PPROM / early labour / high risk / hospital

[Trisomy2]

so bit of back story: my waters broke at 32/33 weeks but Labour was not progressing so I was sent home after a week, then at 34+4 weeks I went back to hospital for bleeding, again was not in Labour so was sent home the next day. I’m now 35 weeks and still losing bloody show/mucus plug and waters still leaking. ANYWAY my baby is high risk due to having duodenum atresia, an abdominal cyst and diagnosed with mosaicism trisomy 2, because of this my local hospital can look after me but can’t cater to my baby if he’s born there due to not having the facilities, so all of my appointments and care have been at a hospital that is almost 2 hours away, this is also where I was due to being induced at 38 weeks. Anytime something has happened I have gone to my local hospital as I was told I would be transferred up to the specific one if needed, however both times I’ve been to my local and they’ve tried to transfer me- the hospital I’m supposed to be under have refused me and said they’re too full! The next closest that could cater baby was 4 hours away! My local hospital even said if need be they would separate me and baby to different hospitals! So would I have better luck just going straight to the hospital I am supposed to be under? Or going to my local and HOPING I can be transferred to the right place? I don’t want to risk going to my local and being transferred 4+hours away but I also don’t like the idea of something happening on the motorway drive to my specific hospital!

If the hospital with the higher grade NICU has no beds it doesn't matter if you deliver there or not, they would transfer you out anyway. So I would carry on going to the nearest hospital rather than risk anything happening on a motorway. If you are transferred then it will be via ambulance with a midwife escorting you. Hopefully when it comes to it there will be beds for both you and baby at the best equipped hospital

If you possibly can, drive to the tertiary centre nearest to you that can look after both you and your baby. Do not rely on transfers. You may get sent miles and miles away, but worse, as you've found, you might not be able to transfer if there aren't beds for you or your baby, and your baby has a worse chance in a NICU not able to cater for his needs. Hospitals can refuse a transfer - they can't refuse to care for you if you turn up on their doorstep. (They may transfer you back to a level 2/level 1 if baby's needs turn out not to be so severe but they will not turn you away at the door). Your instincts are right - go to that hospital.

Just go to your local hospital that you are under.
If they have to transfer you or baby anywhere else it will be in appropriate transport like a ground or air ambulance if necessary.
You don’t want to “self transfer” as you’d have no medical support enroute.

Im a nicu nurse and it's not unusual for this to happen. Go to your normal hospital. They will always try to do an in utero transfer to the nearest appropriate unit with beds. You don't want to try and travel to where you think your baby should be for something to happen en route or there be no beds once you arrive. If the unit is full then the will stabilise and transfer your baby to the nearest bed. At least with an in utero transfer you won't be separated in a different hospital from your baby. It's also safer for the baby to transferred in utero.

Thank you! I think I will probably have to drive to my specific hospital rather than my local one, I have an appointment tomorrow with the hospital I’m supposed to deliver at so hopefully if nothing happens tonight I can sort a plan out with them tomorrow. I just want to be in the right place and not worry about being sent all over the place!