"Midewife-led Birth Centre"

My wife and I would not hesitate to recommend the Birth Centre at St Mary's Imperial NHS Trust in Paddington where our second child was born (December 2013). My feedback is based predominantly on the areas that were important to us. Before we contacted this facility with a view to self-referring we spent some time online comparing various data sets on the NHS Choices site. We soon came to the conclusion that the Birth Centre at St Mary's offered the best opportunity to have a comfortable and safe water birth in London. My wife contacted St Mary's and the self-referral process was very smooth, allowing her also the opportunity to tour the facilities well before the due date. More about the Facilities and Staff: Cleanliness: Absolutely perfect. No concerns for either of us, whatsoever. Having worked in a healthcare environment myself for many years, I have witnessed varying degrees and standards in other hospitals, however this facility maintains a very high standard - I could not find so much as a small fault in this regard. Facilities: Lovely. The Birth Centre is a fairly new facility, and it has been well maintained since its inception. The rooms themselves are very private, comfortable, and offer plenty of space and furniture for the mother to both relax but also prepare for the birth. The tub for the water birth was very large, and kept at the right temperature right through the birth. There was no pressure to vacate the room immediately after the birth. Staff: From pre-natal right through to delivery and post-natal we experienced professional, courteous and very experienced midwifery. At no point did we feel uncomfortable with any of the staff members or advice provided, and it was obvious to see that all of the staff worked well together in a professional and courteous environment. The lead consultant for the centre attended the birth at one stage, assisting and supporting where necessary. We knew we were in good hands throughout the process. Post-natal: After some tea and toast, we were ready to move to a private room and settle down with our little one. It was lovely to be able to stay the night as a dad with both the mother and child (not something I was allowed to do with our first born). The room again was private and lovely, we were so grateful for this facility since last time my wife was stuck on a busy ward with several other ladies for several days. Discharge: Come the morning we just really wanted to go home, settle in and see our family - the discharge process was perfect in this regard, with staff arranging for prompt checks on the baby early in the morning allowing us to leave quickly. No waiting several hours for a specialist to come around! Thank you St Mary's and all the staff at the Birth Centre, we are so grateful for all your hard work and safely delivering us a healthy and happy baby.