"I just had my first baby in Harrogate ..."

What I liked

I just had my first baby in Harrogate hospital and was stunned by the superb care that I received. The ante-natal classes were very informative (only now offered by a few NHS trusts). The care received during ante-natal appointments was very respectful to my wishes, including working with me to avoid induction when the baby became overdue. The midwives during my very long labour were superb... they were obviously very busy, but at all times I felt that I had 1:1 care. They again respected the type of birth that I wanted, and even when things went off-track due to unavoidable complications, they were keen to help me follow as much of my original birth plan as possible. When I needed to be taken into theatre after delivery, I was very impressed with the warm and respectful approach of both the consultant and the supporting doctor (totally the opposite of some of the consultant arrogance that I have experienced in other hospitals), and the efficiency and teamwork of all the other staff in theatre. The doctor even took the time to visit me twice in the post-natal ward to ensure that I fully understood what had happened and why, and she also offered me the opportunity for a follow-up appointment to discuss the birth to ensure that I felt emotionally good about the experience in spite of the various complications that had arisen. Absolutely fantastic!! In the post-natal ward, I was very well looked after and given support with both breastfeeding and early care of my baby.

What could be improved

I'm concerned that with the increasing number of patients (especially out-of-area) going through the labour ward at Hgte hospital that the quality will be impacted over time unless facilities can be expanded. For me, I was third in line for the pool room on arrival at the hospital. Due to the length of the labour, I did eventually get to use it, but it would be great if there was more than one pool room available.

Even though I was very impressed with the situation at Hgte, I would like to see the boundaries pushed even further with regards to providing a mother-and-baby-centred experience through birth.