Elective c section Barnet hospital

I’ve just had a c section at Barnet hospital and was taken to Victoria ward, it is a shared ward but all the curtains were drawn all the time I was there which was 6 days so you don’t really see anyone else xx

@Lisa thanks Lisa and congrats. I was in Victoria ward for my first but that was for an induction. I think the postnatal ward is in a slightly different section. How many mums were there on the ward?

Heya sorry to chip in but I’m also due for elective c section- can your partner stay overnight too? X

I'm not sure because with my first baby it was during covid x

Ah yes so I was induced on the left side of Victoria ward and then after I’d had the baby we were on the right side if that makes sense? I’m not 100% sure but I’d say there were around 4 x

@Lisa yes that makes sense. I just found the left side of Victoria ward horrendous lol

was it very noisy at night with other mums and babies?

Ermmm it was fairly with babies, and we had to keep asking for the lights to be turned off because it was getting to 11.30 and the lights were still on! But with mums I wouldn’t say it was noisy, just babies x

@Lisa you did so well to stay 6 days x

I had an elective at Barnet 3 months ago. Also my second. I was in a room with four other women. I had a really good experience and was really happy with the post natal care. I had my first at Kings which was fine, yet Barnet was so much better. The midwives were very responsive every time I needed help. I was discharged the following day.

Your partner is allowed to stay, but in my room, out of the five of us, only one had her partner stay. It was annoying hearing them talk all night whilst the rest of us tried to rest and recover, but they did try and keep their voices down. If your partner doesn’t stay, there’s no limit on the hours he can be with you.

@Sarah thanks for this. With the elective c section are you asked to come in for a certain time and then go straight into theatre? Or is it like a list of priority and if an emergency comes in, you have to wait?

You’re asked to come in at a certain time, but there’s still a list which they do in order of priority. I was asked to come in at 7.30am. I asked the midwife a couple days before if she knew where I am in the list, she said because I’ve been asked to come in so early, I am likely to be one of the earlier slots, which suggests that some women come in later in the day.

I had gestational diabetes so on the day, I was prioritised and given slot number 1. But if an emergency comes through, they get priority. This does mean that those further down the list are at risk of being bumped to the next day.

BTW, Barnet do offer private rooms which you can pay for to use. If you have a c section, they won’t let you stay in one on the first night, but if it’s available, it should be an option from day 2. As I left the following day, I didn’t find out the process for getting one, but worth knowing if you’re in for more than a night and willing to pay.

@Sarah could you choose to come in 7.30 or did you just get given that time?

thanks hun

@Sarah what time were you discharged the next day?

They told me to come in so early. The list is finalised on the day, but they have a rough idea beforehand about the order. Because of my GD, I was always going to be higher up the list which is why I had to come in so early. After arriving at half 7, I was taken through at 9am.

We left at half 4 the following day. Once I could walk around, peed enough and baby was feeding ok and they carried out all his newborn checks, I ticked enough boxes to be able to go home

I had GD with my first too. How many weeks were you when diagnosed with GD?

Quite late, at 33 weeks, but debatable if I ever had it! I had a glucose test at 28 weeks and that was normal. Because I moved to Edgware from Greenwich when I was 24 weeks pregnant, they then did another scan at 30 weeks and baby was measuring on the larger side. They asked me to do another glucose test and that one came back as having GD. However, when I saw the consultant, he said he didn’t think I really have it, because all women become insulin resistant in late pregnancy so getting a positive test at 33 weeks is too late to be accurate.

I didn’t have it with my first either, but I was pregnant during Covid so I never did the glucose test, only a blood test.

When are you due?

@Sarah that's interesting. I am due July 3rd x

That’s my birthday!

As you had it before, you are at higher risk of having it again. Were you able to manage via diet first time round?

@Sarah awww! Yes exactly. I did a glucose test already but came back clear. They did say it was too early for it to really show up so they are going to make me do another one at 26 weeks. Yes I managed with diet x

Yeah the best time to test is between weeks 24 and 28, as that gives the most reliable results.

I had a c section at Barnet 4 weeks ago, and was in the Victoria ward. I had a good experience there so maybe things have changed? There were other mums and babies but the midwives were attentive.

@Priya that's good to hear x

I'll be interested to see what they say x

Had a bad experience via induction with my first and had a planned c section with my second last year and it was amazing. There are two parts of the wards so don’t worry the postnatal section is much more ‘relaxed’. With the induction part hearing everyone else go through it can be stressful😂
On the postnatal side we did have one mum who was trying to intimate all the staff and rest of us mums but my husband and I just tried to ignore her as much as we could. It did bother him more than me as I was adamant I didn’t want anything ruining my little bubble (especially after a bad first experience)! Looking back I think maybe having a spare set of headphones or something would have helped maybe? I think having a mum like that on the ward is quite rare though! Other than that it was honestly a million times better. Induction vs planned c section is like night and day. Every midwife and dr told me that and I only believed it on the day♥️ hope you have the best experience.

@Priya thanks for this. I appreciate your comment. I literally said to my husband a while ago I need new headphones !! X

out of curiosity, what was that woman doing?

do you know how much the rooms are? X

Hi! I had scheduled c section just 3 weeks ago and all went well and smooth for me. I've been asked to come 7.30 am however its been loads of waiting so my operation started at 1pm. All lasted about 30 min and I was for about an hour after delivery in a postoperation room just with one other lady. Then we been moved to Victoria Ward, I was in the room with 6 other ladies but I had my privacy and everyone was respectful. As a first time mum and never been in the hospital before, I felt really looked after by the hospital staff and everyone was super proffesional and helpful. Hope that helps :)

thank you xx

hey, ahh unfortunately she was racist and had an issue with pretty much anybody foreign. She would shout comments out if any of us were seen to be before her or anything like that. The thing is we were all at different stages, the staff really were trying their best to take care of her too🤷🏻‍♀️
All the other mums on the ward were so lovely though! X

Sorry to jump on this post - looking at an elective c-section at Barnet. I have a consultant appointment on Monday (34 weeks) to discuss. How soon do they give you a date once c-section is decided?

Hi, jumping at this post. I have elective c-section at Barnet in Jan. can anyone remember their dr name who did the operation, how was the experience and recovery? How was the stitches.
Also anyone knows if Barnet hospital has private room to offer for post natal and how much is it?

@Leila I had mine in April this year and had a really good experience. I had my section on the Friday evening and was discharged at 9pm on the Saturday. I don't remember the name of the consultant who did mine but all of the staff were wonderful.

Recovery wise the first 72hrs were uncomfortable but manageable with paracetamol and ibuprofen. By day 5 I was able to do short trips out and by two weeks I was walking to town with the pram. The worst part for me was the car journey home as I felt every little bump. Take a cushion to hold over your tummy for journey home.

I don't think Barnet do the private rooms any more due to capacity but they allow partners to stay on Victoria ward. Happy for you to DM if you want to chat more x

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, it’s so helpful as it’s so unknown and hard to know what to expect.

sent you a DM♥️

Hiya ive been on the Victoria ward for a few days as 37 weeks and have flu (in my own room) i just wanted to say how well cared for ive been the staff have been amazing. Ive got a planned c sec in two weeks so will be back then but the care has been amazing.