Birth in Shropshire?

[Zorra]

Hiya. Not sure whether to post here or in local, and this won out!

I am due to have DC2 on May 23rd, and will come back from overseas for the delivery. I had DC1 in my hometown of Oxford, but I really want to be up at my mum's this time. I don't know anything (or anyone who does) about birth facilities in Shropshire. I looked up the NHS information, and nearest units to us would be Gobown and Oswestry. But I really want a homebirth, plus I'm a bit nervous about the coming in and out elements, as I will be there for my 20 week scan then overseas again until about 5 weeks before I am due.

So - any experiences of either of the units / the MW service generally? Or any experience of independent midwives, as this is also an option? (I pay privately, btw) I know it's a very open question, but all thoughts gratefully received :)

Sorry, I'm not sure I can help very much. I was due to deliver in the midwife unit at shrewsbury but both times I got bumped into the consultant unit (also at rsh).
The staff there, the neonatal unit, and the post natal ward were excellent.
I have friends who have delivered at gobowen and who started there, transferred to rsh for consultant care (breach, section, epidural etc) and transferred back to gobowen for post natal care and speak very highly of it.

My friend had her daughter at Oswestry and it was so bad she transferred the day after a section to gobown, and said it was wonderful.

Dependant on how far you want to travel, you can also look at wrexham (wouldn't recommend it), countess in Chester, and Arrowe park. I had DS at Arrowe park, and will be there for dc2 very soon (hopefully her arrival is imminent ...!)

Arrowe park are excellent - lovely staff and private postnatal rooms. Wrexham is literally 10 minutes from me and I still travel to go there.

Also, check out the one2one midwife service. Not sure if you will be able to use them (I think you will!), but definitely worth phoning them. It's basically an independent midwife service that is paid for by the nhs. They are based on the Wirral, but are massive advocates of home birth and natural birth. I'm sure my midwife said she has some ladies in your area.

Here is their website, and good luck with your baby.

I planned to have both of mine at home in Telford, but ended up at RSH. Delivery suite/recovery fab, but unlike pp I hated the PN ward - understaffed, little support for those who wanted it.

I had both my babies in shrewsbury, would not recommend. Understaffed and the midwifes don't actually seem to like there jobs, very rude and unhelpful.
Ive heard good things about oswestry and wrexham. I have friends who have had babies in both.
The community midwifes in shropshire are excellent and really positive about home births in my experience.

bellarose What I will say is that the MWs in Shropshire all work on a rotation basis - so they do the PN ward, CLU, MLU and community work for X months at a time, then move on. It might have just been the MWs you experienced or the fact that the ward seems so understaffed that caused them to be rude and unhelpful (not that that should excuse rudeness under any circumstances)

I would also double check whether you are eligible for an NHS treatment as you have been living abroad, also living in EU or nonEU can make a difference.

I'm confused by Bunty's post as Oswestry and Gobowen are the same place, as far as I know (MW led unit at the orthopeadic hospital). In Shropshire a csection would happen in the consultant led unit at Shrewsbury. This is the central point for maternity care in the county and there are MW led hubs in Gobowen, Telford, Bridgnorth etc. I have heard nothing but praise for the MWunit at Oswestry (Gobowen). I had my first child at Shrews labour ward and and am due there again early next year. Sure, it's not the most attractive place but we had great medical care. I also had excellent BF support when my DD and I were readmitted due to her extreme weight loss. Shropshire's maternity care model is held in high regard as far as I can tell and it is one of the uk leaders stats wise (fewer sections, more home and MW births).

Only passing on what I've been told - I've no personal experience.

Doing a quick google, there are a few people who have transferred from Oswestry to gobowen after they've had their baby, or who have been turned away from gobowen upon arrival - and yet I can't see that they're the same unit? Confused!

Point stands - my friend will point blank refuse to to go Oswestry, but would go back to gobowen in a heartbeat :)

Also - Oswestry told her she only had 30 mins to get to gobowen from Oswestry when transferring (bollocks, btw), so they can't be the same place (sorry, posting as I remember things!).

I understand that you are just passing on what you have heard, Bunty, but I'm afraid there must have been a misunderstanding because Gobowen and Oswestry are the same place.

There is no hospital in Oswestry town itself, the hospital is just outside the town in a village called Gobowen. The address is "Gobowen, Oswestry". They are only a few minutes apart. (shrewsbury, however, is 35 mins away and is the only place in Shropshire where you can have a csection). I attend the hospital at Gobowen regularly as an outpatient, so know exactly where it is.

And, OP, the MW unit there only opened in 2007, so it's fairly modern and, as I said up thread, highly praised. Just have a Google and you'll see.

www.ournhsinshropshireandtelford.nhs.uk/Library/Documents/01-maternity-080201handout.pdf

www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/pages/MaternityDetails.aspx?id=MT2049&v=8

I'm a bit confused- there is no separate maternity unit in Oswestry, only the one at Gobowen which is a village 2miles outside of Oswestry and is classed as the town. So I'm not sure where your friend had her bad experience?