and out of our room. I'm sure it wasn't great for my roommate, but it's not like I was going to refuse guests for someone else's comfort. It's just unreasonable to expect women to share space in that situation! I think when our hospital gets a new maternity ward, all women will have private recovery rooms... but that's a few years out so no good to me.

bandwife · December 2012

tokenhoser:
Shared recovery rooms suuuuck. I only had to share with one woman (and baby and husband) and it meant so much less sleep. My hospital has a variety of recovery rooms - from super fancy private to regular private to doubles to quad "overflow". I happened to give birth on a busy day, so a double was the best I could get. If I end up in a shared room again, I will be pushing SO HARD to get out fast. Like, within 24 hours fast if at all possible.
I hope you deliver on a slow day. They'll probably be more liberal with getting you into a suite (and kicking you out), and you'll have less people to share with.

Me too. I mean, we were there on a Friday night and all four delivery suites were empty!

And the ward was really quiet. We were able to see an empty four bed room. Here's hoping.

Temp76535187505890 · December 2012

tokenhoser:
ArmyQM:
tokenhoser:
Shared recovery rooms suuuuck. I only had to share with one woman (and baby and husband) and it meant so much less sleep. My hospital has a variety of recovery rooms - from super fancy private to regular private to doubles to quad "overflow". I happened to give birth on a busy day, so a double was the best I could get. If I end up in a shared room again, I will be pushing SO HARD to get out fast. Like, within 24 hours fast if at all possible.
This is how I ended up sharing with one other mother (and baby & husband plus all her visitors that traipsed in and out all damn day).
It's just a terrible situation. My son was the first grandchild on DH's side, so there were a lot of people in and out of our room. I'm sure it wasn't great for my roommate, but it's not like I was going to refuse guests for someone else's comfort. It's just unreasonable to expect women to share space in that situation! I think when our hospital gets a new maternity ward, all women will have private recovery rooms... but that's a few years out so no good to me.

True but I'm sure your guests were more considerate and didn't bump into the roommates bed, push the curtain nearly on top of the roommate and other lovely such annoyances.

Hospital Tour in the UK: the good and bad

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