Choosing a hospital and distance to care team

[mountainlover2024]

Hi all,
New to mumsnet and just 6 weeks’ pregnant, so bear with me if this is a silly question!
My partner and I moved to Cumbria a few months ago for work relocation. I found out I was pregnant over new year. However we are nervous about maternity services up here given many have poor CQC ratings (some worrying stuff), and some in scandals etc.
We want to register in a hospital down south near my partner’s mums as it’s good care and we can get support after the birth. If I’m right, we can choose to give birth in any hospital, but what if my doctor is in Cumbria? We’re happy to travel for appointments and would go down a few weeks before my due date. But yes just unsure what the practicalities are / what’s allowed vs what’s advised. Any experience or advice here much appreciated.
Many thanks!

I think your entire midwifery care would be at the trust you're booked with for the birth. As long as you don't mind travelling for community midwife appointments, scans, blood tests, possible consultant antenatal clinic appointments regularly in the pregnancy, it should be fine. If you have a low risk uncomplicated pregnancy, at first there's not many but towards the end they get more frequent. If the pregnancy is high risk you could be looking at appointments every 2 weeks one way or another.
Bear in mind that in an emergency you may still want to go to your local hospital depending on the urgency and they may not be able to see your notes. Many trusts still use paper handheld notes but lots use an app or online versions which a different trust won't have access to.
To be blunt- if you have reduced fetal movements and don't know if your baby is still alive, how long will you want to wait? If it's a few hours drive that could be agonising/potentially fatal.
It may be possible to have antenatal care locally but deliver at your preferred hospital - you would need to ask both hospital trusts.

Thanks so much for this, very useful. I’ll probably talk to the trust I’m choosing and see what they say.

Btw your GP being in Cumbria doesn't make any difference - GPs don't provide routine antenatal care these days, it's all from midwife team. A midwife can ask your GP to prescribe something via email from anywhere in the country.

Just be aware that if you have any pregnancy complications later into your pregnancy you may have multiple appointments a week. I had 3 appointments some weeks, all on different days as staff and clinics were different for each type of appointment.

How long are you happy to stay down there? If you go a few weeks before your due date you might be down there a month before the baby arrives. How long is the drive back? A newborn should only be in a car seat for 30mins at a time, ideally (although I believe lie-flat car seats are possible, I've never seen one). Would you stay for three months after the birth?

According to birthrights, it does seem as though you can choose any hospital with a maternity department, but I would rather have a homebirth or hire a doula than be reliant on care more than an hour away.

re: PP. I had a C-section at a hospital in London to be nearer family, with our hometown in North Yorkshire. It was a 4 hour drive home and we did it with one break in the middle, on day 5 after the birth. The hospital didn’t raise any concerns about our plans, just make sure one of you is in the back with the newborn.

I went down at week 35 of the pregnancy, but kept antenatal care at my hospital in Yorkshire up until this point.

Friends who have recently given birth at Barrow hospital have been relatively positive about it (same as my local hospital and many others I’m hearing about lately, the care during labour has been pretty good, aftercare on the ward not amazing but I have heard that from almost everyone I know who has given birth the last couple of years no matter the trust! Do your research - it’s ok to plan to give birth closer to family but you will feel better if you’re comfortable with the hospital local to you (and the journey to get there - in cumbria possibly a bit of a drive to get to your local one) in case you have to go in an emergency.

Speak to your local midwife - can you attend all your regular check ups / scans in Cumbria but travel for the birth?

@Bxb88 Fair enough. I hate travelling by car at the best of times so that sounds like my idea of hell!

I’ve heard really positive things about the Penrith Birth Centre and know plenty of people who have given birth at Carlisle and have had good care recently. I think the CQC is rubbish for Kendal but ok for Penrith and Carlisle. You make it sound very “grim up north”, maybe speak to some other people who live in Cumbria and have given birth here!

I think this could work if you are prepared to move from about week 32/34 onwards (and that your DH/DP is happy about that - you're asking them to miss a lot). It could be later if everything is problem free.

Though of course it's between 24-32 weeks when you 'd really appreciate being near a centre of excellence, because if your baby is that premature, quality of care can have a huge impact.

Yes, you’re right, there’s likely great variation in service levels and care and I shouldn’t paint ‘the north’ with one brush.

Sadly however I miscarried this weekend and was left with a level of care I couldn’t believe was acceptable. A devastating time and unfortunately not feeling any more confident in the care.

@mountainlover2024 I'm so sorry.