Huddersfield Birthing Centre - any experiences??

[Wilkiepedia]

They have shut down the labour ward at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and have a MW led birthing centre there instead.

The nearest labour ward that handles emergencies/c-sections/complications/epidurals is Calderdale Hospital in Halifax.

I am due in June, it will take me 10 mins to get to HRI but a good 30 mins to Halifax.

Has anyone had any experience at the Birthing Centre in Huddersfield. I am just a bit dubious about a totally MW led unit - I know they would transfer you if there were complications but surely this increases the risk to both mother and baby as it would take 20 mins from birthing centre to Halifax??

This is my second birth - first was long, had epidural but no complications - different city though.

I would just like to put my experience of Huddersfield Birth Centre on here as I feel it has a really bad reputation which just isnt true!

I recently gave birth in Huddersfield Birth Centre and had very similar concerns regarding the lack of surgeons etc, but after going to the centre for a visit and talking with the midwives I decided to book my birth there.

I had heard many stories of friends of friends who had 'bad' experiences and everyone had an opinion of where I should go. I decided to ignore the bad stories and put my faith in the midwives that deliver babies every day and not other peoples so called experiences.

This was the best decision I ever made, the midwives were amazing and not only made me feel at ease with the birth, they made the overall experience feel like a service not a procedure! Both myself and my partner commented on how we felt like we had booked into a hotel not a hospital!

In my birth plan I had opted to take the advice of the midwives and do exactly what was needed to deliver my baby safely and quickly. This is exactly what happened and my first born son was delivered in a calm, controlled environment with the added bonus of my parner being there throughout and having the ability to stay with me until I was discharged the following day! Another point I must make is that there was no urgency for me to leave the hospital after the birth, I was told I could stay as long as I needed to making sure I was confident with all aspects of taking my son home! The midwives not only delivered my baby but they were equally interested in my care and the care of my son after leaving the hospital.

The professionalism of the staff without it feeling stuffy and formal was amazing and I really can not sing their praises enough! I feel bad for the centre as people get too scared by false statistics of complications during birth and feel the need to transfer to a hospital which is further away from their home due to bad information!

So if you are in the situation of making a decision between HBC and another local(ish) hospital then take the time to go and talk to the ladies at the birth centre and not just take someones 'stories' as being gospel. Obviously if you are aware that there may be complications in your birth then this may not be for you but I have to stress that nothing I was told about the centre was true! It was amazing!

And as far as an epidural is concerned, natural is more painful but so much better!!!

Thank you midwives at HBC!