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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Midwife refuses to visit me if I change hospital!

16 replies

fishycoast · 11/02/2011 11:07

Hello mummies,

I just had my first appointment with my community midwife at the Clapham Family Practice. Apparently, the midwives of said practice only work with St. Thomas's Hopital so they are refusing to visit me if I choose to give birth in St. George's which is my preferred choice as it is much closer to home.

Can they really refuse to visit me? their service is fantastic and I wouldn't like to change to another Practice just to be able to choose where to give birth.

Thank you so much for your help, I am very confused...

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lolajane2009 · 11/02/2011 11:10

I think it is normal as the midwifes are assigned to a hospital. I have been told the same if I have to change hospital, not through choice, and been told if I change I'll get another midwife.

Oneof4 · 11/02/2011 11:47

Unfortunately this is the case - I had the same problem out here in Essex.

MaryBS · 11/02/2011 11:51

Thats a shame! What will you do? I was glad to get rid of my midwife and have consultant led care, but thats a different story...

FirstTimeMum1 · 11/02/2011 12:11

I've recently just changed midwife's as i've moved home and both of them have said that its a woman's right by law that she can choose to give birth at any hospital, not dependant of her location so surely your midwife should still see you, even if you have chosen to give birth in a hospital at a closer location?
you never know when your going to pop and surely if you were out and about and went into labour and had to go to the nearest hospital which was neither of the two, then your midwife will still have to do all the visits afterwards?

sorry if that's confusing....! from what i've been told I see the midwife at the practice at which i am registered at, but it's my choice where i give birth and the midwife still has to see me.

trixie123 · 11/02/2011 12:38

its probably correct as they are linked to one particular hospital but to be honest you'll probably see a dozen midwives in the next few months and a few more during the birth so it doesn't matter all that much if you don't have continuity. Can you have your antenatal MW appointments at the hospital you want to give birth in?

breatheslowly · 11/02/2011 12:52

I had MW from one hospital and booked into another - totally normal for my area, everyone I kno did the same.

GwennieF · 11/02/2011 14:14

My community midwife was from the Trust that I live in but I chose to have both my DCs in a different Trust's hospital (that I work in) and it didn't have any effect on either ante- or post-natal care.

Foreverondiet · 11/02/2011 16:04

I changed hospital at the last minute - why not do that?

schmee · 11/02/2011 16:13

Honestly having given birth at St Georges and knowing people who've given birth at both, are you sure you don't want to go to St Thomas's? If it's your first baby you should hopefully have time to get there!

BellsaRinging · 11/02/2011 16:13

I dunno. I gave birth in my nearest hospital, but my GPs practise (nearest one to me) is over the border in another county. I moved from the hospital I was booked into automatically, which was the one the midwives worked with, after my scan and anti-d. My midwife didn't care, and in fact saw me at "her" hospital for a sweep. There was what seemed to be a fairly standard form to fill out...can't see the problem. In fact I was told people do it all the time. What if you gave birth when you were visiting elsewhere? Then you'd go to the nearest hospital and have the normal follow up treatment at home.
I would have a check-I thought you could chose your treatment hospital now for whatever, and I would think that the midwives are actually obliged to do the follow-up visits.

LittleMsH · 11/02/2011 16:28

I'm choosing to give birth 35mins away in a different area (because they have a birth centre). The way it works here (W.Yorkshire), is I continue to have all my antenatal appointments with the community midwives in Leeds (but if I have any hospital concerns, once I'm booked in at my chosen place then I will be expected to go there for those).

After delivery, the midwives at the birth centre should contact my local community midwives to transfer me back to their postnatal care. They should then come and see me the day after I get back with baby. My midwife here said they've produced special pamphlets explaining this, because sometimes the communication gets a little messed up and if for some reason a community midwife doesn't come and see me at home when I get back I should call straight away as there might be one out and about that can pop in.

You are completely within your rights to choose to give birth wherever you like.

cocoachannel · 11/02/2011 17:09

Just to reassure you that IME the St.George's midwives have been brilliant.

schmee · 12/02/2011 12:48

Didn't mean to put the wind up anyone who is planning to give birth at St George's. My experience there was very bad but others have been fine, particularly if they have been discharged before they get to the antenatal ward. But St Thomas's has a really good reputation and I wondered if the OP had reasons for choosing St Georges when St Thomas's was an option.

EauRouge · 12/02/2011 12:53

I was given the choice of 3 hospitals (all different PCTs) . I chose one that was not linked to my local surgery and the only difference was that I had to go in to the maternity unit to have my bloods done. Regular ante-natal checks were done at my local surgery and all post-natal care was as well.

lolajane2009 · 12/02/2011 20:36

I think the issue with mine is that if the specialist decides my pregnancy is risky I will have to change PCt so I can be under my specialist.

Portofino · 12/02/2011 20:42

In my experience, I had never met the MW who was there on the night, though she was part of the practice. She was lovely and I to be honest I couldn't have given a stuff who was present really, as long as they looked after me well.

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