Mothers share starkly different experiences at Voronezh maternity hospitals
The tragedy at the Novokuznetsk maternity hospital, where nine infants died during the New Year holidays, has shocked the entire country and once again raised questions about the quality of medical care in maternity wards. It turned out that patients of this institution had long complained about staff rudeness and systemic problems. This case has painfully highlighted the long-standing and almost ubiquitous problem of inattentive and sometimes dangerous treatment of women in labor and newborns in many maternity hospitals.
In Voronezh, expectant mothers also face a difficult choice: who to entrust with the most precious thing — their own and their child«s life and health. Residents of the city actively share their experiences, leaving reviews full of sincere gratitude as well as bitter disappointment. Voronezh1.ru studied the opinions of new mothers about the city»s maternity hospitals, published online on Yandex services and in 2GIS.
The authors« spelling and punctuation have been preserved.
Maternity Hospital No. 2 (rating 4.1): from gratitude to shock
Here you can find perhaps the most positive reviews. Many women call it their favorite, noting the professionalism and sensitivity of the staff even (!) for free births.
«I gave birth here for the first time. I was left with very warm and pleasant impressions. Despite the fact that I arrived to give birth in the middle of the night. I didn»t see a single dissatisfied employee. On the contrary, I was quickly processed and practically taken by the hand to the room. Everything was polite, fast, and discreet. In the room, the midwife didn«t leave my side for a moment. She recorded the CTG, inserted a catheter. She explained everything, sincerely empathized with my condition. The birth was supervised by the wonderful doctor Elena Anatolyevna. I am very grateful to them for a successful and quick delivery, for their sensitive hearts and high professionalism. In the postpartum department, they also pay maximum attention to both the mother and the child. The staff is smiling and sociable. The food, in my opinion, is the best among the city»s public institutions. If I decide to have a third child, I will definitely give birth here!« (published 9 months ago).
«My wife gave birth there, we are satisfied with everything. We didn»t make any special arrangements, the attitude is the same for everyone. The doctors are experienced and friendly. (published 6 years ago).
«I gave birth to my 3rd child, a daughter, at Maternity Hospital No. 2 and I liked the hospital, no stitches, no scandals, they accepted me like family, everything went easily and they helped me, the doctors and during the birth the midwife and doctor didn»t leave my side for a moment even though I was there on a state referral, the birth went well, for the 4th child we«ll only go to Maternity Hospital No. 2» (published 5 months ago).
«The living conditions are, of course, a bit scary, but the result is the main thing. I gave birth with Lazukina L.N. — an excellent doctor) maybe I»ll come back here again)«. (published 6 years ago).
However, there are also tragic stories that have left deep psychological trauma. One woman described the birth as torture, feeling abandoned in favor of paying patients:
«I gave birth to my second child here at 37, it was very difficult, alone, a girl on September 18, 2012... I dreamed of giving my husband a son. But after this maternity hospital, the desire completely disappeared. I was in depression for a long time and the child was immediately sent to Lomonosova for treatment after birth. The medical staff didn»t care at all how my child was born. Since I was a free patient. In the delivery room, I was lying alone on the table, in the middle, and from the severe pain and constant pushing I was screaming... On both sides, women in labor were lying on tables, silently, I saw how their babies were born practically without agony. Doctors were constantly with them, because they were paying... How I begged for help for a long time! ... But it was as if no one heard me. I was completely exhausted... a male doctor came... he pressed with all his force with his elbow in the area of my stomach, squeezing the child out... The child was born limp, blue, didn«t cry... After the maternity hospital, they asked me, well, how did it go? And I answered that I had been to hell».
«Thanks to this maternity hospital I will never go to give birth again. Disgusting doctors. If you don»t pay bribes, no one will come to you, you lie alone, not knowing what«s with the CTG that is connected to you. No one cares about you. The anesthesiologist also asked if I was a paying patient or not, and upon learning I wasn»t, he behaved rudely. The nurses in the department also beg for «gratitude». A disgusting maternity hospital« (published 2 years ago).
Maternity Hospital No. 4 (rating 3.5): «It depends on your luck»
Reviews of the maternity hospital in «Elektronika» are full of contradictions. Patients praise the modern equipment, the availability of private rooms with amenities, and note that you can have a good birth even under the compulsory health insurance (CHI).
«I gave birth to my first child here. The conditions are comfortable from the antenatal department to the postpartum department. The staff is competent and attentive. I gave birth under CHI, the attitude is no different from those giving birth under a contract. Huge thanks to the obstetrician-gynecologist from the observation department who delivered my baby, Ryzhov Semyon Mikhailovich, a very attentive and kind person.» (published 10 months ago).
«Good equipment, convenient private rooms, the staff, although not always friendly, does their job 100%. The food is average. The senior medical staff is competent, it»s not scary to entrust your life and your child«s life to them. There are also »Cerberuses« at the entrance, and there are mean midwives. It depends on your luck. But practically everything depends on you. You can tame a Cerberus and come to an agreement with a midwife.» (published 6 years ago).
«I gave birth in February 2018. I was satisfied. The maternity hospital is clean, the food is tolerable. Each room has a shower and toilet, the rooms are for two people. Everything is well thought out. The birth was NOT contracted, which I was very worried about. The planned caesarean section went well — doctor Savelieva Elena Evgenyevna. Huge thanks to her. The scar is beyond praise. The recovery period went without complications. A true professional. Attentive. No hint of »gratitude« or envelopes... Thank you very much!!!».
The key phrase repeated in reviews is «it depends on your luck.» Many complain about rudeness at the entrance, indifference, and the feeling that without a contract the attitude changes dramatically.
«I want to share my impression of this terrible place. So, at 39 weeks at 5:30 in the morning I started having contractions and my water broke immediately... A nurse met me, I described the situation to her, she called a doctor... this callous, rude, indifferent person started telling me »why are you coming here, aren«t there enough maternity hospitals»... I say I«m about to give birth, I need an urgent caesarean, and she says »don«t put on a show here». Anyway, she kept me for an hour... when I got to the delivery room... when a doctor came to me and checked the dilation it was already 7 cm, they didn«t have time to prepare the operating room, by the time I got to the table the pushing started, I somehow climbed onto it and immediately gave birth... I gave birth in a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes... But I ask you to take measures regarding this shrew in the admission department, because of her a disaster could have happened...» (published 4 years ago).
«I gave birth in the observation department under a contract. All the good things end where the contract ends. Arriving at the maternity hospital with terrible contractions, they didn»t even help me carry my bags... Then my doctor came, examined me, and sent me to the room... during the entire labor she came to me at most 4 times... if I had known it would be like this, I wouldn«t have paid for the contract, what»s the point if I was alone most of the time without the doctor«s support... I want to especially note a particularly tactless and rude lady from the children»s department... who didn«t answer a single one of my questions about the child and answered very rudely and said that in the extreme I could watch YouTube on what to do... The attitude of the staff is terrible, I would never in my life advise giving birth in the Elektronika observation department.» (published 2 years ago).
Perinatal Center, Building 1 (rating 3.1): luxury or shock?
The main perinatal center of the region, which handles the most complex cases, also gathers opposing opinions. For some, it is a place of salvation and the highest professionalism.
«Pampered from head to toe. The conditions are luxurious, the doctors are competent, experienced, not indifferent. All staff are friendly and polite. For subsequent children, only here. Medicine and kind people are still alive with us! The only tiiiiny remark that would save nerves for all tired new mothers and tired workers. If possible, sign and laminate furniture items, baskets and sinks and their purpose. Many conflicts and negativity could be avoided.» (published 10 months ago).
«I want to express my immense gratitude to all the doctors and medical staff of this center. I gave birth to twins at 31 weeks, had a caesarean section, the birth was difficult, the babies were weak, but thanks to the professionalism of the doctors, the babies survived. I didn»t pay a penny, everything was free, medications, diapers, etc. Thank you very much, God bless the health of everyone who works there.« (published a year ago).
«I gave birth three times, each time everything was perfect. A big thank you to everyone who works there!» (published 10 months ago).
Others, however, encountered rudeness, inattention during childbirth, and unsanitary conditions.
«Just terrible! And it»s not that I«m so delicate, it»s really terrible! These were my second births... At night I started having contractions and I was sent to the delivery room. I have varicose veins, and no one helped me put on compression stockings... They put me on CTG and I lay alone, they came in periodically, once every 2 hours... in the morning after the shift change, they punctured my water (as it later turned out, during this they scratched my son«s head), then terrible rude attitude from the midwife... In the postpartum wards, the cleaners are fanatical about cleanliness, if you put something in the wrong place they yell (but not all), but at the same time some bugs or cockroaches are running around... in general, after my first birth at Maternity Hospital No. 3, I went to give birth without fear, but now after being in PC1 I probably won»t dare again«. (published a year ago).
Perinatal Center No. 2 (rating 3.1): the challenge of pathology
Reviews of this center often concern not the births themselves, but the stay in the pregnancy pathology department. Many thank the doctors for saving babies in difficult situations.
«I was first in the pathology department, I was there for a week, wonderful doctors, good attitude, I gave birth there too, also wonderful attitude from the medical staff, pleasant, they answer any question, they clean several times a day, no complaints.» (published 10 months ago) (published 2 years ago).
«Thanks to the doctors from this maternity hospital, my son was born on December 3, 2023. Something went wrong in the process and I had an emergency caesarean section. I want to express my gratitude to the doctors who were on duty that day. Unfortunately, I didn»t remember the names. Real professionals work there!«
«I read many negative reviews before coming to this department... This is not a resort or a vacation base... The most disgusting thing is the food... As for the staff, the nurses and doctors here are wonderful. No one is rude, they answer all questions, everyone is attentive and responsive. They react quickly if you feel bad or need help... And the latter, believe me, they do at the proper level.» (published 10 months ago). (published 3 months ago).
However, negative reviews are full of heavy accusations of unprofessionalism and moral pressure.
«A disgusting place. I was in the pathology department... I was brought in with edema... And then the horror began. Every day they give different diagnoses... I came with a two-day screening, and here I have abnormalities. Moreover, one doctor sees them, another doesn»t, a third doesn«t understand anything at all and such »swings« day after day. On a full ultrasound they diagnosed a pathology, then said they »made a mistake«. Imagine my condition when at 8 months pregnant you are told this, I cried, looked for a geneticist, imagined everything, and they »made a mistake«... The attending physician was preparing for discharge... But the deputy head of the department didn»t approve... «Let»s transfer you to another room so you sleep better and send you to a psychologist.« This was the response to the fact that I couldn»t sleep, constantly on edge... Before visiting this «almshouse» everything was fine, both with my moral and physical condition, which I can«t say now. Many told me that they needed »gratitude«... If you get a good shift, everything is fine, and if not, then alas...» (published 8 months ago).
«I haven»t seen a worse place. My third child was born exactly there. After the caesarean section, I got a slap because I turned my head towards the nurse. In the room, the floor was washed once in five days. In the certificate that needs to be given to the registry office, they made a mistake. And they didn«t correct it... In the newborn»s passport, it feels like they were writing from memory. And in the end, I was discharged without a jacket and in slippers. Because they lost my clothes. And they were rude on top of that.« (published 4 years ago).
The overall picture shows that the experience of childbirth in Voronezh, as in many cities, strongly depends on a confluence of circumstances, a specific shift in a specific maternity hospital, and the human factor. The choice remains with the future parents, who, studying the experience of others, hope to get into reliable and caring hands.
Read the comments from Voronezh1.ru readers to our column, where they shared their experience of giving birth in Voronezh institutions.
