"Nothing seemed too much trouble for any of the staff"

I had a very positive experience in maternity assessment, ward 71, labour suite and ward 68.

I was due to have an elective section but started having contractions the week before. I was assessed by the midwife and doctor in triage and was impressed by how much time the doctor spent with me despite it being 2am and he was clearly oncall. He explained my options for labour and stated that sometime in the clinic there wasn't sufficient time to discuss reasons for choosing delivery methods after a previous section so he took some time to give me some advise.

I was then transferred to ward 73. The midwife that took over my care in the morning (Louise) was fantastic. I also saw a consultant who was very understanding of the fact I was still undecided as to how I wanted to progress. She gave me all the info without pressuring me into making a decision.

Things progressed very quickly and I was transferred to the labour suite. The midwife from ward 73 Louise was allowed to stay with me, despite the ward being busy, to deliver my baby as I was so close to delivery. I was very grateful for this as I had been comfortable with her throughout my labour so far.

The staff who were also present in the labour suite were excellent (margaret and Sandra I believe) and the consultant I had seen earlier even popped in to see me afterwards.

Finally, I was in ward 68 for my postnatal care. Everyone was lovely, especially the midwife on night shift (Joanne I think) who took extra time to help me feed despite it being my second baby.

I had a very positive experience overall. Nothing seemed too much trouble for any of the staff. Thanks to everyone involved.