"I had my baby there. The medical ..."

What I liked

I had my baby there. The medical care was excellent and the midwives were very helpful in teaching me how to feed and care for my new baby.

What could be improved

Bureaucracy and the fear of being sued caused me to be lectured and patronised in a way that soured the experience. I left on Easter Sunday and a helpful nurse gave me some bottles of formula to take away as the shops were closed. These bottles were used by everyone in the unit without supervision, and empties were thrown carelessly into a bucket. When a midwife found out that I'd been given some to take away, she had a go at the nurse, lectured that it wasn't allowed, and that should I break one and be injured the hospital couldn't be held responsible. It was a ridiculous and insulting overreaction. She'd been excellent when I was in labour, and yet she thought it acceptable to speak to me as though I was an imbecile because of fear of litigation. In addition, the communication between doctors and nurses was poor; I was even told I could leave by a doctor because my baby was fine, only to have that contradicted by nurses, to the extent that I almost had to discharge myself. When I demanded to speak to a doctor in person, miraculously the discharge papers appeared.

Anything else?

Sometimes the advice is overcautious to say the least, however I really felt that my and my baby's safety were of the highest priority, and that has to be a good thing.