Home › Forums › Pregnancy, Mums2Be, Birth, New Parents › Scary Maternity Hospitals
- This topic has 8 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 8 months ago by Yvonne.
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July 8, 2010 at 11:49 pm #8543hotmamaParticipant
theres so much negativity about hospitals at the moment especially maternity ones with all that misdaignoses scan scandal stuff and I was hopeing some people on here wuld have positive birth stories to tell that could cheer up the pg mums
seems all I hear lately is horror stories….wuld like to hear some not scarey ones
July 9, 2010 at 11:34 am #96542Daisy37MemberI have been in and out of hospital a bit over the past month and although the hospital itself could do with some major revamping and more staff and better equipment & facilities, I have to praise the staff. They were really kind, informative and supportive to my husband and I when I was ill.
The care I got made the situation much more bearable.
I think most midwives do a great job, in difficult circumstances.
if you are unsure about anything, ask to speak to a midwife or someone at the hospital you are attending to alleviate your fears.
You can do a tour of the labour wards as part of your ante-natal classes at the hospital you are visiting and this will take away some of the apprehension you may have about the hospital and the birth etc
It helps that you will be familiar with the surroundings before the big day arrives
Good luck 🙂
July 12, 2010 at 3:30 pm #96647meathmamofourMemberI had a really positive experience on my 3rd baby in OLOL. I arrived in quite close to giving birth and had a great midwife Amelda was supportive of the type of birth I hoped for – hands off.
My 4th baby was a very difficult pregnancy and I was pretty apprehensive about going in for the the birth. I got to OLOL at 9cm but had a very difficult transition (2hrs at 9cm!) and things weren’t really going in the direction I wanted – midwife wasn’t supportive of my preferences. Luckily, we voiced our concerns and a second midwife took over and I was able to get ctg off and off the bed. The difference!!!! The new midwife Emer was amazing – so supportive – and I ended up with a brilliant birth standing by the bed.
So, my advice would be:
1. understand what you want – research options for pregnancy and birth
2. write a birth plan – this is a great way to discuss your options with carers – communication is really important, always discuss concerns, fears, options, desires
3. on the big day, stay at home as long as you can – you will be more comfortable there and there is nothing worse than getting to hospital "too soon" and being stuck in the admittance ward (been there, done that on my first!)
4. if you aren’t happy with something or someone – say it! Its OK to voice concerns and its OK to ask for another opinion.
July 13, 2010 at 11:14 am #96695mammycoolParticipantHi there,
I had both mine in OLOL and no complaints. The midwives in the delivery room are lovely. On both, I was told that I was not really in labour and on both, gave birth within the hour. On dd, I was standing up beside the bed, baby was born in minutes.
I had birth plans and lots of intentions but baby kinda takes over and decides what they want. On ds, I was brought in to be induced – not part of my plan! Just kept moving and active – gravity takes over.
I went private both times – so did not really get to see anything before going in to have baby. You do not really take much notice of your surroundings when you are in labour. I do remember the sun shining in both times and the radio playing in the background. The staff were lovely.
So, my advise would be – write a birth plan but expect it to change. If you do need to be induced, try to keep it going by getting up and walking about or getting a ball to bounce on. If you have any misgivings – ask questions and get a second opinion if you need it. Bear in mind that doctors and midwives are human and that you make take a dislike to them – does not matter what hospital you go to. If you think there is an issue with cleanliness – tell them to wash or sanitize there hands. Same goes for visitors.
Most of all relax and try to make it a positive experience – there will always be some pain but if you stress you will make it worse.
July 15, 2010 at 9:18 am #96792JedtKeymasterDon’t worry, make a plan and try to prepare yourself.
Writing a birth plan is a great place to start. As someone once said to me ‘You would not organise a wedding or big party without having a plan, so why would you not do the same for your birth?’
Its a big day in your life and if you prepare well and speak with your care givers about the type of birth you want and make sure they understand your needs, you will be starting off well.
You do need to be flexible with births because they can be unpredictable so allow some room for change but the main thing is communication. explain to the midwives & doctors looking after you that you want to be consulted about everything and that you don’t want anything done without your permission.
They will be more respectful of you if you speak up.
That’s just my opinion but from my experience its better to be open about what you want. On my 1st birth I was shy and scared and said nothing and ended up with an unexpected episiotomy which was awful but on my 2nd birth I was much more vocal and I got a lot more respect and no one did anything I did not want them to do and it was a great birth.
So get writing your birth plan and don’t be afraid to discuss your worries, wants and anxieties with your care givers, they are there to help you so if you have a question, go ahead and ask it.
Best of luck!
July 18, 2010 at 10:20 pm #96964happymumblemumParticipantPlans and all that wasn’t for me at all..I just gave myself completely over to the doctors and midwives..my way of thinking rightly or wrongly is that they know best and I went along with everything they said and did..no point in my mind of making a plan then grumbling and being pisse* off when for reasons beyond your control it has to change..
I know birth plans are very popular amongst most women but not for me..I don’t want to know what is going on every 2 seconds just get the baby out safely and I will leave them at it…
August 20, 2010 at 1:06 pm #98298ConorsmumMemberHi just wanted to add my own story. My DS was born in HS 11 months ago and it was one of their busiest weekends! Basically i was over by almost 2 weeks so i was induced. I had no birth plan and just took it moment by moment. Because the hospital was so busy they delayed me going into labour ward and getting that epidural! That was the only downside to my experience. I was then brought in and less than one hour later DS was born 😀 . Midwifes were lovely and there was only three of us in the room, DH and Michelle the midwife. No time for epidural so i just let my body take over and got up on the bed and my knees and did what my body wanted. I think i took midwife off guard as it was quick! She even came up to the ward that evening to check up on us, and they apologised for the delay at the beginning. They can’t forsee how the days go either.. My only advise is keep an open mind. You cant plan everything and things can change. As long as you andyour partner are on the same page they can be your voice should you need it. I had a very positive experience as have most people i know.
Best of luck
August 20, 2010 at 1:24 pm #98302Taylor5MemberI had my two boys in OLOL, i did have ideas in my head and a birth plan…. but my babies didnt read MY BIRTH PLAN and choose their own!
Nothing went to plan on either of mine, anything that could have gone wrong did go wrong, but saying that i had a great team and husband at my side all the time…. when a problem came up the medical team dealt with it, i was very very upset on ds1 when it all went pear shaped and told i needed an emergency section, no 2 it wasnt such a sock… but i went with the flow as i knew it was out of my hands
I look at it as its not how i got there but i got there in the end (36hours in ds2’s case) and it was the end result that was important, two healthy boys
On my first birth i really tested the medical team, scared the shit out of them to be honest, but we were all ready for what could happen on the second (but didnt thank God). When things dont go to plan you cant change that, but you can just trust your medical team, do as your told and whats for the best iykwim….. I have nothing but praise for the OLOL Maternity staff and although not to plan, both very positive and amazing experences…. what more can you ask for?August 20, 2010 at 9:06 pm #98323YvonneMemberI don’t believe in writing birth plans either… they weren’t for me…. on DD I was induced, in labour all night, ended up with an emergency section… but all was in my head as my ‘birth plan’ if asked was do whats best for baby….
This was my attitude on DS, only different thing I asked for this time was that I would like to try for a natural birth…. my consultant respected this decision and supported me all the way with it, but did advise that I was high risk for section again which I understood aswell… DS came along 9 days early and I got the natural birth I wanted, albeit vey shocked that I did!!
I do really think to go with whats best, I know some Mums who had strict birth plans and they didn’t get what they had wanted…. in an ideal world you would I suppose!
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