DH is starting a new job in Oxford soon, and I'm going to be 8 months pregnant. The options are either for me to stay put in Cambridge till after the birth and have the baby as planned (MLU within the Rosie hospital, so fully run by midwives encouraging active birth, but with the consultant-led care on the floor below) or move to Oxford lock, stock & barrel and book at the John Radcliffe- which I know very little about. I have a couple of complications that make a VB a very, very good idea for me, so I really do want to avoid an epidural if I can due to cascaded intervention risks, but as I know the pain may just get too much I still want one available as a last-ditch option. (Knowing I had meds for severe morning sickness helped me cope, even though I never took them - just knowing there was relief available if I cracked meant I could cope. I want to have that reassurance in labour, too.) That rules out somewhere like Wallingford.
Can I ask what people's experiences of both hospitals have been when birthing? Obviously several other factors are at issue, in terms of such a badly timed move, but I wanted to know what people thought of each hospital. It would really help us decide.