questions to ask during tour of maternity wards?

[Seasidedolly]

I'm 34 weeks and have tours booked of our local hospital delivery suite (Southmead, Bristol) and the midwife led stand alone unit (Cossham birth centre) this weekend.

For weeks I've been having questions pop into my head but now I've gone totally blank and can't remember any of the things I was going to ask!

Any advice on what will be good to know, or what you asked?

First baby, would like to use the MLU but not sure I'm brave enough!

thanks :)

I had a tour at Southmead recently and there is a separate midwife led unit on site which they'll also show you around, it did look really nice.
Haven't got any suggestions for questions although the tours are given by volunteers so they might tell you you'd need to ask your midwife if you have any quite specific to ask.

Where's the parking

Why not brave enough?

Ask about facilities, how long you can stay, how long partners can stay, what support there will be, how often will you see a midwife, what pain relief is available, what's their time-table for birth, what happens in an emergency, what constitutes an emergency, what is their intervention rate i.e.; how many births result in assisted delivery or c-section? What will you need to bring with you?

Outcomes for low-risk first time mothers are good in both MLU and home births.

Ask about visiting hours and how long your dp/dh is allowed to stay with you. I know MLUs allow him to be there as long as you are but hospitals can be strict.

ask if "on site" MLU actually means part of the hospital. If it is and emergency transfer is a simple run to theatre with you on a trolley. If it's not (and even if it's just next door or over the road that can be the case) then they'd have to call an ambulance etc to transfer you which could lose valuable minutes

I am from Bristol but live in Gloucester now, i know lots of people who wanted to give birth at Cossham but because there are no medical facilities had to end up giving birth at Southmead due to having a C-section or complications in latter pregnancy. Cossham does look amazing but be prepared that it might not happen so def look around southmead too! :D

I'm bristol too and initially opted for southmead midwife led unit. Let us know how it goes. I am yet to book in for a look around. I did contemplate cossham as I think I want to use a birthing pool if possible and they have more there than southmead. But not too keen as no doctors or theatre there Incase of an emergency and a 40 min transfer to southmead by ambulance if I need that