To not give birth through the NHS?

[HereOrThereAndAnywhere]

With all the news stories of poor NHS maternity care and not good outcomes, I'm wondering if it would be worth it to give birth in another country. Is that a bad idea? Was your birth experience (if you had one in the last couple years) ok?

For voting purposes

YABU = Maternity care is perfect and there's nothing to worry about
YANBU = Maternity care has really gone downhill so I would try to figure out another way to give birth either privately or abroad

I imagine 90-odd percent of us who live here give birth here without (in most cases) too many issues. Don’t you think what’s good enough for the rest of us is good enough for you?

If you can afford it, go private here but moving abroad would seem a ridiculous faff to me, unless you have a second home somewhere

My care was amazing. I had a difficult birth; I'm not sure how many medical staff are used to seeing a back to back baby try to go transverse with its head in the birth canal, but those doctors were fast at coming to my room! I then had to have a c sec and because of the state of my birth, they gave me a room in the private wing instead of recovering in the postnatal ward. I was really well looked after. I'm not sure going private would have changed anything ultimately.

If I had to change anything though, I would get a doula. But only because my husband was as much use as a cat flap on a submarine (sat on his phone the whole time and ignored me).

I find the prenatal and perinatal care amazing. The postnatal care was dodgy (gallstone removal was a 12 month wait, PND therapy a 9 month wait, prolapse from 17 hours of pushing to no avail... Still waiting for a referral at 2 years post partum). I would save the money to pay any private fees for aftercare.

Had a terrible emcs in a London nhs hospital. Firstly it was nearly a crash section under general but the baby recovered before I was put under. We went with a normal cesarean under spinal. The op was taking far too long (surgeon was a registrar although that shouldn't matter) and eventually another surgeon was called in because baby was stuck. Senior surgeon took over and did a t-incision (additional vertical cut) on my uterus.

I had a lot of blood loss and suspected sepsis. Baby was ok luckily.

If I have another baby I can only have another cesarean because of high chance of uterine rupture if I go into labour. Considering another baby but terrified I'll go into labour before the planned cesarean and have nightmares about my uterus exploding on the tube 🤔

I am wondering whether I'd be able to request a specific surgeon if I have another baby, given the experience I had?

My friends overseas got fine dining, a private room and basically their hospital room looked like a hotel. Meanwhile I had my own room thanks to being in high dependency and got cold spag bol every night 😆

@CheesecakeAddict “But only because my husband was as much use as a cat flap on a submarine”.

This made me LOL!!!

I've had both my children on the NHS and they've been great but...

If I could afford it I'd have loved to have gone to the portland!

Specialist care, as many appointments as you wish or feel you need, time to sleep with the use of the nursery and proper meals.

I think there are a few countries where the services are better but giving birth in a country where the language is not your first language - especially if you are not fluent - brings additional risks anyway which would probably balance out.

Going private would mean a nicer experience though I would imagine.

BUT - your birth is not going to go as you planned - simple.

I’ve given birth twice in the uk on the nhs and once in another country. If I had a choice I would go with the other country every day.

I think the big difference was the aftercare midwives were available to help with breastfeeding and would help with my baby they actually changed my sheets they monitored how my baby was feeding and her wet nappies. In the uk I was lucky to even see a midwife afterwards let alone receive any help and support from them.
The rooms were also better only shared with one other mum and it had en-suite bathroom so no waddling down with bleeding pants down the corridor to a bathroom shared between 8 mums and past everyone in a busy corridor with no dignity.

My births were all straightforward though so can’t comment on what happened if I needed emergency c section or other complications arose.

Haven't RTFT.
I've had 2 live births and numerous miscarriages. Every pregnancy I've found the NHS amazing. I have very complex pregnancies and my births haven't been textbook. They've been great. Any issues I've had have been down to individuals not the organisation.