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My Experience of the Maternity Unit and the NHS

Over the years I have had a mixed experience of the NHS and the service it provides. I have had a lot of negative incidents with my GP surgery and have written about this on previous occasions, however, I feel I must write about the positive experience from the midwife at my surgery and the amazing service the maternity unit at Yeovil District Hospital provides.

Back at my 34 week check with my midwife, she picked up a number of concerns over my health during my pregnancy with possible early signs of pre-eclampsia. She sent me straight to the hospital to be checked and so, returning home with a number of concerns, I got Ross to drive me after picking Grace up from school.

During the remaining weeks of my pregnancy, I lost count of the number of times we visited the maternity unit and the length of times I spent there but I have to say that the attention and care I received was second to none. They were visibly concerned on a number of occasions – even though I didn’t feel there was anything to be worried about. They monitored me on a continuous basis and, despite the fact that the journey to and from the hospital was a 45 minute round trip, we felt compelled to do it given the fact that they were looking after me so well.

Over that period we also got to know a number of the midwives really well and I remember saying to Ross one day that I would be really happy if one of two of them in particular was the one to deliver our baby. As luck would have it, the night I went into labour, Amy – one of the midwives I had in mind – was the one to deliver Rex and alongside her was the doctor I really liked who always seemed calm and always had a smile on his face. Nothing was too much trouble.

The maternity ward was one of my favourite places and I felt so comfortable there. Tea,coffee, squash, biscuits and toast were available on tap and there wasn’t even the need for a kettle with permanently boiled water always on hand. The nursery was well stocked with supplies and there were support nurses on hand to help re-introduce me to the world of breastfeeding. When we went back to hospital due to Rex’s jaundice, we felt well looked after and once again the staff couldn’t do enough for us even sending round a risk manager as standard practice when someone gets discharged and re-admitted.

I am well aware that lots of people are not as lucky as me with many having to make complaints and some even going as far as to claim for clinical negligence but I am pleased to say that Rex and I were in good hands all the way through my pregnancy and beyond.

What has your experience been with the NHS? Please leave your comments below.

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3 Comments

  1. The NHS and its staff are amazing. I have only ever been in hospital 3 times (3 births) and was treated well. My son gashed his head open last month and we spent 4 hours at A&E but the staff were brilliant and the care he received could not be faulted.

  2. I had a brilliant experience with the NHS. I don’t understand why so many people criticise it. Well I guess it’s the lack of fund rather than the actual NHS. I had to be transferred during my labour from the birth centre to the hospital (lack of progress etc). The hospital were brilliant for the delivery (less so for help with breastfeeding) But I transferred back to the birth centre in Maidstone (Kent) and the midwives were brilliant.

  3. That’s lovely! It’s great that you were treated so well. My experience of the NHS has always been good too. I remember when my eldest failed to breastfeed and lost a lot of weight how the midwife was round at our house for two hours at midnight trying every trick in the book to get him to feed. And we got there in the end! I ended up feeding him for 10 months – and the others were fed for 15 and 16 months.

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