St Thomas or Chelsea Westminster Maternity Post Reply

[mumsw16]

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

I may be wrong but think it's a little foolish to assume that "posher" equals better. I'd be more concerned on how the hospital performs.

I used St Thomas's for my first pregnancy and couldn't fault it- easy appointments and convenient to get to. The only downside I saw with was it being inside the congestion zone. Didn't give birth there in the end as had an unexpected home birth.

Used the homebirth team from St Georges for my 2nd and can't fault them either.

There will always be good and bad stories about whichever hospital you choose, but I think you should look beyond the area and focus on the hospitals themselves.

Good luck- exciting times ahead!

[BettyBoo]

I've had two at C&W and brilliant pre care during and amazing labour care. Did exactly what I wished for but knew I was in safe hands. Also being great on some post birth stuff that needs resolving. I have also heard good things about St Thomas's - especially the view. I have heard that they get so busy that they run out of beds and mums get diverted to other hospitals. But all hospitals do this if short of beds.

[Nims]

Had my first at C&W and would definitely go there again (for when I decide to go for a second, not just yet!!!).

They provide 'doulas' on the NHS which for me was invaluable.

That said, I've heard great reports on both St. Georges and St. Thomas', so wherever you go, I'm sure you'll get the best possible care. All the best with the birth of your baby, exciting times!

[HTM]

I gave birth to my first baby at C&W last week and it was amazing. The new birthing centre they have just opened is absolutely fab...the rooms and baths are amazing and we were able to stay in there for nearly a day after the birth until we were transferred to the main ward. As the previous poster mentioned they have Doulas as well who really helped in those first few precious hours.

[marylisramos]

I gave birth at C&W last May and their prenatal care was fantastic - the Cherry Team community midwives were wonderful and incredibly supportive. If I had a second I would have no hesitation in going back there. The ward after the birth (I had an emergency CS) was cramped and they had no facilities for hubbies and partners apart from a chair they could sleep in but apart from that I have no complaints Excellent breastfeeding support if you ask for it.

[Jetsettingbaby]

C&W was amazing.i had a really great experience there but also St T has a great reputation also. You are lucky you get two great hospitals to choose from.

[Mellomumma]

I have had 2 babies at St Thomas and I have had 2 very good experiences and can't fault the care, nor facilities. Both births were at the their birth centre which is called home from home. You will always hear lots of good and bad stories as birth and pregnancy are different for each person but for me I liked what St Thomas offered (community midwives had a local centre very close to home, liked their birth centre and it was a good size so chances of being in there were high etc..) so my advice would be to maybe arrange a visit and just weigh up what is important for you and go from there. Best of luck

[AraB72]

I cannot say enought about C&W and the level of service and care we received from them. Unfortunately, due to an existing conditon I was very ill followng the birth of my baby and at one point things were in a very dangerous place. My mother and husband were present, admittedly I didn't know much about what was going on, but the care and attention my family received was incredible. They arranged a bed for my husband the night everything happened and for the next two weeks looked after my baby like he was one of their own, at the same time supporting me as I recovered and helping wherever possible. The team were brilliant and once I was better I remember having some great laughs with them too. I will never forget what they did for us and would not think twice about going back should we have another.

[usedtobeorganised]

I had my first child at St Thomas's and the care was fantastic - there were occasional issues that you get with any hospital but when I was admitted I had high blood pressure and so from then until my little boy was born I had a midwife with me constantly - they were amazing. I was also lucky enough to have an individual room after the birth - complete with views of the houses of parliament - because the postnatal ward was full! For various reasons - nothing to do with St Thomas's - I am now at C&W - due in a few weeks so I can't comment on the labour experience yet but the midwife team have been great and it has been good to go to the same place (i.e. the hospital) for all my midwife appointments rather than a series of different places as you do with St Ts.

[Roo4982]

Congratulations on your pregnancy!
I live in Clapham and could have gone to either too. I chose St Thomas's for the birth of my little girl and was so pleased I did. I had the most brilliant experience, a water birth in Home from Home and it was everything I hoped for. I felt safe and they encouraged me to stick to my plan and I got the birth I wanted so much. She was born 18 months ago and on a full moon so they were busy ( apparently lots of babies are born on a full moon) but they still gave us time and great care, I couldn't recommend it highly enough. Good luck with your choice.

[Lulumoo]

Congratulations! We had our first baby at St. Thomas' and it was a very long 32 hours before our little girl came out! The midwives were fantastic. I felt like I had known them for years. So warm and friendly. The aftercare however, was quite the opposite I'm afraid. Because our daughter was slightly jaundiced, I had to stay in with her for a few nights. The night midwives I found to be quite rude and unhelpful. Husbands have to leave at 8pm so it is quite scary being alone as a first time mum with no one around to help you! I was a bit tearful as the breastfeeding wasn't working and rather than helping me to feel comfortable and perhaps asking if I needed someone to talk to, they kept shoving the baby into my breasts and telling me off for not trying hard enough. It was such a disappointing end to a wonderful birth. And because of this, I will choose another hospital next time.
Good luck!

[audrey]

I could have written the post above, with only difference that my experience happened with my first born at Chelsea & Westminster. Very happy with the antenatal care but hugely disappointed with the postnatal care. My little girl was also underweight so we had to stay in the hospital for a full 5 days for observations and as a first time mum I was very unhappy with the care provided by the midwives during the night shift.
For my second one, I chose to go to Thomas's and had a nice stay in the Home from Home room after delivery, that had the bonus of a lovely view of the Houses of Parliament and the River Thames. Mind you, I didn't get to stay too long there, as given my straightforward birth second time round, I was able to get discharged and go home the next day.
One more thing: births at C & W get registered at the Chelsea Town Hall and your child's birth certificate will say Place of Birth "Chelsea", my other one born at Thomas's had the birth registered as "Lambeth"

[RHOB]

Hi, I gave birth just under 2 weeks ago at C&W. They were fantastic from the start as I needed to be placed in the early pregnancy unit. C&W has 2 great benefits - they have a doula nest which is a free service, although I didn't use this service as my initial labour was uber quick, but I hear if you come in early you can ask for a doula, if there is one free. They also don't have a time limit for the birth partner to stay over so if you want them to stay with you overnight you can. I started off in their new birthing unit which is lovely and includes a double bed in the room so you can stay on there after you give birth although I think you are transferred to the postnatal ward after a period of time. The labour ward is ok and a pretty generic hospital room but nothing to fault. All the midwives including the students were so caring and for my first time I really could not have asked for more help. I agree the postnatal ward wasn't great but it looked like they had 1 midwife for 6 women so are rather under resourced. I landed up transferring to a private room which you can request for a fee of £300 and this was worth it as I felt more comfortable and got some much needed sleep. I can't comment on st Thomas but some of the girls in my nct group have delivered there and seem to be happy with it. Good luck in your choice and best wishes for your pregnancy

[MrsAmanda]

My experience of St Thomas' was five years ago but I still have very vivid memories.


During pregnancy, they were very good. I spent quite a lot of time in the day unit, and was admitted for a few days on two occasions. I was having my BP measured by my GP every 2-3 days and every time he'd say it was a bit high and I should go to the maternity unit. For those unannounced visits, I'd often have to wait a long time. For pre-booked appointments, they were very good and rarely ran late.

I had hoped to use home-from-home but wasn't allowed. My husband was keen on being at St T's because he liked the views!!

I was admitted for induction as I had pre-eclampsia. That wasn't much fun, I was forgotten about and ignored all night. However, when push came to shove, so to speak, the staff were excellent.

Post-natal was another matter. I was in for a week as I had a DVT. The midwives and other staff were mostly dreadful.

The food was rubbish, but they did a good pudding

[Vanilla]

Hi,
I gave birth at St Thomas' but am thinking to choose C&W if I have the second baby. While I was generally happy with St Thomas' (and yes, the view is amazing), the visiting time for partners there was 9am-8pm.

I recently heard that the visiting time for partners at C&W was 24 hours (better double-check with the hospital though to make sure) and I regret not knowing it before as I found it really difficult to stay alone at night looking after a newborn when I was in pain myself.

Something to think about unless you are going to opt for a private care/room.