Has anyone any recent experience of midwifery antenatal care in Sheffield? I know midwives are in short supply and overworked but the system seems to be a shambles. I'm in my third trimester but haven't had a check up for 6 weeks, even though I was due for one two weeks ago. The weekly midwife clinic is always full 2 weeks in advance but you can only book an appointment 2 weeks in advance; my own midwife therefore promised me a home visit (which I'm waiting in for today) but I've now been told I must wait in all day because they can't give me a time, plus now they've said they might not make it at all. I can rarely get hold of a midwife on their mobile ... and I want a home birth but I'm rapidly losing hope that this will be possible judging by the state of things. I'd love to hear if anyone else is experiencing similar problems.

I really feel for you but am afraid I can't relate to your problems. I wish everyone could have the level of midwifery care I had last year. The same two midwives for every appointment, home visits for every appointment, encouragement to have a home birth and great support when my birth plan went to pot. They are called the one to one team and are fantastic.
The only thing that I can suggest is that you complain to someone at Jessops (I presume there is someone who is in charge of midwifery). However, I know this can be daunting when you are relying on these people to keep you and your baby safe.
Good luck and I hope that everything goes to plan.

Thanks psyn. The annoying thing is I do know some midwives on the one to one team (through my work) and I've heard brilliant things about it, but they've refused to take me on because I live in the wrong area and they're already overstretched. If things don't get any better soon perhaps I ought to complain to the community midwifery office at the Jessop.

i went home to glasgow for the birth but my care before then was in sheffield and was fantastic. i would possibly write a complaint letter to jessops with your concerns. i am sorry you are going through so much at an already stressful time.

I am posting this message on behalf of my wife. She registered on the forum after I showed her your message but the systen then ate her message because she is new and it wouldn't let her post a link.

There is an organiation in Sheffield called sheffield maternity forum which is an independant voluntary users group, formed to feedback womens views and experiences of maternity care. This is at www.sheffieldmaternityforum.com

She is also involved in other users groups such as one trying to get a birth centre built in Sheffield and others that are aimed at improving maternity services. She can be contacted via the web site and I have sent Longshanks a PM with her details.

Since she knows the various midwifery managers she can also help with individual cases such as this and will certainly help to get it resolved quickly.

Hi,

My last experience of midwifery care in Sheffield was excellent, and I don't think I'm alone in having that sort of experience, although it was nearly two years ago now. There clearly seems to be some sort of problem in your case and I think you should contact the Jessop for advice, it is not acceptable to go so long without regular checks.

Good luck
Raine

Originally posted by Longshanks
Has anyone any recent experience of midwifery antenatal care in Sheffield? I know midwives are in short supply and overworked but the system seems to be a shambles.
I'm in my second trimester with twins and I can't say I'm inspired either. After being told I'd be kept a careful eye on due to diabetes in the family, nothing has been checked about it. ( A diabetic friend does it for me instead). I was told I'd have extra care because of being a higher risk pregnancy, the only extra care I've had is what I've asked for. Even then I was made to feel neurotic and like each effort was a personal favour.
When I decided not to have the down's and spina bifida test (it's inconclusive with twins), I was told not to bother visiting the surgery for a 15/16 week check up. Until I asked about the blood pressure checks.
And further more, the midwife didn't bother to write about allergies, miscarriages and problematic family history in my notes until I prompted her, she made it seem like a huge effort.
My midwife is rather like a scarey but lazy and uninterested headteacher.
I did wonder if I was expecting too much but a friend of mine works at Jessops and tells me the situation I'm in is appalling.
So, now I'm happy to hassle them to get the care I feel my babies deserve.

Well amazingly a midwife has just been to visit! She was great, very efficient and organised AND filled out a form to notify my home birth request, which my own midwife has obviously never bothered to do. It wasn't even written on my notes that I wanted a home birth, even though I've requested it right from the beginning.

Your situation sounds even worse than mine Zebra, as at least my pregnancy has been straightforward so far. It does seem that you've got to hassle people to get things you want. I do wonder about less informed women not being given correct information and not knowing any better. :rant:

If they fill in a form that says "Request" then you should cross out that word and these things aren't "requests". They always manage to make things sound like they are doing you a favour whereas you are simply entitled to it.

i had my baby in February this year and my midwife was fantastic in all aspects except for 2 things, firstly my baby was huge so i should've been tested for diabetes (so my doctor said at my 6 week check up) also my baby was back to back which i didn't know until i was in labour, the midwife who was looking after me in Jessops said that he'd been like that for a good few weeks so therefore i should've been helped to turn him.

Had a couple of complaints about Jessops but the worse being the midwitch who kept telling me i wasn't in labour and kept giving me sleeping tablets and paracetamol (neither helped funnily enough) she only examined me when i decided to scream to get attention, i was 7cms by this point, no apology or anything lol!

He was worth it in the end!

my son is almost 8 months old now, when he was born i had a water birth - i was lucky to get it as the hospital was busy and the midwives were stretched. the midwife was fantastic though even though it was her first water birth, she was brilliant. its the aftercare in the hospital i have a problem with, they let my son go 15hours without been fed. its disgusting, they all have a bug up their butt. they wouldnt help put my mind at ease at all and they got sick of me asking for help cos in the end they took him off me and apparently took him into their office, except when i followed her out without her knowing, she had just left him in the corridor!!!!!

good luck

Oh my goodness, Tinkabel and Laura - you have just confirmed once again my reasons for wanting a home birth!


Thanks Ken, I know I have a right to a home birth but it doesn't always feel that way!!

Slightly different slant, but a couple of years ago I had to attend Jessops after a dodgy smear test, understandably I was very worried, my GP said he was referring me for test"A"
a letter arrived telling me I was having test "B" and when I rang they confirmed this, when I arrived for my appointment I was told I had been sent the wrong letter and would be having test "C". On entering the Doctors room I finished up having the original test my GP had requested.

Luckily everything was fine, but I did expect better from a "womens" hospital of this standard.

Since then I have heard a couple of women who have had problems while pregnant.

Good luck with your birth Longshanks

I had my third baby at home almost 3 years ago now....I decided on this after only staying in hospital 24 hours with my first then 6 hours with my 2nd I decided 'what's the point??' with my third!!

I had my antenatal care with Calow Hospital so cannot comment on the initial comments at the start of the thread as regards Jessops.

My home birth was a very positive experience for myself and my husband...he commented that he felt 'part of it' 100% as with my previous births after a couple of hours he was asked to leave the hospital to return to a cold/empty house in the middle of the night. With the home birth our son was born at 10pm and by midnight we were all tucked up for the night in the same room....and the midwifes had left....bliss!!

I would definately recommend it!!



:thumbsup:

Think it depends on where you live which is really sad. I had a community based midwife and only had to visit Jessops for scans. My mid-wife was lovely and very supportive.

Went to Jessops to give birth (this was 6months ago) and the wards were hell. Understaffed and shortage of beds. Felt sorry for the staff, they had no time to spend helping out new mums. I left after 4 days and had my community mid-wife visit me at home after that which again was good.

Originally posted by tinkabel


Had a couple of complaints about Jessops but the worse being the midwitch who kept telling me i wasn't in labour


Midwitch hahahahaha, that's great! I have to steal that one for use in my own situation.

"Hello, ah yes hello, could you put me through to the midwitch's office?"
*Dialling tone*
"LMAO"

I live in the Hope Valley, and have had three home births in the last 6 1/2 years.
My Midwives have been absolutely brilliant, and have all been in favour of homebirths.Agreeing with my feeling that mothers are more relaxed and at ease in thier own surroundings.I spent parts of my labour in the garden,popped to the local shop,was in and out of the bath,had my whole music collection available.And I didn't have to pack a bag or forget anything.My partner was, and felt as much involved as the midwives were.I'm not denying it was bl88dy hard work and extremely painful, and as soon as baby is born you've already forgotten all that part!I would deffinately reccomend a homebirth to anyone who's considering it,you feel more in control of whats going on and don't have to feel like an extra burden.It's kind of odd when the babies been born, and they've checked you and baby over,and cleared up(they were amazing,not half as much mess as I'd expected,but they sorted it all out for us!)Then they go!! and suddenly there you are just like you were yesterday, but your new baby is with you ,it is beautifuly bizarre! A midwife comes to visit every day for ten days after the birth to check mum and baby are doing well.
A homebirth is your legal right (if there are no medical circumstances preventing it.)And many times when mothers in hospitals need intervention it's because they are not at ease in such unfamiliar surroundings.I reccommend taking homeopathic arnica tablets in and after labour.Clary sage oil is meant to encourage labour, and raspberry leaf tea is said to encourage the frequency of the contractions.
I have only met one consultant who was oppossed to me having a homebirth (with my first child-seen at calow, chesterfield)and he was completely out of order telling me I wasn't been fair to my unborn child,putting it in unneccesary danger,and I was being irresponsible (I was 21 at the time, and he was apatronising bas**rd!), the midwives who were present said he was wrong after he left the room.
O.k end of waffle,just one more tip, if you decide to plant the placenta!! like we did , don't leave it in a bag in the shed for a month and forget about it - believe me it WILL stink!
Good luck to all you pregnant mothers, remember the more painful it is ,the closer you are to meeting your beuatiful new baby, so embrace the pain! Oh one more thing, siblings of the new born are supposed to bond better with the new baby after Mum has had a homebirth,no jelousy of Mum going away and retuning with a new addition.

Originally posted by peakma
if you decide to plant the placenta!! like we did , don't leave it in a bag in the shed for a month and forget about it
:gag: Bletch! I put ours in the freezer :P

A letter of complaint should be directed to the 'Supervisor of Midwives' at Jessops I believe. It does sound as if your care so far has been unorganised and uninspiring!

Ladies, please remember that it is your right to have a homebirth, or a birth in a field, or a shed, or anywhere you please. The NHS have a legal duty to attend. They cannot refuse. However, sometimes they like to try ;)

I had my first son born at home. Hospital just didn't ever seem to be the right place to be going for the birth of my baby. In fact, all my midwife apps. were at the doctors - why do some ladies have midwife appointments at the hospital and not the doc's? Who makes this decision?

Also, www.homebirth.org.uk is a very helpful site.

My Daughter In Law wanted a hone birth with all four of my grandchildren, but only managed to get it with the last one.

She had to go into the NGH with the oldest, to be induced three and a half weeks early, because she was going into eclampsia.

Numbers "2 and 3" ,she had to have a hospital birth because she had a mild case of Placenta praevia, both times. (the placenta was too low, and there was potential for conplications.)

The fourth was born at home, pretty much as she wanted.

The only "problem" with the birth was that there was a "cock-up" with the delivery of the Gas-and-air machine, so she didn't get any pain relief except for a couple of paracetamols!!!

The baby was born at 1003hrs but g&a machine did not arrive until 1100 hrs, and baby was fifty-seven minutes old by then. (!)

PT

I had my second son at home in Sheffield.

I had an amazing birth in the pool at home with my husband two wonderful midwifes, my parents and my oldest son in bed asleep upstairs.

It was no problem to organize and the care was second to none. The only thing that was hard to organize was the stem cell collection as my midwife was a bit stressed as she had never had any experience of this so she was worrying a lot but all went without a hitch.

I understand the midwives are stretched in the hospitals but as every home birth gives you two midwives all too yourself and they don't keep disappearing to see to anyone else it truly is a excellent way to give birth and as for the care its a captured audience so I strongly believe if you birth at home you get the best care and the best cuppa tea afterwards as well as your own bathroom and snugly bed afterwards.

I also had a home water birth. Midwives arrived well in time, had picked pool up from Jessops about 3 weeks before needed. Man delivered equipment, then promptly arrived to take it away after. I passed out afterwards, and one midwife stayed until I felt better. Couldn't fault any of it, totally brilliant and would highly recommend.

If you want to know more, feel free to pm.