Caz Many huge congrats you the birth of Xander and hope you recover well from the section. At first i thought 8lb 13oz isn't that big but then realised he's officially 36 weeks, so wow. Enjoy your lovely newborn son.
Kelly I'm sure you know this but if labour is going to start, well, it's going to start! Don't panic. You are full-term and trust the midwife. If you're having a HB there's no need to go anywhere near the hospital unless you want to. Trust your body, it knows what to do.
Voodoo I am angry on your behalf. You do not need this.
First - would you be prepared to think about a HB? It's not too late. Or would you feel brave enough to suggest one - sometimes consultants are so freaked out by your HB plans that they will offer the MLU as a compromise/just to get you close to the CLU?
The other option is to just turn up at the MLU when in labour (and stay at home as long as possible) and play dumb: 'ooh I thought I was going to give birth here - now I'm here...' But that's a long shot tbh and quite risky, depending on where the MLU is compared to CLU (eg if they are next door, you could find yourself whipped off). Would the mw you spoke to put it in writing that they wouldn't turn you away if you turned up?
Ultimately it is your call but if the CLU really isn't what you want, I'd go for a HB but that's just me.
And as to your scan...I am naughty (as I'm sure you know) and I'd either refuse the appt or not turn up/cancel on the day. Scanning at this late stage is no more accurate than manual palpation of your tummy. The reason they prefer to scan is so they have physical evidence to demonstrate they 'took action'.
As I think I said before, hospitals are far more likely to get into trouble if they have not done something than if they have eg a surgeon is more likely to be sued if he doesn't do a section than if he does and botches it.
If they scan you they can wave their bit of paper and say 'but we followed procedure' (not that anything will go wrong).
Sorry I'm ranting now as I get so cross. The truth is the vast, vast majority of women will birth just fine without scans, tests or consultants. I also believe that most women do not grow babies that are too big to birth - there is some thinking that larger babies are easier to birth due to gravity. Most extra weight is on a baby's tummy or legs which will squish during labour - it's the head that's the important bit. Get that out and you should be OK.
But, as you know by now, these are just my thoughts and opinions - you will birth best where you feel safest. For many women that is in hospital and that is just fine for them.