Giving Birth In South West London
Decisions, decisions. If you’re pregnant and looking (even very vaguely) ahead to your birth, one of the major questions other than when and how (more of which later) is where. There are three main options: at home, in a midwife-led birth unit, and in the consultant-led labour ward. Whichever of these you plump for, you will likely be assigned a hospital - which will invite you for scans and other screening if suggested - and also to which your midwives may be attached if you choose to homebirth. So which hospital is best?
The answer to that question is pretty subjective. Like schools’ OFSTED ratings, hospitals receive gradings measured in several ways - including their ability to hit assigned targets for patient numbers and treatment, and patient feedback forms. Living in South West London you will likely be asked whether you’d like to attend Chelsea & Westminster, Kingston, West Middlesex, Queen Charlotte’s, St George’s, or St Thomas’. Almost all of these are rated good or outstanding, and the few that are rated lower - having been deemed overall to “need improvement” - have a maternity service that is rated good or outstanding. So, even if the hospital’s eye clinic, or ENT division isn’t quite what we’d hope, maternity is doing well - very reassuring. You can find and compare trusts here - just search at the top if you don’t see your local hospital as it might be operated by a trust with a different name. https://www.cqc.org.uk/cqc_survey/5
But - all being fairly equal - that may not help you decide, so where next? Some women turn to the practicalities. Not only, which is nearest and how will I get there when I’m in labour, but also the often more relevant, how would I get there for routine appointments? You don’t have to attend scans and other appointments if you don’t want to, but most people do, so considering practicalities like: “How would I get there from work, could my partner come too, and how would we get home or back to work from here?” is pertinent.
The question of facilities is probably the next one. If you think that you want to give birth at home, it would be wise to mention this to your midwife as soon as you can, both to get more information about the services available to you, and to have her move you over to the homebirth team. For most trusts this means that you will begin to have your appointments with the homebirth midwives and get to know them better ahead of your birth. For those hoping to give birth in hospital, most trusts offer tours of both the labour ward and the birth centre if there is one. Meeting the team who work there, seeing what facilities are available, and just experiencing the atmosphere created in the birthing spaces can help you decide if a hospital is right for you.
Asking friends (or friends of friends and acquaintances) can also be a good gauge, but try not to let anyone’s recommendations resonate more strongly than your own intuition. Everyone is looking for something different, and has different priorities. The place you choose to birth is where you will meet your baby for the first time - the room where you will become, or expand, your family. The most important thing is how you will feel in that space at that life changing moment.
Wherever you choose, remember that you can make the space feel more your own by adding comfortable items from home. Many hospitals will have pools, birthing balls, mats, ropes, stools and other apparatus, but you can bring smaller items including fairy lights, aromatherapy oils, electric candles, pillows from home and fans to make the space feel just as you’d like. Your doula can help you create and maintain the atmosphere you’d like, and - most importantly - once you are relaxed and ready to welcome your baby, you won’t notice where you are.
