Labour experiences at Queen Mary

[mjw]

Hello!

We are debating which hospital to choose for the birth of our second baby (first on Hong Kong).

I had a very straight forward birth the first time around. 6 hours, bit of gas and air when fully dilated and a natural birth in a midwife-led birthing centre. I was mobile for my whole labour and used several different positions, finally giving birth on all fours.

It is very important to me to be allowed room and space to be able to labour in the way I want to. I am not very good at being told what to do! I have been told that at Queen Mary, you would have to spend your time in the delivery room on the bed. I know a lot of deliveries there are done with feet in stirrups, 1960s style. This would not suit me at all, and I would prefer to pay for a more personalised experience at Matilda. But what I want to know is 'is it true'?

So - do they have mobile monitoring during labour and would I have to stay on the bed? How strictly would they enforce this if you refused?

Everyone I know who has given birth there either has had a c-section or the stirrups experience! Please give me a bit more information!

 

[nicolejoy]

I gave birth there and it wasn't QUITE as bad as you are describing - but definitely not what Matilda would have been like...

In my labour, my waters broke and then I was induced 24 hours later because my contractions weren't regular and nothing was happening. Because of being induced, I needed to be connected to the drip and I was not allowed out of the bed. I think this is standard procedure for inductions at QMH. I would have loved to have been more mobile but such is life!!

However, I have heard that if you have a natural labour and it is progressing by itself without the need for oxytocin, they do allow you to be mobile and they encourage you to use birthing balls and to give birth in a variety of positions. They do have mobile monitoring - but you need to request it, they only have a few sets of that equipment.

Another BIG negative about QMH is if an emergency C section is required, the husband is NOT allowed in at all. Although if it's a scheduled C, he is.

For me, I would have loved to give birth in Matilda, but I just couldn't justify the cost of it. So I went to QMH (and will give birth there for the 2nd time in July) and just made the best of it.