I'm newly pregnant with #3.
#1 was born in the UK under the NHS: antenatal care was poor but the birth itself was great other than not knowing the midwives in advance.
#2 was born in the USA where I had a private OB for the whole time who eventually delivered the baby. I had a lot of anxiety around this pregnancy and being able to see someone (and see the baby) basically whenever I wanted was wonderful.
#3 will be born in the UK since we're moving back soon. I'm really struggling with the idea of only having seven appointments (which I believe is what the NHS offers to mums on babies after #1), with a different midwife each time (as happened with #1) and having my baby delivered by someone I've never met before.
Sooo I've done a bit of googling and found the UK Birth Centres as a sort of half-way house (we're not going to be in London unfortunately so options are more limited): private midwives throughout the pregnancy and then the NHS for the birth (with a private midwife helping).
I had a doula for #2 and it was a disaster so I don't want to do that again, plus my concern is less about the birth itself (#1 was a nightmare, but #2 was a lovely straightforward natural birth) than the antenatal care.
Has anyone used the UK Birth Centres? Any thoughts? Waste of time/money or a great investment?
I'm not expecting to have any medical issues in this pregnancy: my other two have been very boring from a medical point of view. It's more my emotional and mental health I'm concerned about.