MLU your experiences please

[mum2bejan]

I am having my first baby in Jan and booked into a MLU, which I am happy about, although I do worry about the fact that I wont be able to have an epidural. It will be gas and air and pethidine. People that have been there say its a wonderful place to have a baby and very relaxed and homely, but I suppose I just want some reassurance from those of you that have given birth in MLU's that its the right thing to do.

Have had all three in our local MLU and all three experiences were good. The MWs were fab and it was as comforting and relaxing as it could be . Lots of nice touches - comfy armchair, stereo, dim lighting, lovely wooden crib for baby to go into whilst e.g. you have a shower (or get stitched ). I would definitely recommend (also had the reassurance of being approx 30 secs by bed to the labour ward and less than that to theatre should there be a worst case scenario.

Are you giving birth in a MLU that is attached to a hospital? That is the option I did and found it brilliant. Although I didn't need it, it was good to know there was a full obs dept nearby if required.

I also looked into a MLU where they transfer you by ambulance to hospital in case of problems but didn't go for it in the end, mainly because traffic in the area can be quite bad and I didn't feel comfortable with that.

mum2bejan the fact that you are going to a MLU means you will be in an environment where you are much less likely to need an epidural, because you will be encouraged to use good positions to speed the baby along and help the pain. In a medical ward where the women are on their backs with monitors strapped on etc the need for epidurals is greater because it hurts more and takes longer to labour that way.

Thanks for the replies everyone. The MLU is attached to a hospital but it doesn't have an emergency or obs dept. If there were complications I would be taken by ambulance to the next hospital which isn't far away, so I'm not too concerned about that. I think I opted for the MLU because I heard so many positives about it, and I have never been in hospital in my life and the thought of that clinical/ heavily monitored environment sounded really scary. Obviously if as I advance throught the pregnancy the midwives etc feel the need to put me into a hospital with all the facilites, then I will go along with that, as at the end of the day a healthy baby and mum is all that matters, but I hope they continue saying I can go to the MLU.

Mum2bejan - Just curious but is it the Edgware birth centre? I have heard great things about it..

No, I live in the midlands. It used to be in an old delapidated victorian building but has now been re built into a clean modern building a few miles away. The midwives are lovely and I have yet to hear a negative comment about the place.

1st baby - normal hospital, felt like a conveyor (sp?) belt, treated like an ill person, their job was to 'get the baby out'.

2nd baby - MLU, fantastic calm, thoughtful midwives, felt like they had all the time in the world, treated as a person, made to feel really special, nothing was too much trouble.

If there is a number three there's no question where I'll have it.