Whipps Cross vs UCH and homebirth vs hospital

[Celia1978]

Hi - pregnant with DC2 and wondering if anyone has recent experience to share of Whipps Cross? DC1 was a homebirth under the care of UCH midwives which was all great but we're moving imminently into Whipps Cross catchment and I'm wondering if I should move my care to there? I've just been put off by the, erm, mixed reports I've read of it - whereas UCH seems to get only positive write-ups (or maybe my view is just clouded by my own positive experience...).

I'm already booked in at UCH so in theory I could just carry on my care there but obviously I would then have to travel in to the hospital for the birth. Ideally I'd have another homebirth but I'd definitely have to transfer to Whipps Cross for that and what if I end up going in to the hospital? And I read on here that the WC homebirth team is two midwives. Can that be right? I saw about eight different UCH midwives during my one labour with DC1!

I know this is quite a specific question so perhaps no one will be able to help. I guess i just want to know if homebirth is worth the risk of WC care or if I'd be better playing it safe with UCH?

Don't know about home birth options as we're planning for hospital, but are in whipps cross catchment and have opted for Homerton instead, based on as you put it the 'mixed reports'. For us it's also more of a journey to Homerton but just have heard a lot to put me off whipps cross. If you can bear the idea of hospital it may be worth it to stick with where you're happy. Having said which, a lot of what put us off whipps cross was to do with the in - hospital care, so if you can stick to a home birth this all might be irrelevant?

Hi, book in for the maternity unit tour at whippsX, best way to get a good idea. I felt far more reassured after visiting the maternity unit. Seemed pretty clean to me, but it was a quiet day...and some parts are brand new. The midwife giving the tour said for low risk pregnancies you're taken straight to MLU and promote using warm/cold showers with balls, mat work or pools. Only if the need arises do they consider taking you to the delivery floor. Hope this helps somewhat, I'm a FTM so can't really compare to elsewhere or have any actual experience, I just felt better for having seen the facilities.

When are you due? Whipps home birth team is two midwives at present, supported by the community midwives, but from September 8th there's going to be 9 of them on the home-birth team. Even with just the two midwives and the community midwives, there have only been two occasions in the past two years when no-one has been available to attend a home-birth (I asked about this, as I had heard a lot from people in other areas being booked for a home-birth but then being told they need to go in due to staff shortages).

Really difficult one as it depends what's more important to you: planning for a home-birth in the knowledge you may have to transfer to somewhere you don't really want to be (Whipps) or forgoing the home birth option to be somewhere you're more familiar with (UCH).

I was in a very similar situation as I also moved to the Whipps area during my pregnancy. If I was planning a hospital/birth centre birth I'd have stayed at the Homerton, but really keen to have a home birth so have it the bullet and transferred to Whipps. I've only had good experiences so far of the community midwifes and home birth team for ante-natal care but my visits to Whipps haven't filled me with confidence (nothing really bad, just very disorganised, no-one ever seems to know what's going on). I'm figuring if I do have to transfer in my main concern will be getting the baby out safely and I won't mind that much where I am, and I haven't read anything recent to make me think I'll be any less safe at Whipps. Best case scenario I can stay at home and it won't be an issue!

Good luck whatever you decide x

Ah thank you all for replies. That really helps. Especially the info about the home birth team Soundsystem. Not due until next year so I think I'll do as suggested and take the tour at WC and see how I feel. Suspect I might bite the bullet and change and hope I get another straightforward(-ish!) birth at home.

Thanks again all