scuwiffpixi
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Hi Ladies!!! Sorry this is such a long post but I thought it may be handy.
I went for a tour around Medway Maritime Hospital maternity department on Monday. I found out lots of cool info about the department and thought some of you may find it useful if you are heading to Medway for your labour.
They do a tour every Monday at 3pm for free and you don't have to book, if the suites are free and not being all used or there's no major stuff going on there they give you a tour! It's in the green Zone up on the 4th floor. You meet at 3pm (by the semi circular bit with the giant chair) just outside the ante-natal clinic.
They have 5 or 6 delivery suites with every thing you may need in it, but you are encouraged to bring your own bits if you feel more comfy, you can take your own music and your own pillows and birthing ball etc. But they have it all there if you need it too!!
You can move the room around if you feel the need, like if the bed is in the middle of the room and you want some more space to walk around then you can move it or have it all moved for you.
They provide baby's cot and bedding for you and modern maternity bed if you feel the need to deliver on your back, there was also all the mod cons needed for you and bub's, like a heater if he needs it, gas and air plumbed into the wall with an endless supply, heart monitor for you and LO, also if you need entertainment while in labour you can buy a card for the hospitals phone/internet/radio service in each of the DS for when you get bored!
Each DS has en suite bath rooms with showers too!! You will have to bring pretty much everything else you will need for you and bubba ie nappies, clothes and it's recommended a few carton's of newborn milk and bottle in case breastfeeding doesn't go so well, although there is trained breast feeding staff on all times to help you get it right. drinks and snaks too as there's nowhere to get them if you are in in the middle of the night!
There is a water birth room with a large tub and really low, shaped, birthing couch, a hoist, a stereo/CD player and lava lamp too which I thought was a nice touch. Being able to dim the lights really low.
I found out there is also a operation suite on the delivery wards with surgeons on stand by incase any thing goes down and emergency surgery is required, which I found very reassuring, that you wouldn't have to wait in a que for an OR or a surgeon to turn up.
Then for after the birth they have 2 wards, that you will get moved to:
Kent ward if every thing went fine with the birth, you and lil one. The fastest discharge is a 6hr, but they won't send you home at silly o'clock in the morning, but give you a bed till a more sensible time.
And Pearl ward which is for any births that need to be observed/monitored a little more closely. If you have an emergency C section you may end up on Pearl ward and they let you got home usually 3 days later.
But both wards were really similar.
Each big ward had a few mini 4 bed wards (may be 4 in each big ward) and a couple private rooms depending on the circumstances (you can request one via your MW but it will cos you £65 per night for a private room) You may get placed in one any hoo if there are no beds free in the other's it's a bit pot luck!
After you give birth they give you tea and toast! We could smell the toast while we were all walking around there, which meant there were brand new babies! AW!
It was very very warm in there and very quiet considering. And seemed very friendly! On the whole I was pleasantly surprised by the whole tour.
They also told us that when you come in to the hospital after 9pm (in labour) you have to use the main front doors or the ER and dad/oh is only to get a £1.50 ticket for the car, as once he has you to the DS you will be in he can go to the security desk at the front of the hospital and tell them you are in for a long hall in labour and they will amend your parking ticket, so you don't have to have pocket's full of change or to put £'s in the ticket machine for all the hrs you will be there, But this only works for long hall labour and not for false labour if you happened to be there for a few hrs then send you home again I don't know what the situation on your ticket is?
I thought that was really cool of them too! The MW who showed us around said this procedure may change in the future but that's how it works at the moment.
If you are thinking of delivering at Medway Maritime, then I would suggest they you go for the tour yourself and have a look, the rooms are not massive and I wouldn't go expecting the rooms to look like the Hilton it is a hospital after all, but it looked good enough for me and my lil bubba!
All the wards, DS and OR are all close together, so you can't get lost and every thing is real close by. Another bonus for me!
Ok I'll stop now! I hope this has helped or go see for yourself!!
I went for a tour around Medway Maritime Hospital maternity department on Monday. I found out lots of cool info about the department and thought some of you may find it useful if you are heading to Medway for your labour.
They do a tour every Monday at 3pm for free and you don't have to book, if the suites are free and not being all used or there's no major stuff going on there they give you a tour! It's in the green Zone up on the 4th floor. You meet at 3pm (by the semi circular bit with the giant chair) just outside the ante-natal clinic.
They have 5 or 6 delivery suites with every thing you may need in it, but you are encouraged to bring your own bits if you feel more comfy, you can take your own music and your own pillows and birthing ball etc. But they have it all there if you need it too!!
You can move the room around if you feel the need, like if the bed is in the middle of the room and you want some more space to walk around then you can move it or have it all moved for you.
They provide baby's cot and bedding for you and modern maternity bed if you feel the need to deliver on your back, there was also all the mod cons needed for you and bub's, like a heater if he needs it, gas and air plumbed into the wall with an endless supply, heart monitor for you and LO, also if you need entertainment while in labour you can buy a card for the hospitals phone/internet/radio service in each of the DS for when you get bored!
Each DS has en suite bath rooms with showers too!! You will have to bring pretty much everything else you will need for you and bubba ie nappies, clothes and it's recommended a few carton's of newborn milk and bottle in case breastfeeding doesn't go so well, although there is trained breast feeding staff on all times to help you get it right.
drinks and snaks too as there's nowhere to get them if you are in in the middle of the night!There is a water birth room with a large tub and really low, shaped, birthing couch, a hoist, a stereo/CD player and lava lamp too which I thought was a nice touch. Being able to dim the lights really low.
I found out there is also a operation suite on the delivery wards with surgeons on stand by incase any thing goes down and emergency surgery is required, which I found very reassuring, that you wouldn't have to wait in a que for an OR or a surgeon to turn up.
Then for after the birth they have 2 wards, that you will get moved to:
Kent ward if every thing went fine with the birth, you and lil one. The fastest discharge is a 6hr, but they won't send you home at silly o'clock in the morning, but give you a bed till a more sensible time.
And Pearl ward which is for any births that need to be observed/monitored a little more closely. If you have an emergency C section you may end up on Pearl ward and they let you got home usually 3 days later.
But both wards were really similar.
Each big ward had a few mini 4 bed wards (may be 4 in each big ward) and a couple private rooms depending on the circumstances (you can request one via your MW but it will cos you £65 per night for a private room) You may get placed in one any hoo if there are no beds free in the other's it's a bit pot luck!
After you give birth they give you tea and toast! We could smell the toast while we were all walking around there, which meant there were brand new babies! AW!
It was very very warm in there and very quiet considering. And seemed very friendly! On the whole I was pleasantly surprised by the whole tour.
They also told us that when you come in to the hospital after 9pm (in labour) you have to use the main front doors or the ER and dad/oh is only to get a £1.50 ticket for the car, as once he has you to the DS you will be in he can go to the security desk at the front of the hospital and tell them you are in for a long hall in labour and they will amend your parking ticket, so you don't have to have pocket's full of change or to put £'s in the ticket machine for all the hrs you will be there, But this only works for long hall labour and not for false labour if you happened to be there for a few hrs then send you home again I don't know what the situation on your ticket is?
I thought that was really cool of them too! The MW who showed us around said this procedure may change in the future but that's how it works at the moment.
If you are thinking of delivering at Medway Maritime, then I would suggest they you go for the tour yourself and have a look, the rooms are not massive and I wouldn't go expecting the rooms to look like the Hilton it is a hospital after all, but it looked good enough for me and my lil bubba!
All the wards, DS and OR are all close together, so you can't get lost and every thing is real close by. Another bonus for me!Ok I'll stop now! I hope this has helped or go see for yourself!!
