too late to switch hospitals? help!

[4thtimelucky]

am due to have dc2 in st helier (sutton) in 3 weeks (am 36+5) but after a hopeless mw appt today and despite being under consultant led care due to bp issues with dc1 (fine this time), my next consultant appt is in 4+ weeks and they are booked up for mw appts linked to the consultant led clinic and so my next appt is with a comm mw at a local surestart centre at 38+. To say they are overstretched at the mo seems a massive understatement. had a emcs with dc1 following a crap induction (again at st helier) but none the wiser as to the complete reasons for the induction issues as my notes have been lost so am going into this blind - am very keen for a vbac but mw today started talking about induction again and looked at me blankly when I mentioned I'd read about risks of inductions following previous cs! is it too late to switch to the private unit at st georges???? Or anywhere / anything really, doula, indie midwife...help!

Poor you! Sounds like you are not getting much support at all at the moment- I'm surprised you've not been offered appointments at VBAC clinic and you really should have had the opportunity to talk through VBAC with an obstetrician. If it's any help, I have a friend (in east London, so not local to you, I'm afraid) who had similar issues and took on an independent MW at 36 weeks. She had a lovely home VBAC and felt very well supported. Maybe worth calling around a few, I know that they can get very booked up, but it's worth a try. Even if you opt for a hospital birth, you MW can be there for you as an advocate then.

I changed at abuot the same gestation, ask your CMW.

Its never too late to change, until you've been admitted in labour (and even then you could always discharge yourself and go elsewhere, but I'm not sure that would be such a good idea!). Whatever options you think might be on the table, call up the relevant warm bodies (and if that was changing to a different hospital/unit, I'd probably talk to them direct at this point - but if you can get hold of your CMW in the near future they should be able to help you. Wouldn't leave it till your next appointment, though!)

I changed to IMs with DD1 at 36 weeks ish. If you don't call you'll never know - have a look at www.independentmidwives.org.uk/ to find some near you (mine were both about an hours drive away and very happy to take me on, although I was towards the limit of the area they covered). Even though we signed up so late we didn't regret it for a second. We got a well supported, peaceful and calm birth with MWs that we'd been able to get to know (of a 9lb 12 breech baby at home :)), but looking back the continuity of care and level of care throughout the antenatal period (even though there was so little left - although I did spin it out to 41+) and postnataly was worth every penny. With DD2 we didn't even both talking to our NHS CMW, and I don't expect to be in contact with them this time round either.

I haven't used a doula, but did look at them a little bit - doula.org.uk/ would be a starting point.