Louise

Jan 30, 08 - 9:25 AM

advice wanted on local maternity units

We have recently moved to Cookham from the North and I have just discovered Im expecting my first baby . I have been really concerned by the recent press coverage about failing maternity units . We dont have any local knowledge so I would appreciate any comments or feedback from recent new mums about their experiences at Wexham Park or any of the other local hospitals.thanks .

Advice

Jan 30th, 2008 - 10:28 AM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Wexham Park is excellent. It has a birthing unit aswell as the labour ward and you can go and visit both of them - just ask your midwife. Wexham Park offers excellent care during the labour and is the best equipped hosptial if there are any complications. The birthing unit is relatively new and is just above the labour ward so you can be transferred easily if it is necessary. I would highly recommend Wexham Park after my experience there. When I was there they were extremely busy and I was not so impressed with the aftercare. Although it was not as bad as other stories I have heard from other psotnatal wards.

Joanne Norris

Jan 30th, 2008 - 11:09 AM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Hello,
I've lived here for years and I agree that Wexham Park - which is probably in your area anyway - would be fine.

Hope you're enjoying life in Cookham. Use this website for all sorts of things.
Advice on tradesmen, facilities, arguments!!!!

Resident

Jan 30th, 2008 - 12:22 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

I thought Wexham was excellent both labour and after care where vvg. My son was born premature and spent nearly a month in Wexham. He was vv poorly and nearly died but the care and compassion we received was simply amazing. The follow up and after care continues to this day (my son is nearly 4). They have been so good that where care for my son is concerned I have opted for NHS care rather than private.

ZeeBride

Jan 30th, 2008 - 12:34 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Hi Louise,

Welcome to Cookham, I'm sure you will like it here. I came to Cookham in similar circumstances and had my daughter in the maternity unit of Wexham Park. I blogged a few posts about it, which you can read about here: http://cloneattack.blogspot.com/search/label/Wexham

Good luck with everything!

jabber

Jan 30th, 2008 - 2:12 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

We had our first baby last August in Wycombe Hospital and found them very professional and the experience was good for everyone, well, apart from my wife who had some work to do .....

Also, the NCT classes in Marlow were really good and they arranged visits to the local hospital and birthing units so you could see the facilities and meet some of the staff. Of course, you will also meet lots of women expecting babies who will be a great help before and after the birth.

COOKHAMITE

Jan 30th, 2008 - 2:37 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

How did you manage Wycombe and Marlow classes if you live in Berkshire?

Louise

Jan 30th, 2008 - 3:14 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

thank you everyone - it sounds like wexham park has some fans and i now feel much happier !

New Mum

Jan 30th, 2008 - 6:19 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

I also went to Wycombe and found them to be fantastic. Even if you do live in Berkshire you can choose to have your baby at any hospital so we decided on Wycombe over Wexham and weren't disappointed. We also did the Marlow NCT classes which were very helpful.

new father

Jan 30th, 2008 - 6:27 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Consider Ascot as well - part of the Wexham Park trust.

Much smaller than the main slough hospital so all a bit more relaxed and personal I imagine.

The night my wife gave birth she was the only customer, so that was personal attention from 4 midwives.

Old Father

Jan 30th, 2008 - 11:37 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Heatherwood (the one at Ascot) is smaller than Wexham or Wycombe and generally more pleasant. (Though we have not used Wexham and Wycombe was a 2 am arrival compared to 6 pm at Heatherwood).

Also think about what you want the birth certificate to say - "Ascot" or "Slough"?

The only word of warning is that it is just over the road from the racecourse and you do not want to be trying to fight your way through the Royal Ascot traffic on the big day!!

The registrar also visits Wexham. You can get a "short" certificate free but it doesn't have the mother's details on it and you will have to get a "long" one which does if you want to get a passport for the baby. You have to pay for this but it is less at outset than if you subsequently need to get it retrieved from the archive.

Other tips:

Make some sarnies for Dad about a month before and put them in the freezer because Dads do not get fed by the hospital and a long labour will leave them hungry.

Make sure you have money for parking in the car somewhere.

Write down a list of things to do before going to the hospital because you will be panicking and forget. This includes phoning grandparents to say you are off,
making sure Dad's office knows he won't be in, switching off the oven if it is on, feeding the cat etc, collect the bag with all the things you will need and put it in the car.

Last thing on the list is get the sandwiches out of the freezer and put them in the car!

ZeeBride

Jan 31st, 2008 - 9:15 AM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Other than the superficial idea of basing your choice of birthing place based on what will be written on the birth certificate, Old Father has some good advice.

Resident

Jan 31st, 2008 - 10:06 AM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

I think the choice between Heatherwood or Wexham depends on whether you have a normal pregnancy. If you are considered normal or low risk then Heatherwood is good. The problem arises if your newborn needs neonatal care. You can end up having your baby rushed off to Wexham but you not being transferred from Heatherwood until the next day or so. That is what happened to a mum when my son was in SCBU. My son arrived prematurely which was completely unexpected and I think I was lucky that I was at Wexham and not Heatherwood.

A Maidenhead friend of mine had her baby at John Radcliffe simply to avoid having Slough on the birth certificate. The other issue with Wexham is because of the large immigrant population the hospital was adamant that my son had a TB jab. I refused (based on his paediatrician's advice) and had to sign a release form which was worded in such a way as to make me feel I was a bad mother for refusing!

Doctor Who

Jan 31st, 2008 - 5:51 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

You were certainly a stupid mother for refusing a TB shot when TB is on the rise again.

All this and other childhood diseases kids died from in days of yore now eradicated by a simple vaccination.

Mad fools all of you who refuse.

Pongo

Jan 31st, 2008 - 6:22 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Why did Resident's paediatrician advise against the BCG? Particularly with the increase in TB.

Resident

Feb 1st, 2008 - 9:32 AM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

My son's consultant paediatrician advised against my son having a TB jab as he was born prematurely, was very poorly (at some stages he was not expected to survive) and was not likely to be exposed to TB where we live.

He will of course have the jab when he is school age as I did and most people do. What I found difficult to deal with was midwives thinking they knew better than the consultants and the other SCBU staff (all of whom were very supportive of me against a particularly bullying midwife).

I have friends who had babies in Wycombe Hospital, John Radcliffe, Royal Berks, St Thomas' and the Royal Free in Hampstead at the same time as I had mine. NONE of them were offered the TB jab. It was made clear to me that the TB jab was practically mandatory at Wexham because of it being in Slough where there is a large ethnic population.

Resident

Feb 1st, 2008 - 9:35 AM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

I should add that I agree that children should be vaccinated as appropriate and at the appropriate time. My son has had every vaccination required, including MMR (a severe allergic reaction to which nearly landed him in hospital to the extent I have been told he cannot have the pre-school booster). I have no objection to the BCG jab per se but simply not when he was a sick and tiny baby and I didn't know anyone else who had been required to have it.

Doctor Who

Feb 2nd, 2008 - 12:25 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Good response. It's understandable under the circumstances. I read this week in the Tiser I think that Wexham hospital is really rated for Maternity care. In the end, you'll probably end up having baby in a cab or something !!!

Bagheera

Feb 3rd, 2008 - 10:44 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

I think Resident's paediatrician is wise. TB is a nasty disease but, as she knows from personal experience, any jab also carries a risk. (When I was an undergraduate, my microbiology tutor's daughter had a measles immunisation that resulted in the real disease!).
BCG does not always produce effective immunity and when it does, it can first produce a really unpleasant reaction.

I had it when I was 13, felt a really intense burning sensation at the time, nearly passed out afterwards and developed an infection that took over a year to heal.

That said, when a colleague (ironically a paediatrician) contracted TB 11 years later, my immunity was not found wanting!

Recent Mum

Feb 15th, 2008 - 9:03 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

I had my son at Wexham Park almost a year ago and thought they did a great job. I had a lot of complications but they managed to keep me in one piece and keep my son with me after the birth so that we could establish breastfeeding. Once we were moved onto the postnatal ward the care wasn't so good but there were about twice as many babies born there than usual that day so things were manic.

Heatherwood is nice but if there is any hint of anything going wrong or out of the usual they send you to Wexham anyway - a number of my friends were due to give birth there (and were mentally prepared for it) but ended up at Wexham.

The birth centre is lovely at Wexham, and all the facilities are on the next floor if something doesn't go to plan so that would be a good choice.

Good luck!

Fleur

Feb 19th, 2008 - 1:27 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

I had my 2nd child at Wexham and can gladly say NEVER again. I was ready to push left in the toilets being sick, then was made to walk to the labour ward. Once i had my son i was told i had GBS and neither of us were treated for this. On the ward i was told they had no lunch or dinner for me, and when i asked the midwife for some help she came over stuffing her face with chocolate. Try Heatherwood or Wycombe.

os

Feb 19th, 2008 - 1:34 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Wexham is a dive, bloody awful.

Heatherwood on the other hand is a clean, friendly hospital

Resident

Feb 19th, 2008 - 2:07 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

That sounds awful Fleur. I was discovered to be a GBS carrier when I had a fall when 20 weeks pregnant. I had IV antibiotics during labour and my son had antibiotics too. He was rushed off to SCBU where he spent the next 4 weeks fighting for life. The care and support we received was absolutely superb but that was nearly 4 years ago so I suppose things can change. Friends of mine who have had babies in the last two years have reported the new Birth Centre at Wexham is wonderful.

I agree that not all the midwives were friendly although the majority of them were and the staff in SCBU liased really well with the midwives so when I went up to the ward to get some rest they knew exactly what was the latest position with my son. They also ensured they kept hot food for me and let me use the nurse's kitchen as I was never on the ward for meal times.

As for being filthy the post natal ward and SCBU were spotless and we had the same cleaners every day who took pride in doing a good job. I was there 2 weeks so got plenty of opportunity to see them in action.

fleur

Mar 18th, 2008 - 2:43 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

It was awful. And my son never got any treatment and became very ill with late on-set GBS.

Janice Whelmp

Mar 18th, 2008 - 2:47 PM

Re: advice wanted on local maternity units

Louise - have you actually delivered this baby yet?
And where did you have baby?

Author	Comment
Louise Jan 30, 08 - 9:25 AM	advice wanted on local maternity units We have recently moved to Cookham from the North and I have just discovered Im expecting my first baby . I have been really concerned by the recent press coverage about failing maternity units . We dont have any local knowledge so I would appreciate any comments or feedback from recent new mums about their experiences at Wexham Park or any of the other local hospitals.thanks . Email: sianrice@hotmail.co.uk
Advice Jan 30th, 2008 - 10:28 AM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Wexham Park is excellent. It has a birthing unit aswell as the labour ward and you can go and visit both of them - just ask your midwife. Wexham Park offers excellent care during the labour and is the best equipped hosptial if there are any complications. The birthing unit is relatively new and is just above the labour ward so you can be transferred easily if it is necessary. I would highly recommend Wexham Park after my experience there. When I was there they were extremely busy and I was not so impressed with the aftercare. Although it was not as bad as other stories I have heard from other psotnatal wards.
Joanne Norris Jan 30th, 2008 - 11:09 AM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Hello, I've lived here for years and I agree that Wexham Park - which is probably in your area anyway - would be fine. Hope you're enjoying life in Cookham. Use this website for all sorts of things. Advice on tradesmen, facilities, arguments!!!!
Resident Jan 30th, 2008 - 12:22 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units I thought Wexham was excellent both labour and after care where vvg. My son was born premature and spent nearly a month in Wexham. He was vv poorly and nearly died but the care and compassion we received was simply amazing. The follow up and after care continues to this day (my son is nearly 4). They have been so good that where care for my son is concerned I have opted for NHS care rather than private.
ZeeBride Jan 30th, 2008 - 12:34 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Hi Louise, Welcome to Cookham, I'm sure you will like it here. I came to Cookham in similar circumstances and had my daughter in the maternity unit of Wexham Park. I blogged a few posts about it, which you can read about here: http://cloneattack.blogspot.com/search/label/Wexham Good luck with everything! Email: zeebride@gmail.com Website: http://cloneattack.blogspot.com
jabber Jan 30th, 2008 - 2:12 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units We had our first baby last August in Wycombe Hospital and found them very professional and the experience was good for everyone, well, apart from my wife who had some work to do ..... Also, the NCT classes in Marlow were really good and they arranged visits to the local hospital and birthing units so you could see the facilities and meet some of the staff. Of course, you will also meet lots of women expecting babies who will be a great help before and after the birth.
COOKHAMITE Jan 30th, 2008 - 2:37 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units How did you manage Wycombe and Marlow classes if you live in Berkshire?
Louise Jan 30th, 2008 - 3:14 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units thank you everyone - it sounds like wexham park has some fans and i now feel much happier ! Email: sianrice@hotmail.co.uk
New Mum Jan 30th, 2008 - 6:19 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units I also went to Wycombe and found them to be fantastic. Even if you do live in Berkshire you can choose to have your baby at any hospital so we decided on Wycombe over Wexham and weren't disappointed. We also did the Marlow NCT classes which were very helpful.
new father Jan 30th, 2008 - 6:27 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Consider Ascot as well - part of the Wexham Park trust. Much smaller than the main slough hospital so all a bit more relaxed and personal I imagine. The night my wife gave birth she was the only customer, so that was personal attention from 4 midwives.
Old Father Jan 30th, 2008 - 11:37 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Heatherwood (the one at Ascot) is smaller than Wexham or Wycombe and generally more pleasant. (Though we have not used Wexham and Wycombe was a 2 am arrival compared to 6 pm at Heatherwood). Also think about what you want the birth certificate to say - "Ascot" or "Slough"? The only word of warning is that it is just over the road from the racecourse and you do not want to be trying to fight your way through the Royal Ascot traffic on the big day!! The registrar also visits Wexham. You can get a "short" certificate free but it doesn't have the mother's details on it and you will have to get a "long" one which does if you want to get a passport for the baby. You have to pay for this but it is less at outset than if you subsequently need to get it retrieved from the archive. Other tips: Make some sarnies for Dad about a month before and put them in the freezer because Dads do not get fed by the hospital and a long labour will leave them hungry. Make sure you have money for parking in the car somewhere. Write down a list of things to do before going to the hospital because you will be panicking and forget. This includes phoning grandparents to say you are off, making sure Dad's office knows he won't be in, switching off the oven if it is on, feeding the cat etc, collect the bag with all the things you will need and put it in the car. Last thing on the list is get the sandwiches out of the freezer and put them in the car!
ZeeBride Jan 31st, 2008 - 9:15 AM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Other than the superficial idea of basing your choice of birthing place based on what will be written on the birth certificate, Old Father has some good advice. Email: zeebride@gmail.com Website: http://cloneattack.blogspot.com
Resident Jan 31st, 2008 - 10:06 AM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units I think the choice between Heatherwood or Wexham depends on whether you have a normal pregnancy. If you are considered normal or low risk then Heatherwood is good. The problem arises if your newborn needs neonatal care. You can end up having your baby rushed off to Wexham but you not being transferred from Heatherwood until the next day or so. That is what happened to a mum when my son was in SCBU. My son arrived prematurely which was completely unexpected and I think I was lucky that I was at Wexham and not Heatherwood. A Maidenhead friend of mine had her baby at John Radcliffe simply to avoid having Slough on the birth certificate. The other issue with Wexham is because of the large immigrant population the hospital was adamant that my son had a TB jab. I refused (based on his paediatrician's advice) and had to sign a release form which was worded in such a way as to make me feel I was a bad mother for refusing!
Doctor Who Jan 31st, 2008 - 5:51 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units You were certainly a stupid mother for refusing a TB shot when TB is on the rise again. All this and other childhood diseases kids died from in days of yore now eradicated by a simple vaccination. Mad fools all of you who refuse.
Pongo Jan 31st, 2008 - 6:22 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Why did Resident's paediatrician advise against the BCG? Particularly with the increase in TB.
Resident Feb 1st, 2008 - 9:32 AM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units My son's consultant paediatrician advised against my son having a TB jab as he was born prematurely, was very poorly (at some stages he was not expected to survive) and was not likely to be exposed to TB where we live. He will of course have the jab when he is school age as I did and most people do. What I found difficult to deal with was midwives thinking they knew better than the consultants and the other SCBU staff (all of whom were very supportive of me against a particularly bullying midwife). I have friends who had babies in Wycombe Hospital, John Radcliffe, Royal Berks, St Thomas' and the Royal Free in Hampstead at the same time as I had mine. NONE of them were offered the TB jab. It was made clear to me that the TB jab was practically mandatory at Wexham because of it being in Slough where there is a large ethnic population.
Resident Feb 1st, 2008 - 9:35 AM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units I should add that I agree that children should be vaccinated as appropriate and at the appropriate time. My son has had every vaccination required, including MMR (a severe allergic reaction to which nearly landed him in hospital to the extent I have been told he cannot have the pre-school booster). I have no objection to the BCG jab per se but simply not when he was a sick and tiny baby and I didn't know anyone else who had been required to have it.
Doctor Who Feb 2nd, 2008 - 12:25 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Good response. It's understandable under the circumstances. I read this week in the Tiser I think that Wexham hospital is really rated for Maternity care. In the end, you'll probably end up having baby in a cab or something !!!
Bagheera Feb 3rd, 2008 - 10:44 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units I think Resident's paediatrician is wise. TB is a nasty disease but, as she knows from personal experience, any jab also carries a risk. (When I was an undergraduate, my microbiology tutor's daughter had a measles immunisation that resulted in the real disease!). BCG does not always produce effective immunity and when it does, it can first produce a really unpleasant reaction. I had it when I was 13, felt a really intense burning sensation at the time, nearly passed out afterwards and developed an infection that took over a year to heal. That said, when a colleague (ironically a paediatrician) contracted TB 11 years later, my immunity was not found wanting!
Recent Mum Feb 15th, 2008 - 9:03 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units I had my son at Wexham Park almost a year ago and thought they did a great job. I had a lot of complications but they managed to keep me in one piece and keep my son with me after the birth so that we could establish breastfeeding. Once we were moved onto the postnatal ward the care wasn't so good but there were about twice as many babies born there than usual that day so things were manic. Heatherwood is nice but if there is any hint of anything going wrong or out of the usual they send you to Wexham anyway - a number of my friends were due to give birth there (and were mentally prepared for it) but ended up at Wexham. The birth centre is lovely at Wexham, and all the facilities are on the next floor if something doesn't go to plan so that would be a good choice. Good luck!
Fleur Feb 19th, 2008 - 1:27 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units I had my 2nd child at Wexham and can gladly say NEVER again. I was ready to push left in the toilets being sick, then was made to walk to the labour ward. Once i had my son i was told i had GBS and neither of us were treated for this. On the ward i was told they had no lunch or dinner for me, and when i asked the midwife for some help she came over stuffing her face with chocolate. Try Heatherwood or Wycombe.
os Feb 19th, 2008 - 1:34 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Wexham is a dive, bloody awful. Heatherwood on the other hand is a clean, friendly hospital
Resident Feb 19th, 2008 - 2:07 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units That sounds awful Fleur. I was discovered to be a GBS carrier when I had a fall when 20 weeks pregnant. I had IV antibiotics during labour and my son had antibiotics too. He was rushed off to SCBU where he spent the next 4 weeks fighting for life. The care and support we received was absolutely superb but that was nearly 4 years ago so I suppose things can change. Friends of mine who have had babies in the last two years have reported the new Birth Centre at Wexham is wonderful. I agree that not all the midwives were friendly although the majority of them were and the staff in SCBU liased really well with the midwives so when I went up to the ward to get some rest they knew exactly what was the latest position with my son. They also ensured they kept hot food for me and let me use the nurse's kitchen as I was never on the ward for meal times. As for being filthy the post natal ward and SCBU were spotless and we had the same cleaners every day who took pride in doing a good job. I was there 2 weeks so got plenty of opportunity to see them in action.
fleur Mar 18th, 2008 - 2:43 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units It was awful. And my son never got any treatment and became very ill with late on-set GBS.
Janice Whelmp Mar 18th, 2008 - 2:47 PM	Re: advice wanted on local maternity units Louise - have you actually delivered this baby yet? And where did you have baby?