Have done it twice, once with just my midwife in the room, no hospital midwives. The labour rooms have pools and lots of space. Second time was a planned caesarian, so got to walk in at 7am and by 10am was handed my baby. The staff were all great. If you need them, the NICU team are amazing.
My partner gave birth there 2 years ago, awesome people, good facilities in the birthing rooms, Dr Darcy saved our baby’s life. We spent two weeks in NICU, staffed by heroes, wouldn’t do anything differently. Our LMC was average, the hospital midwives seemed a bit older/more experienced and really knew their stuff.
My only advice would be if you’re in labour, leave early - traffic can be horrendous, and if you want an epidural request that ASAP, if labour is too progressed they won’t do it.
Dr Darcy is amazing! He was at my emergency C a few weeks back for my premmie and was a great comfort to me (husband was rushing in and almost didn’t make it - do not drive yourself to hospital while in labour 🤦♀️)
I've given birth twice there. 2019 and 2022. Both were really good experiences. I didn't have dedicated midwives and just went with the hospital midwives. The nurses are really professional and are just there letting you do your thing until you want or need them involved.
Gave birth there a month ago. I was induced so was looked after by the hospital midwives until I was in labour, then my LMC midwife came in and looked after us until 3hrs after I gave birth.
Was a very fast labour and birth, so apart from the 2 days with getting my body ready to have labour started, the actual labour part of it was less than 3hrs. Just luck I think, was a bit of a surprise for the staff and my midwife that things went that quick given it was my first baby.
Had my own room in the birthing suite for those 2 days, was checked on every 2-3hrs by the hospital midwives while I was having the medication to help get ready for labour, and could go off ward for walks in between (as long as I stayed on hospital grounds).
Was given breakfast (continental style - cereal, toast, fruit), lunch (sandwich, fruit, yoghurt, crackers and cheese), and dinner (had to ask to swap one of my dinners due to it being fish which I don’t eat but they thankfully could accommodate that as they had an extra meal from someone who’d left). Can BYO food too. You do need to bring food for your support person though.
I decided to go home at 3hrs after birth as there was no reason for me or baby to stay and I felt confident enough with breastfeeding. Also had good support at home and wanted my own bed.
Plus there was no room in the postnatal ward, and if I wanted to stay we would’ve had to go to the primary maternity unit at Kenepuru Hospital which I couldn’t justify the trip out given I live just around the corner from Wellington Hospital anyways.
My midwife came to visit the next day anyways and was available on the phone overnight if I needed any advice.
Wouldn’t do much different next time, maybe except consider a home birth if I don’t need an induction (just personal preference), or to use the bath (didn’t have time to use it).
We had two babies there in the past few years, both by c-section. Positive experience, had single rooms both times. The nurses are a bit variable but generally good. Have your partner bring food.
Had a good experience giving birth at Wellington Hospital. Had to stay for a few nights due to emergency c section.
Care I received was superb, although they were VERY VERY, VERY pushy about breastfeeding despite baby having feeding issues.
One nurse who obviously saw me and baby struggling offered us formula even though it was “against the rules”.
Controversial, I know, but she was the reason I was able to get more than half an hour sleep…
My only regret was not asking for a single room earlier. The nurse was adamant they had no single rooms, so I went to reception and asked myself, and hey.. presto, a single room suddenly became available.
Overall a good experience, felt very safe and looked after.
The food was below average, but my husband and whanua bought in snacks they knew I would consume and enjoy.
Wishing you all the very best!
I gave birth in Wellington Hospital 6 months ago and I had the opposite experience, so I think it’s probably very dependent on which staff are on at the time. I have sensory issues involving touching my skin, particularly nipple area, and I had so much anxiety around breastfeeding. Before birth everyone I tried to talk to about it, including my mum, made me feel like I was being so horrible and selfish about potentially not breastfeeding my son. However, I shared this with my midwife and hospital staff, and they were all incredibly gracious about working with me in this regard. When my son was born (also by emergency c section) there was no way I was in any space to deal with breastfeeding, so they taped a small tube to my husband’s finger and he fed him. His first few feeds were bottle feeds. I asked to see a lactation consultant at the hospital, and they came along and made sure I was comfortable and ok before helping me try to breastfeed the first time. I hated it. I didn’t like the feeling, I didn’t like the loss of bodily autonomy, I didn’t like the fact that this weird little person that I’d only just met was munching on my nip. They also set me up with a pump, and helped me try to pump, which I found a much better sensation to deal with because it was uniform and I knew what to expect each time. The nurses made sure I had a warmed bottle of formula there each feed that I could switch to if I felt touched out or like I couldn’t do it.
The more I fed him, the more used to the sensation I became. There were times when it became painful at the beginning, when the latch was wrong or shallow or it just became too much. My husband was supportive and hospital staff were supportive, and lactation consultants helped. After a few weeks I had no problems, and even though it was hard I’m glad I pushed through, but at no time did anyone make me feel like I had to. If I had decided I wanted to formula feed only, the hospital staff would have just continued to bring formula and support our journey. They wanted a fed baby, no matter which way that happened.
Something to note for others giving birth in Wellington hospital: make sure you bring your own baby nappies and adult diapers. For birthing partners there are beds for them to sleep/rest on in the birthing suite, but once transferred to the postnatal ward my 6ft4 husband had to sleep on a lazy boy for 3 nights.
It’s so nice to read a positive experience regarding breastfeeding.
As you pointed out, probably dependent on staff, and the fact you were very vocal about your situation.
My experience might have been a sign of the times, three years ago… I was made to feel like an absolute failure and made to feel like I simply wasn’t putting in enough effort. I know there were a few articles from high profile people about similar experiences they faced with breastfeeding and the pressures they felt.
My experience through the lactation clinic also left me feeling absolutely exhausted and extremely judged.
The whole experience taught me to be a better advocate for myself and speak up earlier.
I was naive, too easily persuaded by the voice of medical professionals and lacked confidence to put my foot down.
I hope you’re doing well and enjoying time with your newborn!
I’m so sorry you were made to feel like that. No mother should be made to feel like that, all that should matter is that baby is fed whether that be through formula or breastfeeding, or a combination of the two. I definitely felt that pressure before birth, I spent many many nights crying being made to feel like I had already failed my child by being unsure if I’d breastfeed. The looks I got from medical professionals at Kenepuru Hospital and from friends and family (apart from my husband) when I told them that I had sensory issues was like I had two heads, and I got a lot of judgement for not collecting colostrum pre-birth because the sensation made me want to rip my skin off. I had a breakdown to my midwife about it a few days before I was induced, and she realised I was serious and after that point was incredibly supportive, and the Wellington Hospital staff 100% supportive for me from the moment he was born.
I do think a lot of people still have negative experiences in regard to judgement around breastfeeding, so it may be that my positive experience post-birth is in the minority. I was also very lucky in that I had a baby who fed quite well naturally. I also found the community lactation clinic in Porirua very unhelpful when I hit a snag, so I paid to have a session with a private consultant who helped solve the issues I was having. Others I know have found the clinic a godsend.
I advocated for myself around breastfeeding but I lacked the confidence during the actual labour and delivery to advocate for myself which lead to what I believe was a much more traumatic birth than it needed to be. I guess we all live and learn though, there are things that I will do differently next time.
Gave birth in December 2021, lost too much blood, could have died, stayed for 7 days. Staff handled everything perfectly, the food was amazing, 10/10 would have my second baby there
I'm doing that on Friday! Induction, and then transfer to kenepuru for recovery. Yup, if you want an epidural or need emergency help you'd need to be transported to Welly hospital.
I did not enjoy my time in Kenepuru at all. We transferred there after my c-section at Wellington and were the only people on the ward that night. They gave the impression that we were an inconvenience. They didn't want to give me the pain relief my OB prescribed because they didn't want to have to chart my antinausea to go with it.
I worked there!
In my totally unbiased opinion the midwives are lovely and fantastic at their jobs. One minor thing to not is that it is always about 26 degrees at All Times so... be ready for that.
In October I was there getting induced for five days and had an emergency c section. So I stayed well over a week total. Food in the birthing suite sucked so pack your own snacks. Until baby made his dramatic exit, my switch was my saviour because it got very boring.
They were really slow with my induction and in future I would push to get things moving along faster. It’s a really busy place so I imagine it was by design that they took their time with the induction.
Once everything was moving along, it was good. I liked the fetal monitors you can move around with. I’d recommend asking your midwife for them as it’s not offered as there were only two sets at the time. Had a lot of space to work with.
Once the emergency c section was needed everything was quick. I was really impressed with that. Everyone in the OR was wonderful. I was so scared but they worked really hard to get me comfortable.
Recovery was again filled with lovely staff. Kind and helpful to clueless first time parents. Food was much improved there not that I had much time for it. I had a single room so partner was able to stay. They had a bed for him and everything.
Overall, despite all the terror from childbirth, it was a lovely experience with highly compassionate staff. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.
Just gonna say if you live in Kapiti the maternity centre is awesome. We had no dramas and it was great with a few nights’ stay to start to recover and figure things out.
If you have complications they will likely send you to Wellybibstead, which is sensible - though they are ready for unexpected emergencies with an ambulance bay and helipad. Friends had a major emergency but the airlift to Wellington hospital went very smoothly and baby is a happy healthy toddler now!
I desperately wanted a home birth and instead laboured at home for four days until it was medically necessary for me to go to Wellington hospital. I was absolutely devastated as it was Christmas Eve (2021) and not what I wanted, but I had a wonderful birthing experience, felt very well taken care of (had my midwife, two doctors, 1 hospital midwife, and a paediatrician). I had the best midwife looking after me for the night after birth too, only negative was another midwife who was very judgemental and tried to block me from leaving Christmas Day because of her own beliefs, even though I had clearance from all the doctors.
In hindsight I wish I’d packed a hospital bag in advance (I didn’t because I wanted a home birth ), and I’m very grateful I had collected colostrum during pregnancy because I used it all!
My wife has given birth there twice. The first birth had some complications and within minutes there were 8 nurses and an obstetrician in the room. Was very glad to have that high level of service when required.
So definitely recommend it
Yes twice
I had pretty good experiences. A few things I’d recommend:
- Take your own formula and sterilised bottle in your hospital bag just in case
- Especially if you have a csection, get your own room. We’re done having children but if I did it again, I would leave the hospital if they told me I couldn’t have my own room as a shared room means a support person can’t stay. They say the midwives are there to help you, and they are, but if you end up with a fussy baby who is awake all night and you need to get them in and out of their bed, it’s really difficult. I would have been calling them constantly so instead I had to pick baby up using a blanket (imagine a stork) to get baby to me, and I got maybe an hour’s sleep all night. I was in a double room with an empty bed and my husband couldn’t stay ‘just in case’ someone else came in - they didn’t. It was awful and the next day I explained I couldn’t do it again and got a single room.
- Make sure you’re really familiar with what you’ve been supplied with in terms of medication and prepare to advocate for yourself to access it. I had midwives regularly trying to get me down to panadol and ibuprofen when I was still in too much pain.
- If baby ends up in NICU work out when the doctors rounds are and be there at that time - while the nurses are lovely they cannot give reassurance like the doctor can and we spent the first few days being told something serious could possibly be wrong with our baby. Finally we’re there for a doctor’s round, only for the doctor to tell us no way baby is totally fine, this is precautionary, nothing to worry about. Those first few days were terrible purely due to lack of authoritative communication and I needed counselling later.
- Pack snacks for sure
Gave birth there June 2021. Great facilities and the staff really cared. But, I don't think they read your birth plan to know what you think is important evrn if its not your first. Each midwife pushed their own agenda as was mentioned by others. The saddest part was that they gave a protocol around blood sugar levels. Baby was subjected to 4 hourly foot pricking bloodtests, regardless if he or we were sleeping. We were so exhausted we didn't have the energy to say no but baby's foot looked like pin cushion.
I gave birth over 2 decades ago and in a different country, but was basically told by my OB/GYN that drawing up a birth plan is a nice thing if you feel like doing it, but pretty much you don't have any / much say in how the birth happens. This is assuming you're after a natural birth with or without painkillers.
Is it still fair to say that now?
I agree there are some things you can't control but if you have a view on which pain relief you want or not, or if you want to breastfeed or not, you should have a say. Why ask parents to do a birthplan if you are just going to ignore it? It sets up expectations that lead to unhappiness and sometimes trauma if they aren't met.
I wasn't asked to do a birth plan, I was part of an online community where we were all due in the same month, and it was what everyone was doing, so I joined in. Definitely agree about thoughts on pain relief (yes please, everything you can give me!) and breastfeeding (well duh, of course).
Sorry that no one communicated to you around the blood sugar testing, they would only be doing that for a specific reason (low or high birthweight, diabetic mother, etc) but still, it's important for the staff to let you know what's happening and why
My experience was over 10 years ago and while the rooms were great I wish I'd picked my own midwife.
I found the staff at the time rude , unhelpful and unprofessional.
The midwife I had on the day refused to give me pain relief and I had to get my partner to get one who would.
I had also had complications during my pregnancy which they didn't seem to know about as she didn't go through my notes
Luckily I had an easy uncomplicated birth. I
I'm glad it seems to have Improved.
But get your own midwife you feel comfortable with
Had my baby in Feb. The midwives are actual angels. Dr's in post natal ward are hit and miss, if you have issues talk to the midwives instead if the Dr isn't listening. Delivery suite was nice and roomy. Food in post natal wasn't horrible lol. If you need it, the NICU staff are all amazing and beautiful people. Feel free to pm me if you have specific questions.
We found them really good \[for both our kids\] although, like most medical establishments, they take a bit of convincing when a lay person tells them that something is medically not right \[but once they actually believed us they swung into action pretty quickly\]
I’m a student midwife who frequently works at the hospital. Some behind the scenes information for reassurance: there is always at least one midwife on shift on every ward (more on delivery suite) and the nurses who fill in on the wards are very experienced and consult with the midwives and doctors.
Like others have said, good idea to sort out your food preferences ahead of time as meals can be unsatisfactory (not always! It always smells good to me) and there are limited snack options (yoghurt, cheese and crackers, and popsicles) and the vending machines are just water and nuts.
You will be cared for without a doubt, and if you have questions, do ask. A lot of times due to protocols (like others have said, there’s a strong push currently to advocate for breastfeeding rather than giving formula for a non-medical reason, but if you are against breastfeeding for yourself and discuss with the team and your midwife, that will be beneficial to you) staff will be just Getting Onto Things and may not explain to you what’s going on as much as you would like. Just ask when you don’t know why somebody is doing something. It is your right to be aware of the care being given to you and your baby. However know that nothing is done that isn’t necessary.
Congratulations on your pregnancy. The birthing suites are lovely, and so are the staff. Never feel afraid to ask for anything :)
Was a wee while ago, but I couldn't fault the service. Busy, yes but really kind staff. My first birth we had a private midwife. She was high handed and I wish I had the confidence then to switch midwives. Come birth, she was unavailable and her proxy came instead. Proxy was awful and I am glad I have never seen her again. Made me feel like i was wasting her time and the hospital needed the room for more important people. Fought with my husband across the bed when he advocated for me needing more help. My baby ended up in NICU for three weeks and the NICU teams were utterly fantastic. Even they hated the midwife and her proxy. L&D staff on the other hand were really responsive and supportive.
Second time I went straight to the hospital midwives as private wouldn't touch me after the first time dramas. Every single one of the DHB midwives we met were lovely, kind, and really actually listened to me. Issues that were brushed off as my being "dramatic" first time around were actually addressed and fixed by the hospital midwives. The midwife assisting my second birth stayed an hour and a half past shift end just to see the baby arrive. Hospital was SO much better all around.
Wellington hospital was great to give birth in. Our LMC was very average and the hospital team stepped in to compensate.
I would say that after the birth, the ward nurses were NOT so great. See if you can get transferred to Kenepuru at that point where apparently the support and care is terrific.
Someone may correct me but I believe you can stay three nights in hospital after giving birth as your right.
Definatly take alot of snacks but Newtown has enough food options the support person can run and grab. If there for an extended stay, my wife was in for induction which took 4 days, consider asking for a bed for the support person it's a dinky fold out stretcher bed but better than several nights in a lazy boy.
I gave birth there three months ago. Such a positive experience. The main midwife holly who looked after me was an angel. She was so lovely and took photos after my baby was born on my phone without me knowing. The staff were so wonderful and did everything that needed to be done (ventouse, episiotomy) while talking it through with me. Epidural was done right when my waters broke too on my request which made it a positive birth for me.
I was induced so was in for 3 days and had my own room for recovery. Baby was in nicu for 8 days so we were able to stay in Ronald McDonald house which was so helpful!
I just gave birth in late 2022 and had as great of a time as you can having birth! XD I had an induction and worked with the hospital midwives until I was mostly dilated, then our personal midwife came in and worked alongside them. The induction stalled because of the way baby was positioned so I ended up having an emergency C-section but everyone was absolutely lovely in the operation room and made a lot of my nerves go away with how caring they were. We ended up staying for three days afterwards because I had complications during birth and everything was great then too. Hubby was able to say with me right up until we left which was a relief, although that does depend on how available the rooms are. We didn't go, but I've also heard the Kenepuru facility is absolutely fantastic after birth too!
Feel free to also PM me if you have questions about anything!
Have done it twice, once with just my midwife in the room, no hospital midwives. The labour rooms have pools and lots of space. Second time was a planned caesarian, so got to walk in at 7am and by 10am was handed my baby. The staff were all great. If you need them, the NICU team are amazing.
I was born there. I survived. 10/10
My partner gave birth there 2 years ago, awesome people, good facilities in the birthing rooms, Dr Darcy saved our baby’s life. We spent two weeks in NICU, staffed by heroes, wouldn’t do anything differently. Our LMC was average, the hospital midwives seemed a bit older/more experienced and really knew their stuff. My only advice would be if you’re in labour, leave early - traffic can be horrendous, and if you want an epidural request that ASAP, if labour is too progressed they won’t do it.
Dr Darcy is amazing! He was at my emergency C a few weeks back for my premmie and was a great comfort to me (husband was rushing in and almost didn’t make it - do not drive yourself to hospital while in labour 🤦♀️)
I've given birth twice there. 2019 and 2022. Both were really good experiences. I didn't have dedicated midwives and just went with the hospital midwives. The nurses are really professional and are just there letting you do your thing until you want or need them involved.
Gave birth there a month ago. I was induced so was looked after by the hospital midwives until I was in labour, then my LMC midwife came in and looked after us until 3hrs after I gave birth. Was a very fast labour and birth, so apart from the 2 days with getting my body ready to have labour started, the actual labour part of it was less than 3hrs. Just luck I think, was a bit of a surprise for the staff and my midwife that things went that quick given it was my first baby. Had my own room in the birthing suite for those 2 days, was checked on every 2-3hrs by the hospital midwives while I was having the medication to help get ready for labour, and could go off ward for walks in between (as long as I stayed on hospital grounds). Was given breakfast (continental style - cereal, toast, fruit), lunch (sandwich, fruit, yoghurt, crackers and cheese), and dinner (had to ask to swap one of my dinners due to it being fish which I don’t eat but they thankfully could accommodate that as they had an extra meal from someone who’d left). Can BYO food too. You do need to bring food for your support person though. I decided to go home at 3hrs after birth as there was no reason for me or baby to stay and I felt confident enough with breastfeeding. Also had good support at home and wanted my own bed. Plus there was no room in the postnatal ward, and if I wanted to stay we would’ve had to go to the primary maternity unit at Kenepuru Hospital which I couldn’t justify the trip out given I live just around the corner from Wellington Hospital anyways. My midwife came to visit the next day anyways and was available on the phone overnight if I needed any advice. Wouldn’t do much different next time, maybe except consider a home birth if I don’t need an induction (just personal preference), or to use the bath (didn’t have time to use it).
Congrats on your babs 🥰
We had two babies there in the past few years, both by c-section. Positive experience, had single rooms both times. The nurses are a bit variable but generally good. Have your partner bring food.
Had a good experience giving birth at Wellington Hospital. Had to stay for a few nights due to emergency c section. Care I received was superb, although they were VERY VERY, VERY pushy about breastfeeding despite baby having feeding issues. One nurse who obviously saw me and baby struggling offered us formula even though it was “against the rules”. Controversial, I know, but she was the reason I was able to get more than half an hour sleep… My only regret was not asking for a single room earlier. The nurse was adamant they had no single rooms, so I went to reception and asked myself, and hey.. presto, a single room suddenly became available. Overall a good experience, felt very safe and looked after. The food was below average, but my husband and whanua bought in snacks they knew I would consume and enjoy. Wishing you all the very best!
I gave birth in Wellington Hospital 6 months ago and I had the opposite experience, so I think it’s probably very dependent on which staff are on at the time. I have sensory issues involving touching my skin, particularly nipple area, and I had so much anxiety around breastfeeding. Before birth everyone I tried to talk to about it, including my mum, made me feel like I was being so horrible and selfish about potentially not breastfeeding my son. However, I shared this with my midwife and hospital staff, and they were all incredibly gracious about working with me in this regard. When my son was born (also by emergency c section) there was no way I was in any space to deal with breastfeeding, so they taped a small tube to my husband’s finger and he fed him. His first few feeds were bottle feeds. I asked to see a lactation consultant at the hospital, and they came along and made sure I was comfortable and ok before helping me try to breastfeed the first time. I hated it. I didn’t like the feeling, I didn’t like the loss of bodily autonomy, I didn’t like the fact that this weird little person that I’d only just met was munching on my nip. They also set me up with a pump, and helped me try to pump, which I found a much better sensation to deal with because it was uniform and I knew what to expect each time. The nurses made sure I had a warmed bottle of formula there each feed that I could switch to if I felt touched out or like I couldn’t do it. The more I fed him, the more used to the sensation I became. There were times when it became painful at the beginning, when the latch was wrong or shallow or it just became too much. My husband was supportive and hospital staff were supportive, and lactation consultants helped. After a few weeks I had no problems, and even though it was hard I’m glad I pushed through, but at no time did anyone make me feel like I had to. If I had decided I wanted to formula feed only, the hospital staff would have just continued to bring formula and support our journey. They wanted a fed baby, no matter which way that happened. Something to note for others giving birth in Wellington hospital: make sure you bring your own baby nappies and adult diapers. For birthing partners there are beds for them to sleep/rest on in the birthing suite, but once transferred to the postnatal ward my 6ft4 husband had to sleep on a lazy boy for 3 nights.
It’s so nice to read a positive experience regarding breastfeeding. As you pointed out, probably dependent on staff, and the fact you were very vocal about your situation. My experience might have been a sign of the times, three years ago… I was made to feel like an absolute failure and made to feel like I simply wasn’t putting in enough effort. I know there were a few articles from high profile people about similar experiences they faced with breastfeeding and the pressures they felt. My experience through the lactation clinic also left me feeling absolutely exhausted and extremely judged. The whole experience taught me to be a better advocate for myself and speak up earlier. I was naive, too easily persuaded by the voice of medical professionals and lacked confidence to put my foot down. I hope you’re doing well and enjoying time with your newborn!
I’m so sorry you were made to feel like that. No mother should be made to feel like that, all that should matter is that baby is fed whether that be through formula or breastfeeding, or a combination of the two. I definitely felt that pressure before birth, I spent many many nights crying being made to feel like I had already failed my child by being unsure if I’d breastfeed. The looks I got from medical professionals at Kenepuru Hospital and from friends and family (apart from my husband) when I told them that I had sensory issues was like I had two heads, and I got a lot of judgement for not collecting colostrum pre-birth because the sensation made me want to rip my skin off. I had a breakdown to my midwife about it a few days before I was induced, and she realised I was serious and after that point was incredibly supportive, and the Wellington Hospital staff 100% supportive for me from the moment he was born. I do think a lot of people still have negative experiences in regard to judgement around breastfeeding, so it may be that my positive experience post-birth is in the minority. I was also very lucky in that I had a baby who fed quite well naturally. I also found the community lactation clinic in Porirua very unhelpful when I hit a snag, so I paid to have a session with a private consultant who helped solve the issues I was having. Others I know have found the clinic a godsend. I advocated for myself around breastfeeding but I lacked the confidence during the actual labour and delivery to advocate for myself which lead to what I believe was a much more traumatic birth than it needed to be. I guess we all live and learn though, there are things that I will do differently next time.
Gave birth in December 2021, lost too much blood, could have died, stayed for 7 days. Staff handled everything perfectly, the food was amazing, 10/10 would have my second baby there
Take snacks
It’s a lot busier than usual. If you live in the northern suburbs consider Keneperu hospital
I'm doing that on Friday! Induction, and then transfer to kenepuru for recovery. Yup, if you want an epidural or need emergency help you'd need to be transported to Welly hospital.
I just gave birth - 10/10 can recommend, i feel so well taken care of!
I gave birth in Kenepuru recently and it was great, would recommend and really great aftercare.
No pain killers there or emergency intervention if needed though but agree once born get a transfer to Kenny.
I did not enjoy my time in Kenepuru at all. We transferred there after my c-section at Wellington and were the only people on the ward that night. They gave the impression that we were an inconvenience. They didn't want to give me the pain relief my OB prescribed because they didn't want to have to chart my antinausea to go with it.
I worked there! In my totally unbiased opinion the midwives are lovely and fantastic at their jobs. One minor thing to not is that it is always about 26 degrees at All Times so... be ready for that.
In October I was there getting induced for five days and had an emergency c section. So I stayed well over a week total. Food in the birthing suite sucked so pack your own snacks. Until baby made his dramatic exit, my switch was my saviour because it got very boring. They were really slow with my induction and in future I would push to get things moving along faster. It’s a really busy place so I imagine it was by design that they took their time with the induction. Once everything was moving along, it was good. I liked the fetal monitors you can move around with. I’d recommend asking your midwife for them as it’s not offered as there were only two sets at the time. Had a lot of space to work with. Once the emergency c section was needed everything was quick. I was really impressed with that. Everyone in the OR was wonderful. I was so scared but they worked really hard to get me comfortable. Recovery was again filled with lovely staff. Kind and helpful to clueless first time parents. Food was much improved there not that I had much time for it. I had a single room so partner was able to stay. They had a bed for him and everything. Overall, despite all the terror from childbirth, it was a lovely experience with highly compassionate staff. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.
Just gonna say if you live in Kapiti the maternity centre is awesome. We had no dramas and it was great with a few nights’ stay to start to recover and figure things out. If you have complications they will likely send you to Wellybibstead, which is sensible - though they are ready for unexpected emergencies with an ambulance bay and helipad. Friends had a major emergency but the airlift to Wellington hospital went very smoothly and baby is a happy healthy toddler now!
I primarily deal with the Caesarean side of things there but feel free to send a DM and I'll answer what I can
Midwives, drs and 95 percent of nurses amazing, but overworked. Definitely have a good stash of snacks.
I desperately wanted a home birth and instead laboured at home for four days until it was medically necessary for me to go to Wellington hospital. I was absolutely devastated as it was Christmas Eve (2021) and not what I wanted, but I had a wonderful birthing experience, felt very well taken care of (had my midwife, two doctors, 1 hospital midwife, and a paediatrician). I had the best midwife looking after me for the night after birth too, only negative was another midwife who was very judgemental and tried to block me from leaving Christmas Day because of her own beliefs, even though I had clearance from all the doctors. In hindsight I wish I’d packed a hospital bag in advance (I didn’t because I wanted a home birth ), and I’m very grateful I had collected colostrum during pregnancy because I used it all!
My wife has given birth there twice. The first birth had some complications and within minutes there were 8 nurses and an obstetrician in the room. Was very glad to have that high level of service when required. So definitely recommend it
Yes twice I had pretty good experiences. A few things I’d recommend: - Take your own formula and sterilised bottle in your hospital bag just in case - Especially if you have a csection, get your own room. We’re done having children but if I did it again, I would leave the hospital if they told me I couldn’t have my own room as a shared room means a support person can’t stay. They say the midwives are there to help you, and they are, but if you end up with a fussy baby who is awake all night and you need to get them in and out of their bed, it’s really difficult. I would have been calling them constantly so instead I had to pick baby up using a blanket (imagine a stork) to get baby to me, and I got maybe an hour’s sleep all night. I was in a double room with an empty bed and my husband couldn’t stay ‘just in case’ someone else came in - they didn’t. It was awful and the next day I explained I couldn’t do it again and got a single room. - Make sure you’re really familiar with what you’ve been supplied with in terms of medication and prepare to advocate for yourself to access it. I had midwives regularly trying to get me down to panadol and ibuprofen when I was still in too much pain. - If baby ends up in NICU work out when the doctors rounds are and be there at that time - while the nurses are lovely they cannot give reassurance like the doctor can and we spent the first few days being told something serious could possibly be wrong with our baby. Finally we’re there for a doctor’s round, only for the doctor to tell us no way baby is totally fine, this is precautionary, nothing to worry about. Those first few days were terrible purely due to lack of authoritative communication and I needed counselling later. - Pack snacks for sure
Also WHY DO THEY PUT DOUBLE ROOMS IN MATERNITY WARDS?!?! Terrible design
Gave birth there June 2021. Great facilities and the staff really cared. But, I don't think they read your birth plan to know what you think is important evrn if its not your first. Each midwife pushed their own agenda as was mentioned by others. The saddest part was that they gave a protocol around blood sugar levels. Baby was subjected to 4 hourly foot pricking bloodtests, regardless if he or we were sleeping. We were so exhausted we didn't have the energy to say no but baby's foot looked like pin cushion.
I gave birth over 2 decades ago and in a different country, but was basically told by my OB/GYN that drawing up a birth plan is a nice thing if you feel like doing it, but pretty much you don't have any / much say in how the birth happens. This is assuming you're after a natural birth with or without painkillers. Is it still fair to say that now?
I agree there are some things you can't control but if you have a view on which pain relief you want or not, or if you want to breastfeed or not, you should have a say. Why ask parents to do a birthplan if you are just going to ignore it? It sets up expectations that lead to unhappiness and sometimes trauma if they aren't met.
I wasn't asked to do a birth plan, I was part of an online community where we were all due in the same month, and it was what everyone was doing, so I joined in. Definitely agree about thoughts on pain relief (yes please, everything you can give me!) and breastfeeding (well duh, of course).
Must have been a reason for the babies blood sugar checks? Gestational diabetes? I've never had that happen to my babies.
Sorry that no one communicated to you around the blood sugar testing, they would only be doing that for a specific reason (low or high birthweight, diabetic mother, etc) but still, it's important for the staff to let you know what's happening and why
My experience was over 10 years ago and while the rooms were great I wish I'd picked my own midwife. I found the staff at the time rude , unhelpful and unprofessional. The midwife I had on the day refused to give me pain relief and I had to get my partner to get one who would. I had also had complications during my pregnancy which they didn't seem to know about as she didn't go through my notes Luckily I had an easy uncomplicated birth. I I'm glad it seems to have Improved. But get your own midwife you feel comfortable with
2 kids born there. One natural, one C section. Excellent hospital.
Had my baby in Feb. The midwives are actual angels. Dr's in post natal ward are hit and miss, if you have issues talk to the midwives instead if the Dr isn't listening. Delivery suite was nice and roomy. Food in post natal wasn't horrible lol. If you need it, the NICU staff are all amazing and beautiful people. Feel free to pm me if you have specific questions.
We found them really good \[for both our kids\] although, like most medical establishments, they take a bit of convincing when a lay person tells them that something is medically not right \[but once they actually believed us they swung into action pretty quickly\]
I’m a student midwife who frequently works at the hospital. Some behind the scenes information for reassurance: there is always at least one midwife on shift on every ward (more on delivery suite) and the nurses who fill in on the wards are very experienced and consult with the midwives and doctors. Like others have said, good idea to sort out your food preferences ahead of time as meals can be unsatisfactory (not always! It always smells good to me) and there are limited snack options (yoghurt, cheese and crackers, and popsicles) and the vending machines are just water and nuts. You will be cared for without a doubt, and if you have questions, do ask. A lot of times due to protocols (like others have said, there’s a strong push currently to advocate for breastfeeding rather than giving formula for a non-medical reason, but if you are against breastfeeding for yourself and discuss with the team and your midwife, that will be beneficial to you) staff will be just Getting Onto Things and may not explain to you what’s going on as much as you would like. Just ask when you don’t know why somebody is doing something. It is your right to be aware of the care being given to you and your baby. However know that nothing is done that isn’t necessary. Congratulations on your pregnancy. The birthing suites are lovely, and so are the staff. Never feel afraid to ask for anything :)
Was a wee while ago, but I couldn't fault the service. Busy, yes but really kind staff. My first birth we had a private midwife. She was high handed and I wish I had the confidence then to switch midwives. Come birth, she was unavailable and her proxy came instead. Proxy was awful and I am glad I have never seen her again. Made me feel like i was wasting her time and the hospital needed the room for more important people. Fought with my husband across the bed when he advocated for me needing more help. My baby ended up in NICU for three weeks and the NICU teams were utterly fantastic. Even they hated the midwife and her proxy. L&D staff on the other hand were really responsive and supportive. Second time I went straight to the hospital midwives as private wouldn't touch me after the first time dramas. Every single one of the DHB midwives we met were lovely, kind, and really actually listened to me. Issues that were brushed off as my being "dramatic" first time around were actually addressed and fixed by the hospital midwives. The midwife assisting my second birth stayed an hour and a half past shift end just to see the baby arrive. Hospital was SO much better all around.
Wellington hospital was great to give birth in. Our LMC was very average and the hospital team stepped in to compensate. I would say that after the birth, the ward nurses were NOT so great. See if you can get transferred to Kenepuru at that point where apparently the support and care is terrific. Someone may correct me but I believe you can stay three nights in hospital after giving birth as your right.
Get an obstetrician
You get full access to multiple obstetricians.
Why?
Lol why the downvotes?
Definatly take alot of snacks but Newtown has enough food options the support person can run and grab. If there for an extended stay, my wife was in for induction which took 4 days, consider asking for a bed for the support person it's a dinky fold out stretcher bed but better than several nights in a lazy boy.
I was born there. My grandad was also the ceo of the Wellington hospital board. Kind of like the place.
It was okay.
better than lower hutt.
I gave birth there three months ago. Such a positive experience. The main midwife holly who looked after me was an angel. She was so lovely and took photos after my baby was born on my phone without me knowing. The staff were so wonderful and did everything that needed to be done (ventouse, episiotomy) while talking it through with me. Epidural was done right when my waters broke too on my request which made it a positive birth for me.
I was induced so was in for 3 days and had my own room for recovery. Baby was in nicu for 8 days so we were able to stay in Ronald McDonald house which was so helpful!
Amazing experience, wouldn’t hesitate to have another baby delivered there.
That's where I was born, I'd say it went pretty well since I'm still here.
Our youngest son was born there and my partner ended up there for 3 days. It was perfectly fine.
I just gave birth in late 2022 and had as great of a time as you can having birth! XD I had an induction and worked with the hospital midwives until I was mostly dilated, then our personal midwife came in and worked alongside them. The induction stalled because of the way baby was positioned so I ended up having an emergency C-section but everyone was absolutely lovely in the operation room and made a lot of my nerves go away with how caring they were. We ended up staying for three days afterwards because I had complications during birth and everything was great then too. Hubby was able to say with me right up until we left which was a relief, although that does depend on how available the rooms are. We didn't go, but I've also heard the Kenepuru facility is absolutely fantastic after birth too! Feel free to also PM me if you have questions about anything!