St Helier or Mayday - birth centres

[Mary Jo]

I'm hopefully moving to Sutton in the next couple of weeks, and as it's a change of area and too far from where I live right now (Lewisham) I need to change hospitals. Saw the mw for my last appt here (27 weeks) this morning and told her I hope to have this baby in a birth centre, and she wasn't so encouraging about St Helier, which will be my new local hospital (1 mile away). The website says there is a birth centre there but I have now been told that as it's actually on the regular labour ward, it's used as an overspill when they are busy - and it's apparently a busy unit - meaning I'd be lucky if it was available when I needed it. She suggested Mayday in Croydon instead, as there is a dedicated birth centre there.

Just wondered if anyone had experience of either hospital, ideally the birth centre?

 

[lynnikins]

ive heard some terrible things about St Heilier hospital in general hun it doesnt have good stats from what ive heard and read, why not call both hospitals and arrange a tour and decide for yourself

 

[Mary Jo]

thanks, and yeah, I know, I've read not great things about St Helier myself, which unnerves me a bit. Can you really tell very much from a tour? I think I will arrange to see them both. Not sure how to go about being referred to a hospital that's not the most local one, does the GP do that? And what happens about mw appts if you're not going to the local hospital?

 

[amandad192]

I know plenty of people who have given birth in st.heliers (I was born there) and I've never heard a bad story about their experience.
From the outside the hospital looks like it's falling down, the food is..well..hospital food..what do you expect.
The staff however are usually very friendly and helpful. I'd be happy to give birth there..and have actually considered staying with my mum from a month so that I can. My mum doesn't have the space in her house for me to stay that long though.

I don't know about croydon Mayday because I've never been there and don't know anyone who has.

If you have any questions about st.h I have a few people I can ask.

 

[Mary Jo]

I know plenty of people who have given birth in st.heliers (I was born there) and I've never heard a bad story about their experience.
From the outside the hospital looks like it's falling down, the food is..well..hospital food..what do you expect.
The staff however are usually very friendly and helpful. I'd be happy to give birth there..and have actually considered staying with my mum from a month so that I can. My mum doesn't have the space in her house for me to stay that long though.

I don't know about croydon Mayday because I've never been there and don't know anyone who has.

If you have any questions about st.h I have a few people I can ask.

thank you, it's good to know people have had good experiences and are happy to go there. I know the hospital I had my son at didn't have great reviews, and I found some terrible criticism and horror stories online before I went there, but it turned out ok. all right, I hated being on the antenatal ward and felt the midwives were unsympathetic, and the postnatal ward wasn't a lot of fun either (you're right about hospital food, mind, what they found for me after I'd had Adam was amazing, but that was because I was starving - they gave me two platefuls - one was corned beef salad and the other was fish pie and peas!), but the actual active labour and delivery were fine and I cannot fault the miwives who attended us. I'd be happy to go back there if we were going to be close enough, but I just don't fancy up to an hour and a half on the south circular in labour. it's bad enough at the best of times, and I am aware that second babies sometimes come quite quickly...

 

[BabyDeacon]

i used to work in mayday... you hear good and bad from both... if u inbetween i would also suggest looking at St. Geroges too....
St helier and mayday midwifes have noth delievered 4 of my cousins with complications 1 emerg c section with GA and baby and mum were treated fab the other natural birth but baby had lunch tumor again baby is now 6 and perfect...

Mayday is my borough hospital but im going to Princess royal Farnbrough as i work there now so easier for me to get to...

 

[Groovychick]

I haven't heard particularly good things about Mayday either! Apparently, they are very short staffed.

 

[Mary Jo]

Thanks. Really don't know what to do now, St George's is that bit further away, and my husband is probably going to be difficult about that (I know he'd rather I went to the most local hospital, St Helier, which is less than 1 mile away). I'm going to be registering with my new doc on Monday, so I'll get an appt asap and ask their opinion as well.

 

[lynnikins]

i think every hospital in south east london is pretty short staffed, my local is Kingston and its very short staffed

 

[Mrs CP]

Hi! I live half a mile from st helier, so that is where i'll be heading unless i can persuade my hubby to have a home birth! I work with all hospitals daily and would rate st georges as the better out of mayday, st helier and st georges. It is convenience for me really but all hospitals have good and bad reviews x

 

[Rachel_C]

Just the look of St Helier from the outside scares me . I've opted for Kingston as it was ok last time.

 

[span]

Megan was born in St Helier and we had no concerns with how we were treated. I live in Epsom but chose St Helier because of the birth centre.
I couln't use it in the end as there was slight meconium in my waters by the time I arrived so had to go next door to the delivery suite (and my labour hit hard and fast so there was no way I was gonna go to Epsom at that point!).
To be honest, even before we realised there was meconium, they were talking about sending me next door anyway as they didn't have enough midwives in the birth centre.
I know someone else who called the birth centre, only to be told that it was shut until the morning as there were no midwives so it sounds very hit and miss whether you'd actually get to use it.

 

[lynnikins]

Just the look of St Helier from the outside scares me . I've opted for Kingston as it was ok last time.

if ur close enough to get to kingston miss then you need to get round here for a coffee !! lol

 

[lynnikins]

Megan was born in St Helier and we had no concerns with how we were treated. I live in Epsom but chose St Helier because of the birth centre.
I couln't use it in the end as there was slight meconium in my waters by the time I arrived so had to go next door to the delivery suite (and my labour hit hard and fast so there was no way I was gonna go to Epsom at that point!).
To be honest, even before we realised there was meconium, they were talking about sending me next door anyway as they didn't have enough midwives in the birth centre.
I know someone else who called the birth centre, only to be told that it was shut until the morning as there were no midwives so it sounds very hit and miss whether you'd actually get to use it.

the MW unit at Kingston is the same floor as the main delivery suite in fact its just through a set of double doors

 

[24/7]

I had my LO at The Oasis at Princess Royal which is BC and cant fault the BC experience atall, it was amazing. xx

 

[JakesMummy]

I gave birth in Epsom hospital and would really recommend it - the two hospitals are linked. I waould've chosen St Helier if I was closer as they have the womens unit, with relaxation rooms etc I was there recently for other reaosns, but it really is a nice new building. But I would also say Epsom as a choice as the care I has there was wonderful with both births and it would be about 6 miles from you, although when in labour, maybe a bit too far?!

 

[heyarnold0]

I really wouldn't recommend St Helier especially the birth centre. Me, and my son, nearly died due to them being so stupid in there.

 

[cabbagebaby]

a friends mum works at St Helier and was there for me through out my pregnancy even tho i was at kingston hospital and she's amazing and some on the people that had worked over at st helier that came to kingston hospital were lovely to

 

[Robiloo]

Personally, knowing about 200 people who I work with in the sutton area's terrible stories about those places I'd opt for neither.. I'm at st george's, if it helps.. my friend is at St Heliers and if there's any need for you to have extra care they transfer you to St George's anyway, and my bf's sister is at mayday, they seem to be quite thorough with her.. so maybe those departments are different x

 

[amandad192]

I really wouldn't recommend St Helier especially the birth centre. Me, and my son, nearly died due to them being so stupid in there.

I don't mean for this to come across as rude but it probably will.

Although you blame the staff for your near death..you or your baby didn't die..thanks to them. I don't know what happened and it was clearly traumatic for you..but we are all human and we all make mistakes. And the staff saved the lives of you and your son.

I'm speaking slightly from experience. My midwife during pregnancy failed to check my blood results and my iron was low. After childbirth I lost a LOT of blood and had to have 3 blood transfusions.Staff at the hospital told me it was most likely a result of low iron count that made me bleed so bad. It was very traumatic (for me to go through and OH to watch) and although I beleive it to be the midwife's fault, I'm not going to hold it against her my entire life because I'm sure she didn't do it intentionally.