"Excellent, friendly, professional and safe!"

I have had all three of my children at St Richard's hospital, three natural births, three beautiful, unique experiences. The midwives are friendly and warm, giving support if needed, being discreet if they see you are capable of doing things by yourself, respecting the privacy of the family during what is the most amazing time of a person's life. The birthing centre is on the same level of the maternity unit, excellent for those who have had an uneventful physiological pregnancy and who would like to try a more "relaxed" environment. This gives a lot of confidence in first-timers who have no previous experience to compare to and would prefer the security of having a fully functioning maternity ward within walking distance! My first two were born before the ward went through a multi-million revamp. The third was born at the beginning of 2011 and I was really pleasantly surprised to see the new clean, fresh, modern environment whilst retaining the warm and cosy atmosphere of the old ward. I am now pregnant with number four and I didn't think about it twice before booking my birth at St Richard's again. The ante-natal care is good, and so is the post natal care. The community midwives do a fantastic job and are a credit to the hospital itself. I have seen many maternity wards because of my curiosity in the whole maternity subject (I am planning to study midwifery as soon as my family is complete) and I find this the most pleasant, most consistent care-wise of them all. Thank you to everyone involved in running this busy ward!