Consultant has gone and confused my DP with talk of hospital birth instead of m/w lead..

[RedKennedy]

Need some advice - Lulumama, or any other ladies who could let me know their experiences.. I am 30 weeks and due to give birth at the Brent Birthing Centre, which is a nice new m/w led place that is wonderful and relaxed, with pools and a home from home atmosphere. Today I had an apt for my 30week check up and it was with our consultant. He was a very nice man. He said he thought I should come in for a 35week scan that he himself would do. I asked why as I was told I wasnt due another one and I had been having a normal pregnancy. He said as I had had 2 m/c he would like to perform another one, and Im not complaining, I love being scanned. He then made a comment where he assumed that I would be giving birth at Northwick Park hospital, which is the hospital where the consultants come from to the birth centre (even though the BC is actually at Central Middx hospital) When I said no I was hoping to at the BC, the consultant paused and said OK if thats the kind of birth you want, but you do realise there will be no doctors and if you need one its a 20min transfer in an ambulance? I was shocked at this (well who said I will need a dr? why bother having this place if thats the case? etc). DP then started asking questions about what was better - M/w's or doctors etc etc and we ended up rather confused. I tried explaining to him afterwards that I would rather birth in a pool at the b/c not in a hospital ward with a consultant but found myself tounge tied when it came to spouting facts and figures about interventions (i need to present him with facts, its easier)
SO gettting to my point at long last, can anyone who has comparable experiences let me know, or maybe theres a great link you can give me that has stats on interventions and natural births... sorry this is so long.
Thanks Ladies x

have a look at birth choice uk which gives stats for all UK maternity hospitals

if you have ahd an uncomplicated pregnancy, there is no reason at all you should need obstetric led care, especially if all your scans show all is well , IMO

if you are comfortable with a birth centre birth, then that is the place for you

feeling safe , supported and at ease is really important for birth....

if there is no medical reason at all why you should not be a the birth centre, then go there !

it sounds like you are happy with the decision

obstetric led, hospital based care has its place, for high risk pregnancy,midwifery led care in a birthing centre is ideal for normal pregnancy..that is what it is there for

I'm not sure about the split between birthing pool and hospital care - are both not available in the same place if that's what you choose? I'm not saying you should choose to be in hospital if you don't want, but I would assume a desire to be able to labour in a pool wouldn't be deciding factor (perhaps I am naively assuming hospitals in London are as flexible as hospitals outside London).

I didn't have obstetric-led care, in fact I never saw an obstetrician in my pregnancy, but did give birth in a hospital (the nearest birthing centre being 25 miles away). I don't think it's an either/or.