Thanks so much everyone, I really appreciate you taking the time to reply and your good wishes. Fingers crossed that everything will continue without complications as it sounds exactly what I would like.

I had my daughter there in September and also had a very good experience. As has been said lovely big rooms and I just about got into the pool before she arrived, and did find the water helped. The ward seemed quiet when we were there so we were lucky to keep our room until we were discharged later the same day. I certainly found it a much better/more relaxed experience than the delivery suite where my first was born. But of course so much is out of your hands, any issues and you will end up in the delivery suite. You also need to be sure you won't want an epidural. I got rather desperate for one at the eleventh hour and of course you can't have them in carmen.

Good luck. St Georges is excellent whether you end up in Carmen or the delivery suite.

I used it in 2008, so a while ago(!) but echo other posters' positive comments. I too ended up in the delivery suite so didn't complete my labour/delivery in Carmen, but wish I had - it was a lovely big, quiet, calm space (at one point when my contractions were still bearable I remember just sitting in that huge warm pool reading a magazine, lights dimmed - lovely!) I'd certainly recommend it.

I used the Carmen suite in February 2014 and it was great, I loved having my own room and being able to move around, play my own music, not having any medical staff coming and going etc. I didn't get time to get in the water, but def keen on giving this a try again. The midwives I saw were great, and very accommodating. Luckily it wasn't very busy either so was able to rest/have a few visitors there before moving to the ward.

I'm aiming to use it for No. 2 in the new year.

Having said that, it was a pretty straight forward birth, so didn't really 'test' it out, but this might have been helped by feeling relaxed. Good luck!

Hi

I used the Carmen Suite (2012 though) and the first 5 hours there were great, lots of equipment to use and the midwife was very reassuring and filled me with confidence. Unfortunately i had to move from there to the Delivery suite as there was a complication after my waters broke, but, i have to say i really enjoyed those first few hours in the Carmen Suite.

A bright, airy, spacious room and you can dip in and out of the birthing pool and use the other equipment. I especially liked hanging of the rope/material thingies they had there!!!

Go for it, i wish i could have gone back there for my 2nd pregnancy but unfortunately i wasnt allowed due to previous complications.

Good luck with your upcoming birth
x

Has anyone got any recent-ish experience of having a baby at the Carmen Suite? I'd love to hear if it's as amazing as it looks!