Confidence about local hospital knocked

[Toni_Win]

Hi Everyone,

I'm having a bit of a confidence knock at the moment in terms of where to give birth. After my scan the other week we agreed we were happy with our local hospital, Dewsbury District Hospital. It hasn't had the best reviews in the past, but I'm struggling to find recent reviews or information. Everything seems to be a couple of years out of date. Besides, everywhere has a combination of good and bad reviews, so decided to go with my gut feeling after the scan. The staff were friendly and the maternity unit (what little I saw of it) looked fine. So felt OK with the decision to go there. It is after all the closest hospital and if the weather at new year is the same as last year, then I don't fancy having to travel in the snow.

However, when we told people last week that I was pregnant, one of the first things someone said was don't go to Dewsbury, there's been a story in the news about a baby that died after a woman was left in labour for 61 hours!

I've got an appointment with a consultant at DDH tomorrow (midwife has put me down for shared care as I have epilepsy, even though it's been under control for 9 years, and I've been off meds for 3). So I guess I need to talk to her about what the hospitals policies are and what has changed to prevent the situation described above happening again.

Just wondering how other people are choosing where to give birth? I don't have the option of home birth or midwife led unit due to the shared care aspect, so need to choose between the different hospitals. Halifax is one of the best rated hospitals in our local area, so that would be my next choice, but it's much further away and would involve going on the M62 - being in labour in rush hour traffic does not appeal! I'm feeling like I have a choice between a good hospital that I have to travel to, or a not very good hospital that is convinient (but then, if there are any complications, then I'd be shipped off to Wakefield anyway!). Aaaargh how do I make this choice?

When I mentioned to my midwife I wasn't sure where to go and was considering Halifax she looked horrified because it's a different PCT and I would have to be booked in again with them and implied she would wash her hands of me. So I feel like I can't talk to the midwife about my options, and obviously the consultant at Dewsbury hospital will be biased to them so I really don't know who can give me realistic honest advice about what to do. Sorry for the ranty thread, but any suggestions from people having to make similar choices would be really appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[roxane 1985]

with my hospital everyone told me it was the worst in the world and their kids nearly died etc etc i had a great experience and they all had bad ones at there other hospitals and said in future theyre going to mine.

 

[pinkyprincess]

At least you get a choice! I live in West London and you are booked whether you like it or not. If you self reffer yourself you are sent back to the hospital you would have been booked at unless they need to transfer you!

 

[Toni_Win]

Pinkyprincess what seems to be happening in your area is totally wrong. ALL women have a choice over where to give birth no matter where they live or where they want to give birth. Check out the NHS Choices website for more information on this http://www.nhs.uk/planners/pregnancycareplanner/pages/choosebirthlocation.aspx

So if someone is telling you you can't choose, then you should make a complaint to your PCT or to the Department of Health (that is unless you want to go to the hospital they are telling you to go to).

 

[pinkyprincess]

That's interesting to know! I think we are happy with our hospital! It's hard to say as we've only been once and it is the closest....

But I'm not happy with the avalibility of my midwife as someone who commutes an hour each way into work and works full time!

 

[Lilelephant]

aw sorry your feeling a bit worried about it all... my advice would be to go to see your consultant at the hospital and see how you feel after. it may be that he/she is really good and restores your faith in the hospital.
We have quite a bit of choice here so i feel lucky! i am gonna go to the hospital i was born it!

 

[Susanne]

I think that you will get good and bad midwives and doctors in any hospital. That one who left the lady in labour for 61 hours was obviously one of the really rubbish variety, but I very much doubt that this is hospital policy and would assume that the people responsible for that particularly case have been removed by now.
Usually when really horrible things like that happen the hospital department will undergo strict scrutiny of their policies and practice to make sure the same mistake doesn't happen again, so I wouldn't let that one particular incident frighten me off. If you've had a good feeling about it when you went there, then I would go for it. And as I've said above, whether you end up with a nice midwife or a not so nice one on the actual day is, unfortunately, a matter of luck (or lack of).
I think a good idea would be to read up in the weeks before your due date about labour etc., the various things that can happen (good and bad), the choices that should be open to you and the care that you should be given, so that when the time comes you can make an informed judgement about whether the care you receive is up to scratch or not, and to kick up a fuss if it is not!

 

[Young Mum 21 x]

people will always tell u the bad news or their bad experiences,
rarely anyone mentions the good!! people say about the hospital i had DD in, as bad etc,
i had a great mw and after care! xxxxxxx

 

[Princess81]

I think that you will get good and bad midwives and doctors in any hospital. That one who left the lady in labour for 61 hours was obviously one of the really rubbish variety, but I very much doubt that this is hospital policy and would assume that the people responsible for that particularly case have been removed by now.
Usually when really horrible things like that happen the hospital department will undergo strict scrutiny of their policies and practice to make sure the same mistake doesn't happen again, so I wouldn't let that one particular incident frighten me off. If you've had a good feeling about it when you went there, then I would go for it. And as I've said above, whether you end up with a nice midwife or a not so nice one on the actual day is, unfortunately, a matter of luck (or lack of).
I think a good idea would be to read up in the weeks before your due date about labour etc., the various things that can happen (good and bad), the choices that should be open to you and the care that you should be given, so that when the time comes you can make an informed judgement about whether the care you receive is up to scratch or not, and to kick up a fuss if it is not!

Agree

 

[DW1978]

I'm so glad I live in Guernsey and we only have one hospital so there is no choice at all here - everybody gives birth in the same place (unless you choose a homebirth)!

Good luck with your decision hun, sorry I can't be of any further help.

 

[domestichuman]

I am going to be in that general area when I deliver and will be going to Pinderfields in Wakefield, it's a brand new building and supposed to be really good. I am very new to the area and don't really know exactly how far Dewsbury is though from Wakefield. Unfortunately I only know one person who delivered at Dewsbury and they didn't have good opinions on it, however that was over five years ago so hopefully it is a lot different now! I know it must be hard to hear about bad experiences with your hospital but like previous people said it's a lot more likely to hear the bad than the good! If you feel comfortable with the care you have recevied so far then trust your gut. If you are worried about it however, maybe examine why you feel nervous as there might be something making you feel that way.

 

[Toni_Win]

Thanks for the replies ladies. Had consultant appointment yesterday and felt a lot more reassured afterwards. She was lovely and quite thorough, couldn't find baby's heartbeat with the doppler so she got the portable ultrasound to make 100% sure baby was fine. It is, it was just lying really low down and with it's back to us, so couldn't hear the heartbeat. As soon as the scanner was on it it wriggled round and gave me a wave, then wouldn't lie still, so the doctor was very happy.

I also got to meet one of the hospital midwives who I had been emailing with queries about hypnobirthing without even realising she worked at DDH. So feeling much happier about things. Like you guys have all said, you only really hear about the bad stories and not so much about the good, and since the problem happened last year, staff have been changed, so I think everything is going to be fine. We're going to arrange to go on a proper visit to look round the maternity unit as well just for that extra piece of mind.

Thanks again for the support.

 

[roxane 1985]

Thanks for the replies ladies. Had consultant appointment yesterday and felt a lot more reassured afterwards. She was lovely and quite thorough, couldn't find baby's heartbeat with the doppler so she got the portable ultrasound to make 100% sure baby was fine. It is, it was just lying really low down and with it's back to us, so couldn't hear the heartbeat. As soon as the scanner was on it it wriggled round and gave me a wave, then wouldn't lie still, so the doctor was very happy.

I also got to meet one of the hospital midwives who I had been emailing with queries about hypnobirthing without even realising she worked at DDH. So feeling much happier about things. Like you guys have all said, you only really hear about the bad stories and not so much about the good, and since the problem happened last year, staff have been changed, so I think everything is going to be fine. We're going to arrange to go on a proper visit to look round the maternity unit as well just for that extra piece of mind.

Thanks again for the support.

glad all went well for you, x

 

[Susanne]

Glad you're feeling reassured now!