West Middlesex Hospital ?

[Gibodean]

My wife is giving birth mid-April at West Middlesex hospital. Unfortunately due to swine-flu, they're no longer giving tours of the labour wards.

Does anyone know where to find a good video, or lots of pictures of the inside of the delivery suites and birthing centre etc ?

I've heard that last year Amanda Holden made an ITV special called "Out of My Depth" which was filmed there. Can anyone help me find a copy of that? I can't find it on bittorrent, and ITV's website only has on-demand from the last few weeks.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Yodabo]

Hi, have you tried You Tube? Just type in west sussex hospital birthing suite and see what comes up. With the pictures google images should have something too.

Good luck xx

 

[Gibodean]

Thanks, yeah, I couldn't find anything in youtube. Google images didn't have too much either. I did find a "video tour of the Maternity Unit" on the westmidmaternity site, which was a slideshow with commentary.

Just hoping there was something a bit better, and am interested in that Amanda Holden special as well to see how the staff are...

 

[Gibodean]

I found it on "thebox" torrent site - didn't see much of the hospital on it, but good enough.
Cheers

 

[Incubator]

Hi

I gave birth at West Mid in February last year. My midwife was Pippa Nightingale who featured in the Amanda Holden film. The new birthing centre is fantastic and as lovely an environment as you could hope for - it has mood lighting and birthing pools, comfy seats and all the usual giving birth accoutrements and some you never knew existed... (balls, stools, ropes). The labour ward isn't so new and pretty but is functional and seems to do the job. There is a room with a pool but most of the rooms are just your bog standard bed in the corner hospital rooms. The theatre is like a space ship - all brand spanking new and shiny. My one disappointment was the ward I stayed on after my baby was born. It was very tired and old and needs some updating. Sorry if this isn't very helpful - I just wanted to give you an idea of my experience as you can't have a look for yourself.

I found the Amanda Holden programme on the ITV player.

Good luck and I hope you have a good experience there.

 

[joannas]

My wife is giving birth mid-April at West Middlesex hospital. Unfortunately due to swine-flu, they're no longer giving tours of the labour wards.

Does anyone know where to find a good video, or lots of pictures of the inside of the delivery suites and birthing centre etc ?

I've heard that last year Amanda Holden made an ITV special called "Out of My Depth" which was filmed there. Can anyone help me find a copy of that? I can't find it on bittorrent, and ITV's website only has on-demand from the last few weeks.

Thanks for your help!

Gosh,

I'm giving a birth in the West Middesex Hopital in two months. I didn't know it's so tough with rules now

 

[Gibodean]

Thanks Incubator,

Our last antenatal appointment, the widwife was trying to push us to go into the birthing centre, but my wife wants an epidural, and so we want the labour ward. Our midwife says we can transfer to the labour ward later, but I think it wouldn't be that easy.

I wonder why can't they just provide epidural in the birthing centre...

Do you know how hard it would be to transfer from the birthing centre to the labour ward once my wife really decides to go for the epidural ? Would the midwives try to talk us out of it, or go slow deliberately or anything ?

joannas, I've heard a friend who's going to another hospital near Richmond was allowed a tour of the ward. That hospital did suspend tours due to swine flu, but have now started them up again.
Not West Middlesex...

 

[Incubator]

Hi.

The birthing centre is only moments from the labour ward so I'd say it would be an easy transfer - just a short ride on a trolley. I think they try to push the birth centre because it's a much nicer and more comfortable environment for all involved. They are also incredibly proud of their new centre - understandable really because it is pretty fantastic. The ethos for the birthing centre is very much 'natural birth' and because they want it to be a 'home from home' environment it doesn't have the medical equipment at hand but honestly, labour ward is spitting distance and as long as you're upfront and assertive, I'm sure they'd move you to where your wife can have all the pain relief she needs.

I liked the vast majority of the midwives at West Mid but they can be a bit pushy - best of luck and if you need any more West Mid info just give me a shout! I had quite an eventful pregnancy so spent a hell of a lot of time there in the run up to my daughter being born. I think I've met every midwife and consultant that there is! By the way, the food is truly awful so take plenty of snacks to keep your going.

 

[Gibodean]

Cheers Incubator, my wife really likes her food, so I'll take your advice to heart and keep her supplied.

I do like the look of the birthing centre (from the photos, descriptions and what I've seen on Amanda Holden's show). But we're almost anti-natural as a sort of overreaction to the "natural" craze. We want the best technology and techniques available helping look after my wife and our baby. "Natural" is what they had a hundred years ago, when there was high infant mortality.

We're not quite that mad though - we'll definitely go for nice looking rooms with good stuff in them, but not at the expense of good quality pain relief and equipment that might help Mum and baby...

So thanks, maybe we'll try the birthing centre and see how it goes...

 

[Incubator]

Best of luck to you both. Really hope it all goes well.

 

[Gibodean]

Thanks!