"Maternity and nicu services"

I gave birth on 18th march 2017 and felt it was finally time to leave a review. The staff and care provided in the maternity unit (including delivery suite and ward 31) was absolutely brilliant. Consultants, Doctors, midwives, care assistants and even cleaners treated you with dignity, respect and we're very reassuring through difficult times. My consultant throughout my pregnancy was amazing. The main midwife who assisted in my birth on delivery suite was the most amazing midwife I had, throughout the entire process after reaching delivery suit, they were friendly, reassuring, kept me informed the entire time on what was happening and what they were doing but was also firm in a good way when they needed to be (when I wasn't cooperating!). You are a real asset to the Luton and Dunstable hospital and the best midwife!

The aftercare was also very good, after delivering my baby at 5:43am, another midwife came in around 7:30/8am and helped get ready for a shower and gave me lots of advice and was very friendly. I then had to go up to nicu because I had a temperature after giving birth and my baby and I had to be put on precautionary anti biotics for infection.

Nicu was good- friendly staff again. I had a room to myself and my baby, which I was greatful for! Day staff midwives were brilliant again, the care was great.

Getting to the night staff on the nicu unit, there was one care assistant in particular who was amazing - offered a lot of advice and reassurance about breast feeding and answered my questions, even at 2/3am! you are also an asset to the hospital and by far the friendliest person on that unit! - it then got to the evening and around 10pm and 2 midwives came in to give me pain meds.The first midwife was rude, didn't greet me, just came in and then looked at the side table where I had a small bottle of coke (which my visitors had left there, not mine) and immediately started telling me because I had a cescaerian I shouldn't be drinking coke, I the explained I didn't have a cecsarian- to which the midwife hastily replied, well it's not appropriate for you you to drink when breast feeding as it's not good for that baby- this made me extremely angry as I was already emotional, had given birth less than 24 hours b4 and the midwife just assumed it was mine! I didn't even reply to them after that as I was so upset - the midwife then left. This widwife was rude and impolite and made me feel like an incompetent new mum. Night midwives clearly need training in how to be polite and treat people with respect! What baffled me the most was, they were a midwife yet didn't seem to know what kind of birth I had. Because of this experience, my whole rating for L&D lost a star. If not for that horrendous midwife, I would have given 5 stars!