Can I choose which hospital to give birth?

jellyhead

i was monitored and on the drip but i had a midwife who was in the NCT and she got me standing up, and using a birth ball, leaning on the bed - anything but lying down. it's a pain though because the monitors slip all the time then the midwives get an alarm and they have to come and check on you - it's probably easier for them if monitored women are lying down, but i agree labour isn't nice lying down.

Crispy_Ambulance

What a great midwife - yes, you can be monitored in an upright position and remember that if the transducers move around - that is someone else's problem! A midwife can stand and hold them in place if necessary.

Also, no-one can make you be induced - maybe your pregnancies are naturally that bit longer - why should everyone have a 40 week pregnancy? However, you will get a lot of pressure if you decide to go past 42 weeks, but remember it is your choice!

jellyhead

the midwife told my husband he was in charge of keeping the monitors in place, it was difficult lol! but as they were only there because i was on a drip and there was nothing out of the ordinary happening on the monitors it wasn't a problem if they slipped every so often.

that was just the one midwife though, everyone else in there said they'd been on the bed the whole time. when i was dilating i was on the bed for a bit because i was in pain, and the midwife came in and told me to try standing up and the difference was amazing, it hurt so much less than lying on the bed!

i know some areas allow you to go to 42 weeks and then they intervene, but here you can only go ten days over before they intervene. i'd prefer that extra 4 days.

Alleycat

Ours is 11 days over. I was booked in for an induction but dd decided to put in an appearance at 1.57am that morning! I'm really glad I didn't have to be induced, the sweep was bad enough (and didn't work lol!).

Baby_A

Hillingdon Hospital is very nearby to you, I had my daughter there and was really impressed with the way I was cared for. I stayed in hopsital for 4 days before having a emergency caeseran and then stayed a further week. The whole time I was looked after really well. HTH

jellyhead

different people can have different opinions of a hospital too, often based on just one midwife. a woman in the playground had a baby about a month after mine and it turned out she had the same midwife i did. she really hated her, and refused to get off the bed, she thought the midwife was really awful. she's a bit older than me and started having children in her teens, she had a ten year gap between the next youngest and this baby and i suppose as far as she's always known you lie flat on your back during labour. this particular midwife didn't seem keen on pain relief either and that really got this woman's back up. must admit it annoyed me too when i screamed for pethidine and she told me i didn't need it, lol!

the real problem was their being short staffed, no time for midwives to get to know people or find out what they wanted. i suppose a home birth would be much more supportive as the midwives would be there with you, one to one.

Queen_P_2

Birthing centres really appeal to me. I will be looking into Queen Charlotte's, its adjacent to the main hospital so I think thats pretty good going if they dont have a Dr in the centre itself.

But it depends on whether they consider im healthy or not to be there.. even if I think im fine.

Also im funny about using the loo at home if anybody is near the bathroom so the thought of sharing a bathroom in a ward would also not be possible for me, we had to look for a place to live with 2 bathrooms... so hubby and I have one each now...
When I lived at home with my parents, I waited till everyone was either out or downstairs before i even went for a pee so the birthing centres with en-suite sound more and more appealing LOL

Ive had an awful weekend with the pain doubling me over... called doctors today who refused to see me, said its only an emergency if im bleeding.

A&E said to go to antenatal to get a scan. I dont have a midwife yet, my first appointment is 25th April.

Seems nobody wants to take me seriously. I just had to bear with the pains.

Alleycat

Queen P, I've sent you a pm.

Alleycat

Have a look here , hopefully it will ease your mind a bit.

There is also a bulletin board for pregnancy where you could maybe ask if any of the other pregnant mummies have any advice.

jellyhead

queen p do you have a scan arranged? can you insist on it today? pain that doubles you over shouldn't be ignored *HUGS*