Because I had hoped that my first two pregnancies would result in home births, I never registered myself at any particular hospital. Both times I had high hopes that I would never need to visit the hospital, but would give birth in the comfort of my own home (candles, dimmed lights, homeopathic pain relief, natural labour, etc.). But, as often happens, my deliveries didn’t go as planned, and both times they resulted in a last-minute, late night drive to the hospital, where I was of course met with a barrage of paperwork and questions. Who is this crazy lady who thinks she can just show up at our hospital to deliver her baby?
That crazy lady was me. And I swore I would never do THAT again! It’s never fun trying to remember your NHS number (or even name, for that matter!) when you’re in the midst of full-on labour!
So, this time round I’ve decided I should plan ahead and register myself at a hospital, give them all my details so that if I do end up there I won’t be a total stranger. Which is why, at 27 weeks pregnant, I made my first visit to the Elizabeth Garret Anderson maternity wing of the newly renovated UCH Hospital.
And I have to say, despite my worst fears, that I was ever so pleasantly pleased with the whole experience. The new hospital is clean, modern, efficient and easy to navigate. The waiting time was very short, and the midwives were all lovely and very helpful. I received a full check-up (blood pressure, urine, listen to baby’s heartbeat, etc.) and it all went well. I was very impressed with the hospital!
I’m even considering opting for a hospital birth, rather than attempting the seemingly impossible…
