private birth care vs nhs

[user1498017199]

i wanted to have some opinions about private birth care experience from moms who chose private. how's compared to nhs one? i know people say nice facilities like hotel but i more care about the tear, did you have second tear or advanced tear when giving birth at private unit such as lindo wing? thanks

[Mummyh2016]

I wouldn't have thought it would make a difference, surely if you're going to tear you'll tear regardless of if you go private or nhs?

[user1498017199]

thank you mummyh2016 and i was thinking maybe with better care/advice the risk can be reduced?

[UndersecretaryofWhimsy]

I doubt you would reduce your risk of a tear by going private, in fact you might end up with more intervention by going private because doctors could be incentivised to cater to your preferences rather than going by the evidence base.

There is some evidence that you can reduce your risk of a tear for free by doing perineal massage in late pregnancy, I'd go with that as a start point

[FartnissEverbeans]

I gave birth in a private hospital, but not in the U.K.

The birth itself was really unpleasant, but I don't think that's relevant to your question. The aftercare was brilliant and I can honestly say that those two days in the hospital with my new baby were the best two days of my life. I was so, so warm and comfortable and happy. Everything I needed was catered for - I had lovely food brought to me, my own shower and bathroom, and just lots of quiet and privacy to recover. DH stayed with me on a sofa bed which was lovely and exactly what I wanted. I didn't want to leave!

I was also given loads of painkillers etc., which made a massive difference. I've heard people say that this can be an issue on the NHS but I can't comment on that as I've never given birth in an NHS hospital.

Good luck OP

[debbs77]

If you are concerned about tearing then I would suggest looking at hypnobirthing. I found it with baby number 5! Gutted I didn't know before. It essentially encourages you to breath the baby out rather than push.

Pushing actually makes labour more painful and causes worse tearing. That baby is coming out regardless of what you do, so I think that a gentler way for you both is miles better!

[user1498017199]

thank you FartnissEverbeans, i wanted to find out whether choosing private care has an impact on reducing the damage to your body. do you mean the private care didn't prevent women from tearing? i wanted to know what's the difference between the private one and nhs in terms of reducing birth trauma. thanks

[FartnissEverbeans]

I couldn't possibly say if it reduced the trauma to my body as I have no basis for comparison. However, I had an episiotomy (eight stitches) and barely felt any pain afterwards thanks to the painkillers I was given. I was also given stool softeners which made the first poo much more bearable, and various gels etc. to use when I got home. The episiotomy has still had an effect though - 8 months afterwards sex is still uncomfortable.

However, I would say that the lovely aftercare made a big difference to my mental health. I found the birth really traumatic but having peace and quiet afterwards and being looked after by the nurses made a huge difference and I think that made a big difference to my recovery. Again I have no basis for comparison but I plan on having my next baby here so that I am get the same level of care again.

[Clalpolly]

It's the aftercare you need. You can't really predict that much of the birth. My NHS aftercare was shit and downright dangerous. Others will have a better story.
If you can guarantee good aftercare in a private hospital and you can afford it, I would say that is a no brainer.
But others may say different.

[Barees]

If you can afford private, then look at getting a doula (waaay less expensive!). At the very least talk to some, because they tend to be helpful with those sorts of things. Or a private, independent midwife - if there are any left.

[soundsystem]

I've given birth twice: one with NHS midwives and once with private midwives (as part of an NHS pilot scheme). I wouldn't say there was any difference in terms of tearing/the effect on my body.

What you're paying for (or not, in my case!) is more attention: a dedicated person/team to look after you who have the time to listen to you and address your concerns. So I suppose in that sense going private might make you feel better, but I wouldn't think you'd be less likely to tear.

[PerspicaciaTick]

There was a programme on recently about giving birth at the Portland. One of the Portland consultants said that the medical treatment was identical to the treatment that you get on the NHS. Exactly the same protocols, equipment, staffing levels.
What you do get (or can if you pay for that particular package) is care by a named consultant and bragging rights to say you gave birth at the Portland and an overnight, staffed nursery so you can rest without the baby waking you after the birth. 50% of women at the Portland have a CS. It was hard to tell if there were other benefits, but that might just have been the limitations of the programme.

It was truly fascinating - and put NHS care in a surprisingly positive light.

[silkpyjamasallday]

If it is tearing that you are worried about perineal massage is your friend. I did it twice a day from about 30 weeks using pure almond oil and I didn't tear.

[Clalpolly]

Perineal massage may make no bloody difference. Sorry.

[NotTooWorried]

I gave birth on the NHS twice and didn't tear.

[Stickaforkinimdone]

For the birth, you will get the exact same level of care in a private setting as you would in the NHS. The consultant you have will almost certainly be working in the NHS too but will be undertaking private work. The birth itself is down to your body and the skill of the practitioners-that skill is unrelated to whether they work privately or in the NHS. You'll be paying a lot of money for what are essentially 'frills' and what what you'd get on the NHS anyway, from the same professionals but for free

What will be different is the aftercare. Even the best NHS maternity units have some of the most dreadful postnatal care and it's mainly due to chronic understaffing. But that won't have any bearing on the birth or whether you tear

For what it's worth, not all tears are hideous, many are small and there are ways to reduce the chances of bad tearing-perineal massage, listening to what your body and the midwife is telling you so not pushing unnecessarily. If you end up needing an instrumental delivery it's not always the worst thing in the world; I was given an episiotomy in prep for a ventouse delivery (my son shot out before they could then do the ventouse bit!) and it really was fine-I believe it avoided me tearing and they did a fab job of stitching. No long term damage done.

Do think about perhaps other options like previous posters have said, eg hiring a doula, or perhaps having a maternity nurse to help you at home once you're discharged home

[MrsPandaBear]

Not sure what private will do to your odds of tearing. However, my episiotomy got infected and has healed badly. I was told by the NHS that for subsequent births that the experience of the person doing the stitching and how long they spend over the stitching makes it more or less likely a tear will get infected. I'd have thought you are less likely for any infection to be missed if you aren't on a madly busy NHS post natal word too.

[Clalpolly]

Me too, MrsPanda. I had to have surgery under GA to repair the damage.
If you can afford private, I would go private.

[Mrswalliams1]

I had private care (c section) and it was worth every penny. The private facilities wasn't the reason I went private (high risk twins) but for the care. It was wonderful. Mobile number if consultant, regular scans, saw same consultant every time, never rushed, wonderful birth and aftercare. Facilities were just an added bonus

[Doublechocolatetiffin]

I disagree that the birth will get the same care as NHS hospitals. It depends on the NHS hospital. Mine was shit. I barely saw the midwives for the first 15 hours of labour becuse they were too busy. The room was also freezing and I shivered my way through a night of contractions. I very much doubt you'd get that in a private hospital.

[schoolsschmools]

Disagree on tear BIG difference. I was very guided through whole process privately to avoid tearing and it worked. Natural birth no injuries. Stop, adjust etc... I know the actual birth experience was v diff to friends. I had a normal delivery but lots of help and support and guidance. The after care was good too. I did it because it was my money and the one thing I was scared of in the world was this. From nct and work colleague experiences I know mine was vastly superior in terms of looking after me. I think your baby will be ok anywhere

[Closetlibrarian]

I had two NHS home births. 1-1 care through labour and delivery (in fact 2-1 at the end as a second mw comes for the delivery bit) and no tearing either time. I used a birthing pool which I think might help with the tearing thing?

Both were great experiences and I'd highly recommend.