RD&E admission
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Thank you! Baby is transverse so risk of going into early labour but fear I will go stir crazy in there!
I didn't give birth at RD&E however was transferred there when baby was in NICU and stayed for about 2 and a half months. The staff and nurses there were amazing, couldn't speak highly enough for them. Not sure of that helps, but good luck with everything 😊
I was in and out from 35 - 37 weeks with high blood pressure, staying 3-4 nights at a time. The staff are lovely! There is a little canteen on the ward for mums. You can stroll on down to get your food during meal times and eat there, the conservatory or back in bed. They were happy for me to go for a walk, sometimes me and my husband would pop to the coffee shop down stairs or to the main hospital canteen. I'm not sure about leaving the hospital, I guess that's down to your condition.
My recommendations Take your own decent sized mug, you can make your own tea/coffee during meal times but their mugs are tiny. Take an insulated water bottle. There are a couple water fountains so you can top up your own bottle. Have a hoody/dressing gown for when you go to the canteen, and slippers. With regular meal times and afternoon tea and biscuits, I never went hungry, but did appreciate having some fruit by my bed. You can also bring your own food in, one evening me and hubby had Dominoes and sat in the canteen to eat it... almost felt like a date night ;) The wards are warm, but there are fans by each bed. Take a book, headphones to plug into the TV but also some to connect to your phone. Also ear plugs.... you'll be sleeping next to people in early labour! You can have showers (obviously) but there aren't any toiletries, so take those. As well as moisturiser and lip balm! Hospital towels are tiny, but you change in the shower room, so I never bothered taking my own towel.
Thank you Dawn this is all super helpful! My sleep is bad as it is so a little worried it will be even more disturbed if I have to go in but will take ear plugs. Very useful to know re everything else. Thank you so much 😊 if you think of anything else recommendations wise please let me know 🙏🏼!!
A couple of other things... You can get a week long parking pass (useful if you have a partner who will be visiting alot) it's about £25 for the week, but you need to go down to the main reception area to sort that and on the day you want the permit to start. I can't remember the exact times but your partner is allowed for most of the day, I think 8am - 8pm. Then there are times when you can have additional visitors
Thank you this is really helpful have pinged you a message!
Yes of course, I guess it depends on the reason for your admission and the plan for why you/bump have gone in. The staff are amazing too, so incredibly helpful. This was my experience anyway!