Home birth support - Queen Charlottes Vs West Mddx vs other

[Sluttybartfast]

Possibly jumping the gun but I need to decide soon which hospital to self refer to. Does anyone have any experience of planned home birth through either hospital and how supportive/good each hospital is? I can't find any information on transfer rate for planned HB, only for transfer from birth centre to labour ward.

For info, this would be my second and my first was an uncomplicated, unmedicated normal delivery in a birth centre so I'd hope for the same again... except at home. Both are roughly equidistant from me.

Where we live (London as well) there was no choice - you are under whichever hospital covers where you live. Are you sure you're allowed to choose?

Yes - I can self-refer to any one of 3 hospitals. It was different where I used to live but here I have a choice.

Queen Charlotte's is world famous so I would go for this. I wouldn't get too hung up on what you think might happen. I can totally understand why you would want a home birth after your experience of your first but children of habit of coming out when and how they want!

Good luck!

Of course I know it might go differently, I've done this before. But I have an excellent chance of having an uncomplicated second birth after an uncomplicated first, so I want to be under a team who support home birth and are good at it. World famous is great for complex high risk pregnancy but isn't really much use in a straightforward low risk one, and I can self-refer back to Queen Charlottes if risk factors come up while I'm pregnant.

Of course I know it might go differently, I've done this before. But I have an excellent chance of having an uncomplicated second birth after an uncomplicated first, so I want to be under a team who support home birth and are good at it. World famous is great for complex high risk pregnancy but isn't really much use in a straightforward low risk one, and I can self-refer back to Queen Charlottes if risk factors come up while I'm pregnant.

I went to Queen Charlotte and they literally saved my son. I can't recommend it enough.

For anyone who's looking into a similar issue in future: I've been told that the head of midwifery at Queen Charlottes is a strong homebirth supporter, so I'm going to start there.

just coming back to this - round here you can self-refer to any hospital for a hospital birth, but only one covers home births (they each have 'catchments'). I think it's because HB is covered by the community team. It's reasonable too: you can't expect midwives to travel all over. I had great HBs: good luck!