Is private maternity worth the travel?

[Missp23]

I have a dilema regarding my ELCS.

I can give birth in my local NHS hospital which is well rated for maternity care. The hospital is just under 1.5hours drive away. It is a rural hospital and people speak highly of their care. They have 2 private rooms which cannot be booked and are allocated on a medical need basis. My husband may or may not be able to stay but they said they would do their best to accommodate given the travel distance. All being well, I would stay 1 night but with the option of a 2nd if struggling with breastfeeding.

Alternatively, I have the option to give birth in a London hospital and have aftercare in their private wing. It is a 4 hour train journey to London. All being well, I would stay in hospital for 3 nights and my husband can stay the duration on a pull out bed.

Both hospitals have NICU and ICU.

Which would you pick?

The idea of having a screaming new born on a train for 4 hours, trying to breast feed and also having the heaviest period of your life sounds like a very bad idea. Go local.

Of course it shouldn't. Other women on the ward have rights too, including the right not to have male strangers invading their privacy, disturbing them, and using the toilet etc.

I discharged myself against medical advice after having my youngest mainly due to the shitty behaviour of blokes hanging around the postnatal ward all the bloody time.

This is probably a debate for another thread. A recovery ward for a group of women who've just been through labour should have daytime visitors only. No woman would have to try and sleep and breastfeed and worry about scars and blood and all sorts with a male stranger sat in the chair next to her, and the one after that etc.

The fathers can spend all day there but good lord, the night times should be protected at all costs.

Just continually restating that you think that doesn't make it so.

Men should not be staying on postnatal wards overnight and your wish to have your husband looking after you does not outweigh the needs of all the other women there.

Op, I think the train or staying in a hotel in London with a newborn will be hellish and for that reason in your position I would choose the nearer hospital.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/pregnancy/4729351-dads-overnight-on-postnatal-wards-yay-or-nay

So as not to derail this.

For me, OP, I'd go for the local one, and drive home.

Having had three c sections in my local NHS and never been allowed partner to stay (that didn't bother me though I actually love that first night alone) - I would opt for local. Travelling on a train would have been so painful for me as I couldn't sit comfortably. changing nappies, and changing pads in a train toilet would really hard - and breastfeeding a teeny baby on a train might not be much fun either. I'd do the car journey.

I'd go with the closer option.

Babies don't tend to conform to our plans so you could plan to use the London hospital and then not get there in time.

Also DD and I were back and forth to hospital something like 6 times in the first ten days of her life, including a readmission. The closer the better for that sort of care.