"Incredible midwives but I could see the effects of cuts."

I have had two children at Basildon Hospital, one in late 2015 and one in late 2017. Although Basildon is by far my nearest hospital I am in Brentwood and considered out of area, so I don’t have the usual care that a patient in the Basildon area would receive. With my first pregnancy I never saw the same midwife twice in the run up to delivery with my routine check ups, however in my second pregnancy (2017) this had changed and ladies in Brentwood are allocated one community midwife. I much preferred this continuity of care and felt more comfortable asking questions and that I had a trusted point of contact. 

Delivery experience wise, I had a fantastic experience on Willow Ward on my first labour in 2015. I was lucky to have gone into labour on a ‘quiet’ day and there was a birthing pool available which was great. I had the same midwife, from start to finish who really put me at ease as a first time mum. I wasn’t rushed out of the room post labour. I couldn’t have asked for a better birth experience.

Second time round in 2017 it was clear that resources were much more stretched. I had opted to return to Basildon due to my first experience, however when I called willow ward when I was in labour my husband was informed that it was closed due to staff shortages. This was particulaly distressing and caused me upset during labour as I had been focused on, and looking forward to visiting the midwife led birthing suite and using the pool again. I had no option but to head to the delivery unit, and I experienced a much less comfortable birth on a tiny bed in a small examination room. My midwife was fantastic and did what she could to make me comfortable with the limited resources. I could see how disappointed she was to not have been able to give me a better labour experience. I was then moved to willow ward once it had reopened in the morning, and I felt so sorry for the midwives who were trying to give post labour care and deliver babies at the same time, they were so stretched. 

I would have another baby at Basildon and on the whole my experiences have been positive , however if my second experience had been my first baby I would have been really put off. I also think it’s a real shame that ladies in Brentwood are considered out of area as I would definitely have considered a home birth but this was not an option for me. I cannot fault the midwives they were incredible, but as with every department in the NHS within two years I could see the effects of monetary cuts.