Choosing where to have baby?

[Noodles81]

Hi guys,

Wondered if you can help me. After throwing up for days and thinking i had a stomach bug or something worse i finally did a test and found out that i was actually pregnant! Nurse reckons about 11 wks now but i think far less as i have irregular periods...waiting for first booking/scan to be sure.

My local hospital is Hillingdon and all i'd heard until now where not so great stories from ladies who had their bubs there. Since telling my manager at work she told me that she had a wonderful experience there and had no problems so it's pretty much 50/50 on reviews at the mo.
My first appt with the nurse i told her that i wanted to go to West Middx in Isleworth and not Hillingdon - so she sent a referral over. I got a call yesterday to say that they don't take ladies from Uxbridge area so they won't take me - GUTTED :(

My question is - i thought you could choose where to have your baby? It doesn't look that way, should i just resign myself to the fact that i'll have to have it at Hillingdon? Should i call up West Midd and make a bit of a fuss? I don't get how you can 'choose' when hospitals out of your area won't take you coz you live half an hr away, where's the choice? Is Hillingdon actually as bad as i'm making out?

Thanks for your help!

hey hun sorry i can not help really, but yes, you can choose where to have your baby, i would kick up a fuss!

I didnt want to have my baby at the hospital my doctor refered me to, when i asked her she said "we don't refer people there as it is ut of the area

It took me a few weeks, but i got refered in the end..

Go to your booking scan if you do not get anywhere sooner, you can always transfer after this

hope this helps when you kick up a fuss...

www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/hospitalchoice/Pages/Choosingahospital.aspx

I keep hitting post, when i dont mean to!

It says that maternity is exempt from the choice, but i was tld my the antenatal clinic i could have my baby at any hospital i wanted...

The problem might be that the hospital isn't willing to take you as they dont cover it for home vistis etc..

ring the antenatal department of the hospital, and ask for the person that deals with referrals, and ask them...

if that is the problem, you could see the community midwives near yourself, and then just go to the hospital for scans and the birth x

Yes, you can choose where to have your baby. I've done this in both pregnancies around 30 weeks. It seems to be easier once you've had your booking, 12 and 20-week scans and blood tests have all come back okay - in other words, you can demonstrate that you are "low-risk". You might have to go through more scans and tests at the new hospital, but you should be able to go where you feel comfortable.

I would advise going to visit the potential hospitals - many have tours of their labour/maternity units. Get a feel for the place and that will help you to decide.