Birthing Centres v Hospital Maternity Unit

[monkeychambers]

Please bear with me - this is my first time using a msg board so may take a while to get used to.....

My midwide said this week they couldn't offer me the type of birth I hope for (water) and that I should get referred to a Birthing Centre instead.

Has anyone got any experience of this? I am in North London and she's recomended Edgware or Royal Free.

Thanks

Not really got experience of this, but birthing centres tend to be mw led, for low risk births, and afaik not offer epidurals. Certain types of problems during labour requiring a doctor's attention would mean that you would have to be transferred from the birth centre to the maternity unit to a hospital maternity unit. birthing centres will probably offer better mw support than hospital units - eg. 1 to 1 mw care throughout labour.

if you are low risk, as i assume you are if your MW said this to you, then birthing centres are a fab option

you get to have more liklihood of peaceful, non-interventional, mw led delivery than in a hosp, but in case you or your partner is a bit nervous of home birth for any reason, you feel a bit more secure knowing that medical help is more readily available than at home.

if there were complications, you might have to be transferred to a hosp mat unit, but that would be easier from there, as they are used to doing it.

personally prefer home birth myself, medical issues allowing, but my partner was nervous, so i went the birth unit route first two times and loved it. had wonderful water births with no other pain relief both times. midwives were wonderful.

good luck!

I gave birth at our mw-led cottage hospital, which operates in a similar way to a birthing centre. They were able to offer me (in the way of pain relief) g&a or pethidine. In addition I had the use of a fab birthing pool, mats, aromatherapy oils, music, birthing ball. I also had a midwife and auxiliary with me at all times, and a second midwife for the actual birth.

I then suffered a major complication (placenta would not come out) and had to be transferred by ambulance to the city hospital about two hours away ... all handled very smoothly. Although they don't need to do it often they obviously knew just what they were doing and I felt in safe hands.

It was a fab experience (placenta notwithstanding!) which I hope to repeat when I have the next db.

Thank you all so much - I am considering now the one at the Royal Free, then if there is any complication you can apparently just be wheeled next door !

I certainly like the idea of having a mw with me all the time as its our first.

Thanks ladies.

youre very welcome

When i had ds1 8yrs ago I gave birth on a maternity ward. It was ok but they were so busy that for the first 8hrs I was practically left on my own, luckily I had mum with me or I would never had coped ds1's dad was asleep in chair by bed so wasnt much help. Even when I was in delivery room I was left on own right up until last 15mins, thought mum was going to deliver him. After ds1 was born I was moved onto a ward straight away

With ds2 I opted for my local birthing centre and found this a lot better. There was a mw waiting there when I arrived to look after me while my usual mw was on her way. I was in a private room from the start and felt more at ease. Even after having ds2 I was allowed to stay in that room all day, it was nice and private, no worrying about making too much noise in case we disturbed other mums.

If I had to choose again I would definatley use the birthing centre again. But at the end of the day it is your choice and as far as what they offer in the way of pain relief I would'nt know as didnt use anything in either labour not even gas (sorry bit of bragging there)