Warthog: i am thinking of going the private route but having my baby at kingston hospital. I am trying to decide on an ostestrician to use from start to finish. Would you recommend meena shankar or isat ataullah. i wanted to use kate panter but believe she is not currently doing this. help!

Hi, I had my little girl at QC in Jan 08. I was under the care of Ruwan Wimalasundera who is very good. Mr Kumar was going to do my section but Mr Mc Carthy ended up doing it. I think all 3 of these consultants are worth recommending. Cx

another vote for Mr Kumar at QC. I had a section and he was FAB. Very calm and reassuring, reassured me that the risks were negligible and I just really felt like I was in the best possible hands. I want him to deliver my next one. Actually I want him to father my next one!

thanks you two.

Cx

A big second thumbs up from me for Mr. Kumar at Queen Charlotte's. I had my twins with him c-section after an extremely difficult pregnancy (early labour scares, bleeding, etc.). He got my babies to me safely when that wasn't always a given and I'm left with a tiny c-section scar. My c-section was rough, but for reasons beyond his and my control and in spite of all this I would heartily recommend him. I was also on the private ward (Sir Stanley Clayton) and this was fantastic - great level of care and full midwife support who were responsible for my tube fed babies staying out of SCBU.

He's fantastic.
Kx

my god you had a rough time. fwiw i think you're doing the right thing.

i think ifat is the bees knees and i'm sure you'd be very happy with her. i hope the second time is a lot better.

Thanks so much Penona. And I'll ask my doctor about Kingston, good point. Portland starts from £10k for c-section I think. Seems the only place that gives you a slighter cheaper one if it's for medical reasons too. But it's still too expensive!

Cheesychips I think it's become clear now to all of us that you are in fact Mr Pooley's stalker! . Just joking, he sounds sooo nice. waiting for the price list from Fiona his sec now.

C

Me again
Just like to add (and no I am not Mr Pooley's wife. accountant or PR gal ) that whilst I had booked my c section with Mr P for Thursday I went into spontaneous labour early on Saturday morning. We were able to ring him on his mobile and he met us there,

Goodness poor you. You do seem to have had a really rough time of it. Would your doctor do a special request for Kingston? I wasn't in the area either but was bizarrely easier for me to get to on public transport than my closest one and couldn't drive while pg (too ill). I ended up with a private room in Kingston anyway - they have quite a few and give them as priority for c sections usually as you have to stay in longer.

How much is it at somewhere like the Portman? I don't know what they cost. But only hear good things about it. And you could end up next to someone like Posh Spice and sell your story to cover the cost

Good luck to you. It doesn't sound like a very nice position to be in. And well done on having the courage to be pregnant again - not sure I would after all you have been through!

Wow, loving the mumsnet ladies!! So much advice for me to go on, thanks for the recommendations.

I think I'll tour Lansdell Suite (home of the much praised Mr Eugene Oteng-Ntim!), Kingston's Coombe Wing (I heard Mr Pooley's back from October!!) and Charlotte's.

I must look in to the being "bumped for a priority" thing - would be really aggravating to pay for care then get a different surgeon on the day or get put on the ward when you know you've paid for a room etc...

Believe me, those who mentioned the NHS service at Kingston - I'd be using it then maybe just pay for a private room to recove in afterwards to save costs. But it's not my catchment area unfortunately. My choices are St Thomas', St George's, and Chelsea and Westminster.

Having had a traumatic time at my birth at Tommy's, and experiencing the post natal care there, then the op's at George's (one botched), and hearing about my friends births at Chelsea (great births/awful after care) I really can't do any of them. So private it is.

On that subject, I was so surprised at the two different sides of births at Tommy's. In my experience there, and my opinion, the Home from Home side is Heaven and the Birth Centre was Hell!
One minute I'm in a birth pool with a lovely midwife and my own room complete with Thames view waiting for me, with pull out bed for my husband to stay for 24hours!! (all part of the NHS service at Tommy's if you don't take the drugs and keep it natural...)

The next, said lovely midwife who was lovely but really not on the ball realised I was 10cm, my son was back to back and I couldn't push him out in a "month of sundays" apparently (!) And needed assistance in theatre.

I was put on a trolley, taken to the Birth Centre side where random people proceeded to yell at me like I was an idiot, ram a catheter in me without warning causing the bigggest contraction ever, then leave me flat on my back waiting for an anaethatist who was "just coming" for what seemed like hours. Oh it makes me sooo mad. I don't want to scare people with this but they really need to give people on both sides the kindnes and respect they seemed to give in the Home from Home. I bet the aftercare in H from H was much nicer than the BC too. But that's another thread...

Thanks again ladies. And sorry to wafle, seems I couldn't bring myself to go over my experience then once you start you can't shut up!!!

Charlotte