My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Childbirth

Glasgow vs Stirling/ Queen Mum's vs Princess Royal - any Scots mums?

23 replies

mcmudda · 30/11/2004 14:46

Hello

I need to choose hospitals now ASAP. I live almost exactly between Glasgow and Stirling, but dh works in Glasgow and my parents live in Glasgow.

However my best friend (a GP in Stirling) recommends Stirling over any of the Glasgow hospitals anytime.

As ds was born in Watford - I have no idea about central belt hospitals.

Any recommendations I can chew over?

OP posts:
Report
Aimsmum · 30/11/2004 14:51

Message withdrawn

Report
mcmudda · 30/11/2004 14:52

Thanks Aimsmum - Queen Mums is current favourite cos my family are in the west end anyway.

Is the Princess Royal the new one?

OP posts:
Report
nailpolish · 30/11/2004 14:52

hello!

havent seen any posts from you since you moved, i take it it went well? how you enjoying your new home? how long do you have left to go?

cant advise you on any hospitals - i had both dds in forth park in kirkcaldy which was wonderful. i would go with your friends advice. dh was born in queen mother but that was a long time ago! ive heard that might be closing soon so i can imagine its a bit run down maybe. although that doesnt reflect on the care you receive

Report
mcmudda · 30/11/2004 15:00

Thanks nailpolish - I thought I'd heard something about the Queen Mothers closing, but wasn't 100% sure. I'm due in June, but arranging scans etc at the moment.

Move went really well thanks for asking - I can't believe how amazing the location is! Our new house needs a bit of decorating though, but it's still great.

OP posts:
Report
nailpolish · 30/11/2004 15:03

awwwwww thats great. with any pg nesting instinct the house will be done in no time but try not to do too much

gosh, june seems so far away, hope you are keeping well. im sure whatever hospital you end up in it will be fine - i have some experience of west coast nurses and midwives and they are all truly lovely

enjoy the scans

Report
ja9 · 30/11/2004 19:00

i moved to stirling at the beginning of august and had my first baby at the end of august. i was really pleased with the midwifes and the labour ward at sri, and have very happy memories of the few days spent there.

the only annoying thing was poor visiting times for dads - they can't visit until 2pm. this drove my dh to distraction.... it did howver mean he had to fill his mornings in another way, and he did this by shopping for an eternity ring for me and lots of cute things for ds! bonus!

Report
gish · 30/11/2004 20:38

maybe this is why your gp friend suggests stirling? Looks like there are a few more normal births. I am just assuming that you want a normal birth - please feel free to correct me!

Report
sammac · 30/11/2004 20:53

I had ds at Princess Royal exactly three years ago today- where has the time gone! The staff are excellent and we were well taken care of. Dads are allowed in most of the time, rooms of 6/8, with some individual rooms. I had an elective section, and had a fabulous experience( if that's what you would call it) with music, very relaxed and calm.

Down side is hellish parking- but then aren't all mat hospitals like this? Outside main visiting hours slightly better. Can you come straight down the M80- cos it's obviously right off it.

Report
mcmudda · 30/11/2004 22:01

Gish - thanks for that site

I'm aiming for a vaginal delivery this time - had an emergency c-section last time. We live in the middle of nowhere so I really need to be able to drive before 6 weeks!

It's a difficult one. I might actually have to toss a coin, but I don't have a 3 sided coin...

So far: 3 votes for Stirling, plus my friend makes 4, one for the Queen Mum's and my mum votes for the Princess Royal, cos it's basically Rottenrow in disguise (where I was born ).

It should be obvious from that, but I'm still swithering!

OP posts:
Report
mcmudda · 30/11/2004 22:02

Oops - sorry Sammac - 2 votes for the Princess Royal!

OP posts:
Report
mears · 01/12/2004 09:48

I trained at the Queen Mothers

Saying that, I think it depends what kind of birth you are planning. If you wanted a waterbirth for instance, neither Glasgow hospitals do them. Being a previous C/S, I doubt if you could easily get near a pool TBH, Except in my hospital which is too far away. I don't know about Stirling at all. I think you just go with your gut feeling.

Report
tabitha · 01/12/2004 10:13

What about St Johns in Livingston - or is that too far away for you. I had dd there last February and couldn't fault it. Used the birthing pool during labour (that was the main reason I chose it over Stirling, they don't have a 'built in' birthing pool) but gave birth 'on dry land' so to speak
I know a few people who have had babies in Stirling in the last year and they all seem pretty happy with it. Don't know anything about the Glasgow hospitals, I'm afraid.

Report
gish · 01/12/2004 20:32

I know a great doula in Glasgow mcmudda if you are interested in extra support during pregnancy and birth, you can cat me if you want to.

Report
miam · 01/12/2004 20:41

Another one for Stirling - I had my youngest two there and the staff were wonderful. Parking is dreadful but it is a small price to pay. If it had not been for the excellent medical staff there my youngest would have died, so I would heartily recommend Stirling.

Report
crocus · 01/12/2004 21:27

I had my DS in the Princess Royal. The midwifes were lovely. IMO there are good and bad at every hospital and it's just your luck. Could have thumped the doctor .

Sorry, no help really.

Report
Bubu · 01/12/2004 21:38

I had my son at the Queen Mothers and have since had a miscarraige and attended the Queen Mothers again - awful - I would highly recommend NOT going there!!! I came from Stirling so I would go there if I was you!!! Good luck anyway!!!

Report
pupuce · 02/12/2004 20:57

Miam
Is that Adela?

Report
gish · 04/12/2004 23:33

Hi pupuce, no its not Adela, she is not doing any doula work atm as far as I know. Thinking of another woman not yet joined DUK.

Report
Prettybird · 10/12/2004 14:57

I had ds at the Queen Mum's and would go back there in a trice. Their b/f support was fantastic too. Ds didn't gain weight for ages, but I got SO much support from the b/f counsellors at the hospital and the b/f support group that they ran.

Ds had jaundice so had to go under lights so I was in for 5 days post birth. Also had to go back in for another 5 days about 2 weeks later when I got an infection and had to go on i/v antibiotics (hasten to say, the infection was NOT from the hospital - it was, we think, from one of our cats) and they were great again. Food is not great - but they do have a few single rooms, which after my initial "I should be sociable" it was nice to be transferred into so that ds could get his light therapy. And when I went back in, I was in the "bugs" room(ie "isolation" room), with my own loo. Apparently, that is wehere they put the celebs, like Anna Ryder Richardson (?) - only they don't tell them the room's nick name! Grin

I had a missed miscarriage last year and unlike Bubu's experience, they were fantastic. I supose it is just the luck of the draw.

The Queen Mum's has been reprieved for at least another five years, when a new hospital is supposed to be build combining the functions of the current Queen Mums and Yorkhill Sick Childrens haspitals - probably at the Southern General.

You would expect the stats for the Queen Mum's to be higher for interventions, as it is the teritary centre and they get "problems" transferred to them. I certainly didn't feel under any pressure to have a section, although I did end up having forceps. With hindsight, I think part of that was due to my second midwife (I went across 2 shifts) getting me to push when I was still really in trnasiton, so I ended up exhausted. (But being a first birth, I didn't know better to argue with her) But you can't blame the hospital midwives for that - she was a community midwife in from Ayrshire, getting a "refresher" (or something like that).

But I am also biased,as my Dad used to work at Yorkhill (More the Children's Hospital though). (He's worked in Sirling too - though that was a LOOOONG time ago)

The visiting hours aren't restricted for dads - they can visit whenever they want. They are restricted for other people though - apparently following feedback from the mums. Can't remember the hours though.

Report
XmasMcMudding · 10/12/2004 15:26

Thanks again everyone - I didn't get a chance ntil now to check that this thread was still going!

At the moment I've said Princess Royal to my GP, she said my m/w would get back to me if she'd heard any horror stories about it Grin. I've not heard anything! I'm the first mum at her practice to go there - all the other mums go to Queen Mums or Stirling.

But as my family are all in Glasgow and dh works in Glasgow, I suppose Stirling will be a bit difficult for antenatal appointments or if I have to have another section (please no !) and stay in for days on end.

And I don't think I'll get near a pool anyway - I could hear them filling my pool while in labour with ds as I was shoved in the lift and taken away from the lovely birthing unit and into the horrible maximum intervention ward - sob Sad so it looks like that will always pass me by now..

Report
gscrym · 10/12/2004 16:17

Why not ask your midwife if it would be possible for you to go and look at the facilities in each of your shortlisted hospitals. That way you might get more of a gut feeling about where you want to go for the main event.
My friend had an induction in Stirling, gave birth without complications and was allowed home the same day (baby at 1am, home by 2pm). That was her first baby aswell! (lucky woman).

Report
gish · 10/12/2004 16:18

If women can have 2 or even 3 c-sections and then give birth to their 3rd/4th babies at home in water - surely you will be able to use birthing pool at hospital xmasmcmudding !

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

gscrym · 10/12/2004 16:19

Nailpolish - Me and my brother were both Forth Park babies. My mum had had such a nice time with my brother that even though they had moved to Grangemouth, she still had me through there.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.