"St John's Maternity unit, Livingston"

I was admitted to St John's in labour with my first child. I was initially hoping to go to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as it was only a few minutes from my flat but it was full. I was initially worried about the longer journey to get to st John's but I am really glad we were sent there as it was such a good experience.

I was quite anxious when I was admitted as it was my first baby but the midwife was so nice and made me feel much calmer. She quickly assessed me and got us settled into a labour room which looked newly refurbished. It was large and had birthing pool, gym ball, cushions, a bed and en suite bathroom. All the medical equipment was cleverly concealed in cupboards behind the bed so it didn't look too clinical but was all easily accessible if needed. The shift was just changing so we were smoothly handed over to another very nice midwife who looked after me for the rest of the labour. She helped me to have confidence in myself and know that I could do it.

There were problems in my labour near the end and my son needed help from a doctor to be born. Again this was handled very well, everyone was very calm and efficient and I was always told what was going on and why. My baby and I were kept in for 2 nights for observations as I had thyroid problems during my pregnancy. As a first time mum I appreciated the reassurance of not just being rushed out the door as soon as the baby was born. I felt every care was taken to make sure we were both happy and healthy before we left.