To give an incorrect address for Maternity referral

[xsarahxs]

I’m 6 weeks pregnant with my first child (naturally), following a failed IVF a few months ago.

I self-referred myself to the hospital of my choice and have received a call back from them to say that they have changed their boundaries now and my address falls out of area. I explained to them that I really don’t want to go to the other hospital close to me as my dad almost died there of cancer due to negligence but she just said “if you move address to somewhere closer, we will definitely take you on”.

We’re looking to buy our first house but goodness knows when that will be due to the pandemic.

But what she said got me thinking, cause yesterday I visited proffered hospital due to pains and a nurse said to me “do you know anyone who lives closer, use their address?”.

Do you reckon I could use someone else’s address? The person I know who lives closer wouldn’t mind me using their address but I don’t want to tell them I’m pregnant till the 13 week mark.

Could someone please let me know if hospitals tend to send maternity letters etc via post anymore? I don’t want letters addressed to me turning up at their address before they know I’m pregnant.

[xsarahxs]

I completely understand that the department where my dad was treated (A&E btw, not their cancer dept), has nothing to do with the standard of the maternity, but this particular hospitals maternity has spent many years being “inadequate” and has recently been managing to scrape “good”, but feels like an absolute disaster inside.
The hospital I don’t want to go to is Whipps Cross. I know a fair few people that have given birth there and nobody has anything positive to say about the midwives.

As I previously mentioned, I have had a failed IVF previously and have therefore been through a lot in order to get pregnant, just want to be in a hospital where I feel comfortable

[xsarahxs]

Also, just a pointer, I had a miscarriage whilst in Birmingham, so I’m sure my doctors received those details

[sarahc336]

It also means the health visitor that will visit you afterwards will go to the wrong address too, I don't think it's a great option really xx

[xsarahxs]

Surely it’s easy enough to change address during your pregnancy - I’m sure 100s of people move homes whilst pregnant, I can’t imagine hospitals forcing you to change your antenatal care to a different hospital? @sarahc336

[Mummyme87]

When you’re discharged from hospital after having baby, they will ask for your discharge address so no one will visit you at the wrong address. Many people change addresses through pregnancy and go home to different addresses at discharge

[bloodyhellsbellsx]

I wouldn’t, the HV and MW may want to do home visits prior to the birth, so you would have to be at the friends house, and the HV wanted to see where the baby would be sleeping on my prenatal visit (may be different for different areas tho)

[lorisparkle]

We were planning on moving nearer to family before I gave birth so decided to use my sisters address and changed everything so I could give birth at the hospital near where we would be living. It was a faff because I changed Drs so all appointments were in the area we were moving to. It was also a faff when I had a few issues so had to travel to the hospital in the area away from our actual house.

Unfortunately we did not move before he was born but I still had him at the hospital I wanted as he was c-section

The only complication was the initial visits from midwives but the hospital contacted the midwives in the area we actually lived and it was fine.

I would do it again if needed to even though it was a faff.

[xsarahxs]

@lorisparkle thanks for that info! Good to get the opinion of someone who has experienced it first hand.

The hospital I want to give birth in isn’t far from me at all, they actually cover most of the Borough I live in. It’s only 1.5 miles further than the hospital I don’t want to go to so wouldn’t be a faff at all

[FourPlasticRings]

No one ever asked me for a discharge address @Mummyme87.

[Mummyme87]

@fourplasticrings they must get a lot of false calls then in community and discharges sent out to wrong areas. Women regularly go to different addresses at my trust after discharge and regularly change address during pregnancy. It’s really not a big deal at all. I’ve never seen such a fluster over a very simple matter. Book with one address and a week later call booking office/reception/community team, whoever to change and say you’ve moved. End of.

[memberof5]

No one is going to be doing home visits for a long time. No reason why you can't give a temporary address. But you shouldn't have to.

[jessetta28]

You can change your antenatal during pregnancy if you move, so starting your care at Whipps then moving before your actual due date wouldn’t be a bad idea if they keep pushing back. Do push though. I assume from your posts that you want to register at Homerton instead, but as someone currently getting care at an ‘undesirable’ hospital nearby I really
Y have had no complaints so keep an open mind if you need to.

[xsarahxs]

@jessetta28 no, I want to register at Queens Hospital in Romford. I live about halfway between Queens and Whipps.

If I really can’t get Queens then I’d rather travel to Homerton where I had my IVF than go to Whipps.

[xsarahxs]

Thanks @Mummyme87 .. I’ve booked with my friends address, hoping she comes under the catchment