"Great experience at Derby Royal for fist time Mum"

I was extremely happy with the level of care that I received on having my first child at the Derby Royal on 14th December. As a first time Mum I was very apprehensive about what was going to happen but from the very beginning on entering the birthing centre the midwives and student midwives were very reassuring and were able to talk through exactly what was happening. The birthing centre was lovely and the facilities in the room gave a home from home feel which for someone with a phobia of hospitals was very comforting! However after problems with labour not progressing effectively I was moved into the labour ward to be induced further and for baby to receive monitoring. At this point I started to feel a little distressed but again the very caring midwife and student midwife accompanied me and my husband to the ward making sure I was happy and settled before leaving me in the care of the labour ward staff. At the end of her shift this midwife returned to visit us to see how I was getting on which we thought was a lovely thought. During my time on the labour ward I was cared for by another lovely midwife who remained in the room with us for the vast majority of the time. She also kept us informed on what was happening whilst monitoring. The midwife finished her shift before our baby was born but she came to visit us on ward 314 a couple of days after to meet our little one, again a sign of very caring and committed staff! After failing to progress with induction medication a emergency C section was necessary and again the staff made this experience a positive one through being very calming and reassuring me throughout the procedure. The lady anaesthetist was great and her bubbly personality and caring manner really helped to settle my nerves at the thought of having the operation. She remained at my side talking me through what was happening throughout until my little one was safely delivered. She even offered to take photographs with our camera for us something which we almost forgot in excitement of the moment! On moving up to ward 314 the porters were friendly offering their congratulations and chatting to myself and my husband along the way. The staff on the ward 314 were welcoming and helped us to quickly settle in. During the first night I used the call button a few times as I was unable to get out of bed after the C section and the staff quickly responded to the call and helped out. Throughout the 3 days on the ward, we found the staff to be extremely hard working and although they were always so very busy as the ward looked full they would always be with you as quickly as they could. We were generally kept well informed about what was happening and further questions from us were always answered. Overall we would like to say a big 'thank you' to the staff both in the labour department and on the maternity ward for their high standard of care and for ensuring that our experience at the Derby Royal was a positive and very happy one.