Royal jubilee maternity or ulster hospital?

Growing up near the ulster i always assumed id give birth there, recently moved closer to the royal and was so tempted to go with the ulster because id never considered being anywhere else. Friend told me to stick with the hospital closest to my house so i stuck with the royal and honestly couldnt fault it. Feel like you hear such bad opinions but the staff were amazing and so friendly. I overheard a few woman be rude and argue with the staff and i honestly feel like its what you make it and how you approach the staff/your time there xx

The main reason I'm tempted is to avoid the westlink and the traffic to get on to it😂

I gave birth in the royal and the staff where so reassuring and lovely. They made me feel so safe as I was nervous it being my 1st and then ended in emergency c section. Could not fault the care I had at the Royal

I gave birth in the ulster a couple of months ago and had an emergency c section and the staff couldn’t have done any more. They were very helpful, and reassured me every day.

@Francesca yes the traffic into the royal carpark can be wild 😂

@Tori I second this! Lol the carparks at Royal can be a nightmare

I have given birth twice at the Ulster but it is the closest to me. I personally would stick with whichever is closest to your house. I have had both a c-section and a VBAC at the Ulster. I think you will automatically get moved to the royal if you need specialised care. So you may pick one option and be told you have to go to another.

1000% the ulster, but please make sure to talk to the consultant midwife to discuss your birth preferences. Their midwife led unit is incredible and vastly underused. In recent years guidance has changed arguably unnecessarily which means hardly any women get to the end of their pregnancy low risk and therefore are funnelled to labour ward. Ask for a tour of both hospitals and make sure to do your research on physiological birth so you can make an informed choice. I had an induction at the royal 2 1/2 years ago and a spontaneous water birth (outside of guidance) at the ulster. I couldn’t compare the two experiences. They were night and day. That said I found the staff in both hospitals incredible, but the ulster mid wife led unit facilities are fantastic. I live in banbridge which is 40 mins away from the ulster. Please feel free to message if you have any questions x

Should say my second birth was 7 weeks ago.

Got treated so badly in the royal after the 8pm staff change by an older midwife but everyone else was really nice and so helpful