Hospitals SW London help please

[JessieP1991]

Hi everyone
New to mums net - just recently found I’m pregnant this will be my first 😊 I think I’m roughly 5 weeks by my calculations but I could be slightly off so I’m very aware it’s still early day’s.

I met with my local GP today who told me I have to now refer myself to one of my locals hospitals but I’m having such a hard time deciding where to pick as I have no idea what the maternity units are like?? I was wondering if anyone had babies at either
Kingston
St. George’s (tooting)
Chelsea and Westminster

Any help would be amazing if you’ve had babies yourself at any of the above hospitals thank you 🥰

The big London hospitals are all fine, and I've friends who have had babies at pretty much all of them.

You can over-think this, because you are looking at very simiiar hospitals, all of whom offer excellent care, and the differences between them are mainly the sort of on-the-day flukes that you simply cannot plan for.

The one thing you can plan for is travel. Which do you have the best, most reliable journey to? With fewest bottlenecks if they start digging the road up, or a water main goes? I note you have listed hospitals in both sides of the River. I'd stick to one on the same side as you live, unless you are very close to the Thames (which 'm guessing you might not be, as you mention Kingston, but not St Thomas)

Agree with pp. All three are good . Go for the easiest to get to esp in rush hour.

Chelsea and Westminster were extremely negligent.
Experiences are subjective.

Agree with pp that getting there is the key thing. Which will be easiest to get to even in rush hour? A friend spent 90 minutes in traffic to Chelsea and Westminster because she decided she dudnt want to have her baby at st Georges which was 10 minutes down the road. I love her but shed an idiot.

Thank you 😊
I’m based basically in the middle of Kingston and St. George’s with both taking about 25/30 mins to get to. I only mentioned Chelsea and Westminster as the GP mentioned it to me but I agreed it was to far especially during rush hour.

Thanks for all your advice you’ve been a great help it’s easy to sweat the hospital stuff especially when I had no idea if it made a huge amount of difference.

Hopefully which ever I choose will be a good fit I suppose it’s catch 22

Had experience of both and preferred Kingston but my experiences were a long time ago!

I had straightforward deliveries, and for me the traffic going towards Kingston was likely to be a bit lighter than driving to St George's. I'm sure you will be absolutely fine at either.

I decided to pick Kingston based on everyone’s great advice for ease of commuting. Just waiting for a date 😊. Thanks everyone