Omlet cube and run

[Willow]

One of my neighbours has recently had a beautiful baby girl who came a month early. Chatting to her and hearing about how wonderful she felt the midwives were throughout her stay was lovely as I'd also had amazing care when I had my two boys. I'd had severe pre-ecalmpsia and spent weeks in hospital. Despite my tiny babies now being hulking hairy teenagers I still have a warm glow when I remember the wonderfully caring and professional midwives and consultants. And I still think how lucky I am to live in a country where that treatment was free to all.

 

So I'd like to say to any midwives/consultants on here Thank-you you may think we go home with our babies and forget about you but we don't. There was a very real danger YS and I would not have survived without the dedicated care we got so I think about and mentally thank those wonderful ladies and the dedicated consultant that looked after us every time I hug my boys You touch our lives and care for us at the most important moments of our lives and for that we can never thank you enough.

[Goosey Lucy]

Hear Hear!

[bluekarin]

Well said! I have nothing but praise. Well, I do have a few grumbles, but mostly praise for them My YD was prem and the care she got was brilliant, as was the care we got when Ed and DS were born.

[The Dogmother]

Hear hear....

 

I couldn't praise them enough either when I had Rosie.

[Cinnamon]

Hear hear.

 

Nice to hear that Kate is (possibly) going to have her baby in my local, 'The Royal Berks', which is an NHS Hospital & my sister works there too

I think that if she did,it would go a long way towards boosting confidence in NHS maternity units, who often seen to get a bit of a raw deal in the press.

[Purplemaniacs]

As DD has just had her third little girl we have some experience of maternity services.

 

Some are brilliant, one community midwife DD had for a lot her ante natal and post natal care was brilliant very down to earth, told things as they were, very supportive of mothers rights. No midwife at delivery as baby was in too much of a rush and did not make it to hospital. After birth DD had to spend 24 hours in hospital for observation and most staff were great.

 

Unfortunately DD had to go back to hospital last week, when baby was a week old as DD was not well, midwife informed her on admission that women died of that. I am sure she was trying to praise modern medicine and I am sure she was accurate and mums did die but when you are ill, bleeding and frightened it is not really what you want to hear, not the best bed side manner

 

DDs second daughter was born in a little midwife led unit just outside Rutland, the staff we met there were fantasitc, not that we stayed for long

 

Chrissie

 

[Cinnamon]

I too have had experience of poor bedside manner,when I lost my third child at 12 weeks.

I was told that it wasn't my fault - a fact that had not even crossed my mind until it was mentioned

I was also put into a maternity ward full of new or labouring mums for my D&C, which I thought was the height of callousness.

 

But apart from this & during my 2 successful pregnancies & births, I have always been in awe of the work the midwives do & the way they handle very tricky emotional scenarios.

[chickencam]

I had a mixture of experiences with my 3 when they were born, but overall I am a big fan of the NHS, it is great for critical care but there aren't enough resources for aftercare.

 

I also had a poor experience when I had a miscarriage at 13 weeks in my second pregnancy.

[C&T]

Couldn't agree more.

 

My OD was 2 on Monday, and the care was fantastic. My YS was born 7 days ago, in the same place, and again, the care by the midwife team was brilliant. As is (so far!) the after care - especially where we had a few small complications.

[Looney]

Ooh congratulations C&T!!

 

I am very grateful for the NHS. Yes there are areas that need improving and blips in levels of care but on the whole it is a fantastic thing to have and I would hate to be without it.

 

My first experience was when I needed an ambulance to take me to hospital when in labour with eldest bogwoppit. I had an emergency medic arrive, a midwife and an ambulance all very swiftly! The labour had a couple of complications and apart from one minor gripe the staff were all brilliant and looked after me and baby really well. I must have had 6 staff in the room with me in the end, nothing like an audience!

 

Second labour everything was very straightforward. I had youngest bogwoppit and was looked after by a midwife and a trainee midwife.

 

I donate blood samples to the Cambridge Bioresource (at Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge) when they want them, they have used my blood in diabetes research and tuberculosis research.