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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Private birth- NHS postnatal

78 replies

Goldleaf76 · 16/01/2018 16:47

AIBU to expect the NHS postnatal care (midwives and health visitors at home) if I'm having a private elective c section? My understanding is that I will have to pay for the visits (around £1200) but it does not sound fair as I only wanted to have a section and my baby should still receive free health checks as all other babies do. My antenatal has been under the NHS in the same hospital. Has anyone done this?

OP posts:
Original poster
Goldleaf76 · 16/01/2018 21:01

BanginChoons Yes I know the guidelines but it really depends on the Trust.I was told at my very first midwife appointment I couldn't have it without a medical reason. My antenatal is provided by the same NHS hospital where I'm having the private birth.

There are certain risks with both delivery options but a selective C section is considered safer for the baby, specially with the risk of instrumental delivery or emergency section after a long induction and labour. I can deal with the complications after birth as long as my child is okay.

OP posts:
riledandharrassed · 16/01/2018 22:12

I know C&W also say the same . Do they have any reasoning why they are violating the guidelines?

My concern when it’s my go is how early will I know if I can get one in the NHS, because I know people mention 34 weeks . I want to know if they will allow it or not and if not I will go private 😂 all very silly I know .

Hope yours goes well 🙏🏼💖

pigshavecurlytails · 16/01/2018 22:16

@Goldleaf76 when are you due? The amount that consultants pay for litigation insurance per birth is about to go up from £1500 to £4500. I know several obstetricians that are giving up private work because of it, you might want to check if yours is planning on upping their prices if you're not due for a while.

Original poster
Goldleaf76 · 16/01/2018 22:43

I'm due in a couple of weeks time.
riledandharrassed the problem is you can't really wait until 34-36 weeks because most consultants will be booked aready. They can only do 5 private ones a months, at least this is what I was told when I booked mine when I was only a couple of months pregnant and even then some of them were not available.

Someone asked what was the reason for not wanting to pay for postnatal. I can justify paying for the birth but if I'm entitled to get postnatal visits for free, why pay over £1000 for for someone to check and measure the baby. Private birth is very expensive as it is.

OP posts:
Osirus · 16/01/2018 22:46

I would do the same as you OP, wouldn’t risk a VB. I had an EMCS with my only child and I would never have a VB if I get pregnant again. There’s so much that can go wrong (friend of mine had twins over 40 and one got stuck in the birth canal and had brain damage. They quickly performed EMCS for the other).

toomuchhappyland · 16/01/2018 22:51

My sister is an obstetrician and would choose vb over cs every time.

Statistically a cs is marginally safer for the baby, but more dangerous to the mother. The risks to the mother are more likely than the risks of vb are for the baby. Hence her preference.

Onceuponatimethen · 16/01/2018 22:54

Had private birth and nhs hv care. No issues raised at all by any nhs staff to suggest this wasn’t ok

Rapunzelrella · 16/01/2018 22:57

Hi. .. I've had 2 elective c sections privately. The 2nd one was a year ago. Both were in london. Each time when I was discharged from the hospital i was automatically handed over to the community midwives and health visitors. I went back to my obstetrician for my 6 week post natal check but that was it. I think it was my obstetrician who sorted out the paperwork to ensure I was on the books of my local midwives etc post birth. Good luck!

sunshinestorm · 16/01/2018 22:59

Why shouldn't you able to pick and choose?
If you pay privately for the birth and initial aftercare then you've saved the NHS money, why would someone whose birth cost the NHS money be deserving of postnatal care on the NHS but you not? Makes no sense!

crunchymint · 16/01/2018 23:50

sunshine Not relevant to this, but there are limits. You can't pay part private and have part NHS for a procedure. They do need to be separate medical interventions.

HippieGoth91 · 17/01/2018 06:37

Anyone want to share how much their private section was? If I have another baby I want to go private.

Lemongincosy · 17/01/2018 06:49

OP i had private c sections and used the nhs afterwards because it was free and more convenient for me in terms of location. It wasn't a problem at all.

Lemongincosy · 17/01/2018 06:51

Woops meant to say saw nhs midwives afterwards

HTKB · 17/01/2018 06:52

Its true about ChelWest not offering CS for maternal choice..... IIRC aren't they very open about it on their booking letter or notes?
I have PMed you OP but just to reassure others, you do get NHS community midwife visits after a private birth. I do the visits!

sashh · 17/01/2018 07:09

Surely if you are a UK resident you are entitled to NHS care whenever you need it? So if you are discharged from private, and then want to access the NHS they can't really turn you away can they? On what basis would they be able to refuse you medical treatment?

It has been the case for as long as I remember, if you go private you stay private, even if you are treated in the NHS eg if you have an operation privately but something goes wrong and you need to be on ITU but the hospital you are at doesn't provide it then you go to the NHS and they bill you.

I'm surprised that for private C sections you can then have postnatal care afterwards on the NHS, it never occurred to me you could.

Why shouldn't you able to pick and choose?

Because it screws up the NHS and impacts on NHS waiting times.

Gubbins · 17/01/2018 07:46

HV care is for the child, not you, so should definitely be NHS. But the midwifery is your post-procedure care and so part and parcel of the birth. It seems very strange to me that for some of you the cost of that post-operative care wasn’t covered within the cost of your treatment. Can’t imagine that would be the case for any other private operation.

Gubbins · 17/01/2018 07:54

Crosspost with Sashh, whose post has clarified my thinking. My problem with the private birth/nhs midwives is that you are not discharged by the NHS post birth until the midwives are satisfied that all is ok. In the scenario we’re talking about you are being discharged by the private team before they know any such thing. Seems wrong to me.

EggsonHeads · 17/01/2018 08:02

Honestly OP, if you can afford to pay for the checks you should. Obviously the NHS is overstretched and not really meant for people who can afford to pay but I mean on a more personal level. You never know who you are going to get on the NHS. One of my HVs was absolutely amazing. Lovely person. I really enjoyed her visits and found her advice genuibely useful. The others ranged from rude to downright hopeless and were more of a stress than anything. I wouldn't reccomend using the NHS if there is a private alternative available in your area (I would assume there is unless you are traveling for your delivery).

Original poster
Goldleaf76 · 17/01/2018 08:10

Gubbins I thought that midwife visits were to check and measure the baby but I might be wrong. The private consultant will check my recovery in 6 weeks or before if something goes wrong, I don't expect that from the midwife. The only thing apart from the 6 week check that is included in the package is postnatal care while you are staying in the hospital.
HippieGoth The private section only is around 15+ including the consultant fees and 3 night stay. If you want private antenatal it will be more.

OP posts:
jellycat1 · 17/01/2018 08:17

Yes you're partly correct OP. Midwife (and later HV) will come for the baby but also for you. They'll check your stitches and help you with breastfeeding etc if you're BFing. There's absolutely no difference between you and anyone else in this regard and nor should there be. Yep you go for checks with your consultant afterwards too. Then GP takes over after that.
As for the private team discharging you - it doesn't matter. Apart from anything else all the consultants that have private lists also do nhs work. Same people. You're just paying for the things that everyone has mentioned below.

swingofthings · 17/01/2018 08:48

It is the law that the NHS can't provide only part treatment when someone opts for private care, end of. So people can't decide to have private IVF but get drugs paid under NHS, or private surgery but NHS scans.

The argument that it saves the NHS is irrelevant as that would apply to almost all private care. If people take the decision to have private care, it is obviously because they are getting something out of it and they can't pick and chose what they want and what they don't.

postnatal is considered to be part of the giving birth episode, hence why you can't have one part private and the rest under the NHS.

Whether it's fair or not is irrelevant, almost everyone could come up with something about the NHS that they think it's unfair when it applies to their own situation.

jellycat1 · 17/01/2018 08:49

But that is simply not true with private births swing ! As many people on this thread who've actually had them are telling you!

HTKB · 17/01/2018 09:08

Swing, that's nonsense.

Hippydippydoo · 17/01/2018 09:37

swing agree with others that in regards to birth that is all utter nonsense.

I have an independent midwife and absolutely nothing to do with the NHS. I am planning a home birth, but if I chose to rock up to the mlu on the day then that's my choice.

After my home birth I can still have all NHS antenatal appointments if I want them, and all tests and check ups that are available to mother and baby post birth.

I know this because this is my second baby and most of this applied to my first birth.

Cheby · 17/01/2018 09:51

Swing that definitely isn’t right. For a start antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal Care episodes are all coded and funded separately.