tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post2565591753682417688..comments2023-10-19T11:26:13.754+01:00Comments on Bump2Basics: Random Musings From an American Mom in London: Are London Maternity Services Really That Bad?Tanya (Bump2Basics)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11190613569079236305noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-78770756378900192842010-05-05T00:04:47.131+01:002010-05-05T00:04:47.131+01:00Hi Steph, Thanks for coming over. I'm new to...Hi Steph, Thanks for coming over. I'm new to Fuel My Blog and need to get more up to speed with how it works but I'll also check you out! :)Tanya (Bump2Basics)http://www.chatty-t.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-44589428026315763942010-05-05T00:04:09.462+01:002010-05-05T00:04:09.462+01:00Bridget I'll check out your blog, thanks for t...Bridget I'll check out your blog, thanks for the comment.Tanya (Bump2Basics)http://www.chatty-t.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-49066017853686766312010-05-05T00:03:55.436+01:002010-05-05T00:03:55.436+01:00There is no doubt that there is definite room for ...There is no doubt that there is definite room for improvement but it's good to hear another positive experience.<br /><br />Considering I also gave birth on the NHS at no cost (albeit after paying my contributions, etc) I can't see how paying such a high private fee would have dramatically enhanced my experience. Perhaps then you guarantee yourself a space and a practitioner but I imagine overcrowding could still catch you out, and then at a very high price tag.Tanya (Bump2Basics)http://www.chatty-t.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-26319850826134169302010-05-04T23:56:44.182+01:002010-05-04T23:56:44.182+01:00Sian, thanks for stopping by. I have visited your...Sian, thanks for stopping by. I have visited your blog now too :)Tanya (Bump2Basics)http://www.chatty-t.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-17383587385747095002010-05-04T23:55:41.190+01:002010-05-04T23:55:41.190+01:00The comparisons to the US are quite interesting an...The comparisons to the US are quite interesting and the issues run deep. Home birth is much cheaper for the NHS than hospital births, and I imagine this cost saving is quite an incentive for health trusts to provide the home birth option, particulary as it is a much more widely accepted practice here in the UK and doesn't face the same insurance challenges as in the US. More home births would also help with overcrowding issues. However, I'm sure you are right that the scarcity of midwives trained for home birth is limiting this as an option.Tanya (Bump2Basics)http://www.chatty-t.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-2477843434696782502010-05-04T23:47:48.836+01:002010-05-04T23:47:48.836+01:00I can only answer from my recent experience but it...I can only answer from my recent experience but it does seem mothers & babies in the UK have more regular contact with a health visitor who weights the baby and is available for questions and support. In theory health visitors could provide breastfeeding assistance however I have not found them particularly helpful in this area as they seem more concerned with charting LLCs weight. Perhaps this is because they are also overstretched? Perhaps some health visitors are more affective in this arena than others.Tanya (Bump2Basics)http://www.chatty-t.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-32125712640553276382010-05-04T23:33:47.915+01:002010-05-04T23:33:47.915+01:00Those postnatal ratios are scary! When I gave bir...Those postnatal ratios are scary! When I gave birth the ward was busy but not at capacity though since writing this post I learned from another local mum that she heard women giving birth on the maternity ward as all the labor suites were being used. <br /><br />I'm not sure how any Party will fix this overcrowding in the immediate either. As one service opens in the interest of choice it seems another closes to keep things on budget (locally we are having a new midwife led birthing centre built but they are closing one of the local maternity wards).Tanya (Bump2Basics)http://www.chatty-t.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-10955338462039678022010-05-04T20:30:14.976+01:002010-05-04T20:30:14.976+01:00Hiya, I found you on Fuel My Blog, and then realis...Hiya, I found you on Fuel My Blog, and then realised we read a lot of the same blogs (small world) and follow a lot of the same people on Twitter. <br /><br />Anyway, I've added you to my blogroll - hope you don't mind :)<br /><br />Have a lovely day xStephhttp://imcountingufoz.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-48612029820708060222010-05-01T21:51:27.347+01:002010-05-01T21:51:27.347+01:00I understand that there is always room for improve...I understand that there is always room for improvement and yes alot could be done to improve maternity services in the UK, but I can't help thinking that there is some political scare mongering going on here, especially with the upcoming election.<br /><br />Personally I had a very positive experience when giving birth to my baby at West Middlesex Hospital in September last year and I feel thankful to the NHS for providing that service. <br /><br />Yes we pay our national insurance upfront for this care but I doubt that I would have received a much better service if I would have paid the £7-10,000 pounds if I went private.Rebecca Gorczaknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-61073837655517426022010-05-01T17:53:56.684+01:002010-05-01T17:53:56.684+01:00One thing the article doesn't seem to address ...One thing the article doesn't seem to address is post-natal breastfeeding support and care for the baby. In one of your previous posts I remember you mentioned regular check-ups to check your baby's weight along with breastfeeding support. In the US a pediatrician will do a check-up in the hospital within 48 hours after the birth, and there is no system in place for home visits. Newborns generally have checkups at 2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 months, at which the baby's weight, feeding, development are all checked. I don't think this is adequate to support breastfeeding women, who may need more frequent visits. From experience I know that it's quite common for women to switch to formula from a combination of factors, including lack of breastfeeding support and insistence from care givers that formula may be needed. <br /><br />You can correct me if I'm wrong. Without knowing more details about the system there, I can't say for sure, but I suspect that breastfeeding support and newborn care may be better in the UK compared to the US.Cherylynhttp://mamasandbabies.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-202303079418241692010-05-01T17:43:38.881+01:002010-05-01T17:43:38.881+01:00I read the article, and I find it quite shocking. ...I read the article, and I find it quite shocking. Since I'm in the US I have no personal first-hand knowledge to start with, so I have to take this article with a grain of salt and refrain from making generalizations about the maternity system in London. Many of the arguments in the article are anecdotal and generalized, and I would really like to see some statistics to back up what's being claimed.<br /><br />On the other hand, I think the article calls attention to a system that needs to be seriously addressed. Just as the maternity system here in the US is in dire need of an overhaul, it appears the system in the UK can stand some great improvement as well. The overcrowding and understaffing in the hospitals would be my main concern, and there needs to be adequate care to allow women the option of home birth with a properly trained attendant. The idea of women turning to underground home birth is extremely sad to me, because statistics show that home birth without a trained attendant is more dangerous than hospital birth or home birth with a trained attendant. I wonder how much the scarcity of care givers is impacting the number of women being allowed home birth. It takes more one-on-one care for a woman to have a home birth since that attendant needs to be there for that woman and no one else for that time period. In the hospital it's much easier to spread resources thin to try to cover everything, by having one midwife attend to several patients at the same time (something that cannot be done with home birth).<br /><br />There are some glaring similarities between the scenario in the UK and that in the US. Unassisted home birth is becoming more common in the United States as well. This is mainly a result of certified professional midwives being outlawed in many states. As a result, women are essentially told "hospital with a trained professional or nothing". Those who are already worried about the interventionist approach in the hospital are likely to avoid it altogether, stop maternity care and go forward with an unassisted birth.<br /><br />In both cases, the availability of trained midwives is a huge issue. One difference I see in the US is that pre- and post-natal care seems to be better here than in London, based on what I read in the article. Women aren't turned away from the hospital here, and there are more staff per woman in general. However, the high rates of intervention (including appalling c-section rates) and the low availability of trained professionals for home birth are a major concern.Cherylynhttp://mamasandbabies.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1195788236766051950.post-89716249357405645502010-05-01T14:45:28.183+01:002010-05-01T14:45:28.183+01:00I had both my babies in London and I have to say, ...I had both my babies in London and I have to say, my experiences weren't great. With Littleboy 2, I had to spend a month in hospital before the birth due to complications so I saw at first hand the problems; lack of staff, frequent closures of the maternity ward ( it closed to newcomers at least twice during the weeks I was there); lack of cots for premature babies meaning planned C-sections were delayed for days. Most of the doctors and midwives are great (with the odd exception) but it is simply too overcrowded. Worst of all are the postnatal wards - one night I was there, there were 2 midwives between 38 women (with babies). It was downright dangerous. And this was a teaching hospital usually considered very good. So, I do think things need to change - more midwives trained and employed and larger maternity units, for sure. Although what party is going to do that with the current economic situation, I have no clue.nappyvalleygirlnoreply@blogger.com