Hospital or midwife led unit?

[Heffa]

I'm pregnant with my first baby, due in July. By the time I give birth, we'll be living very close (practically next door) to a lovely midwife led unit in a market town. I've said up till now that I would rather be in the big local hospital where they will have all the resources available (this is about 25/30 minutes drive away). However, I visited the hospital yesterday for my 20 week scan and it just felt horrible. Everyone I spoke to was incredibly rude, the place (which is newly built) felt really soul-less and there were alarms going off constantly. Apparently I'm very low-risk (so far, anyway) so I'm welcome to choose the midwife-led unit if I prefer, and this seems to be what the midwifes recommend.

I was wondering if anyone has any advice? I'm quite tempted to go for the midwife-led unit but I don't want to be putting myself at risk.

I had 2 in a midwife-led unit, required no pain relief or intervention and so I had my 3rd at home and plan to have 4th at home too.

It was more relaxed, the midwives had more time - not just during the labour & birth but to help me afterwards (because I didn't have a clue how to do anything!).

If a problem arises during labour then they will transfer you to a hospital. I live 10 minutes from a mid-wife led unit and 40-60 minutes from a hospital. A couple of friends have been transferred for c-sections, everyone else I know has been just fine. And they are not all lentil-weaving, no pain-relief martyrs but a real mix of local women.

If you name the hospital, someone here has probably used it!

I'd go for the mw led unit - they are much better staffed, more relaxed, and more supportive of active births.
They tend to be very experienced midwives, and will transfer you at the least sign of trouble - and in a blue light ambulance you'll be 15 minutes from the hospital and straight into wherever they need you to be.

I booked for a lovely birth centre (guaranteed waterbirth, caring, gentle, quiet), but had to go to the hospital as DS was prem.

Thank you for the replies; a midwife-led unit does sound like a much more pleasant experience! The hospital in question is the Royal Devon and Exeter - I know a few people who have given birth there and the reports aren't great (although not as awful as some places I've heard of). My DH is a bit worried, but I was trying to point out to him that if there was a problem, they'd transfer me ASAP rather than taking any risks.

If there was trouble I would want to be somewhere a paediatrician was immediatly on hand.. not wanting to have to pack my newborn in an ambulance to go to another hospital! IMHO that is a risk I wouldn't want to take, but pleanty of people have had uneventfull deliveries in small units! I just delivered the unexpectly enormous first baby 10lb 11oz who got stuck and distressed, or my second who was a normal 7lb and ended up in intensive care! I was very glad experts were on hand

Jellies - that's what I've been thinking up till now, but the hospital was so unpleasant that I'd hate to have to go there for anything. The doctors and midwives I've spoken to were extremely surprised that I wanted the hospital birth over the units given the choice, which was another thing that made me wonder (I assumed they'd be in favour of a hospital birth for my first).

The DGH that I gave birth in didn't have 24 hour paediatrician cover, neither did it have intensive care (only special care). It was described as a consultant led unit, and it was only when I was in SCBU that I realised that it was only nurse practicioners there all the time with the consultant in every other day. People were blue lighted out of there to get full care, so its not just midwife led units.

You can ask them about their transfer rates, levels of problems, reasons for transfer etc and they willingly tell you about it.

Main problems that first time mums generally need transfers for are slow progress in the first or second stages. If this happens there is plenty of time to transfer, and sometimes an ambulance journey seems to shift things! If you are low risk you are much more likely to have a normal birth if you steer clear of the hospital. There is plenty of research to suggest that this is a safe option for you.

i went to a mw led unit with dd1 as it was closest to where i lived. it ment no epidurals and a 20 min transfer if i needed a assisited delivery though. they had a birthing pool which the hospital i had dd2 at didnt (nevber used it though) and the support i got afterwards for breast feeding was brilliant, much better then the hospital. however the mw led unit was tiny and only delivers around 300 babies a year whilst the hospital delivers around 3000 and they were on opposite sides of the country (kendal and sunderland) . so they did have a lot more time to spend with you. im having this dc in the hospital as there are no mw led units near by

MW led unit. Without a doubt. MW led units have a superb safety record - they have to. They wouldnt still be open and allowed to function if they didnt. The standard of care is far higher IME, and the midwives really have time for you, both during labour and after the birth. I had my first DC in one, and would have had the others there if I hadnt had to have a CSection with dd2. I'm a huge fan of MW units - if your pregnancy is normal and you are low risk, why turn the birth into an impersonal and medical event?

Thanks for all the advice! It does sound like a midwife-led unit would be best for me (especially with it being next door!). DH and I talked it over last night and we both feel more comfortable with the MW unit.

Alfiesbabe - that's exactly what I was thinking, that if there was a safety risk with MW units they wouldn't be allowed and they certainly wouldn't be recommended.

Thanks again for all the help