"Maternity Care was excellent"

I had my baby at West Middlesex University Hospital in November 2015.

For the vast majority of my stay, care was excellent. Examples of this include:

• A real sense of camaraderie between the labour ward midwives.

• Midwives having their care examined by a colleague at regular intervals – this was done in a thoughtful, professional manner

• Every member of theatre staff introduced themselves to me and described what their role was

• Midwives allowing me to go to the toilet rather than insisting on me using a bed pan in HDU as would usually be the case as I was attached to so many tubes – I really felt like they wanted to help me preserve some dignity after the ordeal I’d just been through.

• Pretty much every single member of staff, from receptionist to Consultant, who I met after the birth of my baby said “Congratulations”.

Particular thanks must go to the following:

- The midwife who delivered my baby, Natalie, who was professional and friendly throughout her time with me. She knew when to talk and when to listen. She was gently challenging to medical staff whilst being respectful of their role. The time of the actual birth felt calm and joyous all at once which is testimony to her midwifery skills. Unfortunately I went on to have a significant post-partum haemorrhage which she picked up on straight away and sought the necessary help whilst keeping me informed about what was going on. Thank you!

- The on-call Consultant Obstetrician, Mr Osakwe, who managed my post-partum haemorrhage. Mr Osakwe is everything you could want in a Consultant: calm, competent and compassionate. It was clear that he ran a tight ship, everyone was clear about their roles and responsibilities. Whilst he gave the team clear direction, he also allowed them autonomy. He kept me informed of what was going on at every stage of the process which I really appreciated. I am particularly grateful for the fact that as soon as it was clear that I was out of the woods in theatre, he asked a member of the team to let my husband know, understanding that my husband, who had literally been left holding the baby, would be anxious about what was going on.

- The on-call Anaesthetist (I’m afraid I don’t have her name) who was in theatre with me. Another calm, kind doctor who took time to explain what was going on and what follow-up I would need.

My main criticism is probably something that the hospital cannot do much about, lack of single rooms. I spent a night on the antenatal ward - hearing a woman in the bed next to you being very distressed in the early stages of her labour for several hours is very anxiety-provoking particularly when you know that you are imminently going to have to go through the process yourself! It’s hard enough to sleep when you are heavily pregnant without that noise going on next to you. I didn’t sleep at all that night, not great preparation for labour.

What could be improved? The ability for partners to stay.

Overall, I had excellent care and am very glad that I chose West Middlesex Hospital to have my baby.