"The care they provided was excellent"

As a first time mother I was understandably anxious about going into labour and the experience that I would have during my labour, birth and first few hours at the hospital.

However I should not have worried! From the get go the staff on the labour ward at Lincoln County were outstanding, we spoke to a midwife twice on the phone before coming up to the hospital, who was professional, helpful and reassuring. The same midwife then met my husband and I when we arrived on the ward, ensuring continuity of care and making me feel less anxious.

My birthing plan was discussed and I was checked on regularly by my midwife. As I had requested the birthing pool was available and I found this extremely helpful and relaxing, however it is a shame that there is only 1 pool available as it would be nice for more women to experience this if they desire.

My midwife changed to a lovely midwife who I believe was called Beth. I have nothing but praise for Beth, she was everything and more that I hoped for from my midwife. I believe she was recently qualified as she was paired up with a more senior midwife, however you would not have known this otherwise. She was attentive, supportive and reassuring.

When my labour took a turn for the worse, other midwives and doctors where on hand swiftly and myself and my husband were always informed of what was being done and why. Beth was a constant figure in what quite quickly for me became a frightening and stressful situation. Although I did not get the unassisted birth that I hoped for due to complications, Beth ensured that wherever possible our birth plan was followed, most importantly for me, making sure that it was my husband who told me the sex of our baby and having the important skin to skin bonding time with my baby post delivery. I would like to say a big thank you to Beth and all of the team that ensured my baby was delivered safely!

Post-delivery we were admitted to Nettleham ward, were all the staff we met were friendly. My baby was small and the doctors wanted to ensure her blood sugar levels were normal. She was regularly monitored and both the midwives and doctors were very much on top of trying to get them under control. Also during our time on the ward I was given regular help and advice with trying to get my baby to latch and breastfeed, and when this was not working I was given the option of expressing for my baby.

We stayed for 2 nights on the ward, as my baby also had jaundice, which was noticed quickly by one of the midwives. Unfortunately I can not remember the name of the midwife who discharged us, but she was keen to make sure that we were happy and confident with feeding and well in myself before she would let us go home, even under the pressure of the ward being extremely busy (I believe it actually closed on the day we were discharged).

As a member of ULH staff myself, I was extremely pleased with the treatment that I received and just want to say a big thank you and keep up the hard work to my fellow colleagues! Yes the building may not be ideal and the facilities themselves a little dated, the staff themselves and the care that they provided was excellent.