🫧💧Water birth @ Royal Bolton Vs home water birth?

I really had my heart set on the Bolton or Salford birthing centres, I hadn’t realised until a month ago that they were both closed sadly. My heart says home birth but my head says somewhere more clinical. My mind is made up about a bath, if it’s safe to do so. I considered moving to North Manchester, for their centre. But have been put off having to move/share all my notes across and change where my appointments are. I realised yesterday too that there are baths in most of the rooms at Royal Bolton, which I’m really pleased about! Please could you share your experiences/plans of water births at home or at hospital? And even the birth centre at North, or your experience of changing hospitals half way through! 🫧🩵💧 thank you! ☺️

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I would say first of all, all rooms in Bolton hospital have a bath but they are definitely not big enough to give birth! I have my heart also set on a water birth, I knew from the moment I found out I wanted a water birth but then came to find out there’s only one water birth room and you have to be in at the right time to be able to get it! I never had my water birth, but I would say I had a great birth anyway! He came so fast there would have been no time to get everything sorted… Personally I would say, if you did go down the hospital route, as you go in ask if it’s available but listen to your body and go with what that wants as in the moment of everything happening you might not even want to get into the bath (I didn’t even want to move on the bed nevermind move to a bath 😂😂)

I wanted a water birth at ingleside but it was closed. I opted for a water birth at bolton but the room was occupied. Then I had to go on continuous monitoring so was not allowed to use the bath. I ended up in theater which was fine. For a while I was very caught up about not having had the birth I planned. Just try not to get too focused on one element in case it doesn't go to plan x

Warrington have birth pools if you can travel that far x

I asked the midwife today about Ingleside and she said to just keep an eye on it re opening. She's put me down as a ?home birth and to reassess nearer the time. She was quite encouraging about a homebirth. You can also transfer your care at any time to another hospital trust. Blackburn birth centre isn't that far from Bolton. I also had my first baby at Burnley birth centre as on the day Blackburn didn't have capacity.

I had water birth with both of mine, first at Ingleside in 2021 and second at Bolton last year. Hoped for Ingleside again but closed, I'd be really surprised if it ever opens for birthing again with midwife staffing levels as they are as they constantly told me just a few more months. I had my heart set on water again and was worried with there only being one pool at Bolton that I wouldn't get the chance, but it's actually not that often that they get to use it and actually use it for storage a lot of the time, when I was in the had to wheel out chairs and wet floor signs so I could go in 🤣 The level of care I received at Bolton was no less than what I'd had at Ingleside and all of the checks were the same, I said I was following hypnobirthing and my midwife set the room up accordingly and gave me that space with minimal intervention. Honestly a really positive experience for me there I wouldn't rule it out for Bolton, you just have to be sure to tell them you want the pool when you arrive x

@Lauren that is so helpful! Thank you. You sound like me! Thanks for commenting x

This is super helpful as I am considering a water birth but know that it doesn’t always go to plan so glad the level of care is great whatever you end up doing