Where should I give birth?

[IWanders]

So we are moving to Helensburgh two months before I am due to give birth I have no idea about the area and have no idea about the nearest or best hospital to have my baby in.
I will also be settling older dc into school and unpacking, finding my way around and arranging a routine for dc as they are still little and will need to be settled before baby arrives.
I am terrified about finding new midwives and working out where to have my baby so any advice or experience would be so much appreciated. Thanks :)

I lived in Helensburgh when DS1 was born. There is a hospital in Alexandria which didn't have the maternity unit open when I was there, but I believe is now a midwife led unit. It is about 9 miles away. The only other option is Glasgow or Paisley.

I had DS in Glasgow, but the hospital I had him in is now closed. I think the options are the Princess royal or possibly the southern general. You are looking at a 45 min to 1 hour journey to them though depending on traffic.

Good luck!

Just wondering if you are forces, as I know a lot of people in the area are? If you are you will get a lot of advice from others once you are there.

Don't know about the Helensburgh local hospital but I had my baby in Paisley RAH which would be another option for you. It has a lovely midwife led unit and a consultant led unit. I had my baby in the consultant led and had a lovely, relaxed birth. Couldn't recommend highly enough.

From friends who have used the Southern General it seems to be terribly short staffed but the staff who are there seem to be lovely.

Thank you so much I had a home birth planned here but not so sure when we move, I think being in a new place I would be happier in a hospital so thank you for the two suggestions I had my dd at a midwife led unit and it was lovely. Thanks again as now I can look into both Alexandria and Paisley, as googling blindly was making me panic a bit, especially as I have only found out schools go back in August. :)

If you were planning a home birth, why not meet your community midwives and think about sticking with that? Hb is more on your own terms so you don't need to worry about the suitability of the hospital you happen to be in the catchment of.

I had a hb with #3 and now regret not having one with #2 (home not really suitable with #1).

I've had home births and they were lovely.

When I had DS1 the mws were very much 'so you'll be having a hospital birth then, good girl' I don't know if it is because he was my first or if they weren't terribly pro home births. However, he is lamost 9 so things may have changed a lot in that time.

I had one midwife led and two home births that is why with no 4 I wanted a home birth but I just feel so out of my depth, I just wish I could hire a house moving planner who does everything for you or for the baby to just magically appear. I will see what the midwife at the surgery (when I work out where it is and how to register) is like and ask her some questions about home births my midwife here is very pro home birth so her support is amazing and I will miss that. But I will keep the hospitals in mind in case I panic.