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Birth clubs

Connect with mums-to-be with similar due dates to share experiences and support.

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Original poster

portland hospital

19 replies

valentine · 07/07/2006 17:53

Has anyone had a baby at the portland in london and if so can they recommend a good obstetrician there? thanks..

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Rhubarb · 07/07/2006 19:15

bump

frogs · 07/07/2006 19:20

I'd choose the consultant first and the hospital 2nd tbh if you're going down the private route. Choice of consultant also depends on your preferences in terms of labour and birth, eg. how you feel about epidurals, managed births, caesareans etc.

Having said all that, I was under Mr Anthony Silverstone at UCH for 4 pregnancies, and I think he does his private work out of the Portland. He is a truly lovely guy, though probably not of the low-tech, natural birth persuasion -- I had a slightly fraught discussion with him about vaginal breech birth in which he was firmly in the pro-CS camp. But very easy to talk to, sympathetic, and he does listen.

Original poster

valentine · 07/07/2006 21:51

thanks frogs - i had my first 2 with John Smith at st marys, lindo, but he is retiring from obstetrics and I am considering moving to the portland if i have another (if DH allows me!) - mainly because the care at the lindo wing was, in my experience, appalling considering the financial costs. Having said that, it frightens me to be in the portland as it doesnt have all the medical equipment - should things go very wrong - that st marys has...

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frogs · 07/07/2006 22:47

Ooh, my sister will be gutted to hear about John Smith retiring -- he delivered her older two at the Lindo and I think she was planning a stealth third baby sometime soon...

But if you're okay with the care at the Lindo Wing (ie. consultant-led type scenario) you should get on with Mr Silverstone. He is very simpatico; I know people who've been treated by him for various medical conditions (he also specialises in some kind of gynae cancers) and said the same. I had a complicated miscarriage in between babies which reduced me to a snivelling pile of jelly, and he was truly lovely about it all, very supportive and calm. Having said that, being NHS he didn't actually deliver my babies, who in any case have a tendency to shoot out faster than a consultant can answer his bleep. If I had the money, and I were planning another baby I'd go for John and Lizzie's, personally, but then I'm an old hippy at heart.

hub2dee · 07/07/2006 23:03

We were happy with Demetrios Economides . DW had a cs at the Portland, and we also used their NICU / SCBU facilities.

Original poster

valentine · 08/07/2006 13:56

Did you know in advance that you would have to use those facilities and did you feel you were in the best place for your baby?

OP posts:

hub2dee · 08/07/2006 19:03

I went to the Portland with the General Manager / Hospital Director's contact details in my pocket. I was aware of some of their very poor prior performance a few years back and if there was going to be any slack nursing I was going to freak and kick ass at the earliest opportunity. I am under no illusion that it is run as a business IYSWIM... however I was delighted at the care the three of us received (and I am a tough nut to please), though dw was under special obs (consultant's orders) for ages after her c-s (one on one nursing), so that undoubtedly helped... plus, as her c-s was medically required, BUPA covered nearly everything (the Portland is not cheap !). We added dd to dw's policy immediately at birth and they also covered the (incredibly large) NICU / SCBU bill.

Re: would I have gone there if I knew Special Care services would be required ? Probably not. Not because I don't think they could handle it or I found our experience sub-standard, but I feel the NHS is the place for things to be when a variety of specialists may be needed at very short notice IYSWIM.

We knew our baby might need some extra care as she was IUGR but I think even the consultant was surprised at how small she was at birth (1.94 kilos / 4lbs 4 oz), so the stay in NICU / SCBU was somewhat unexpected.. certainly for as long as 5 days. (I appreciate some SCBU 'visits' last a heck of a lot longer).

Will we use them if we have a second baby? Possibly. We have recently met a couple who lost a baby there (I do not know full details and won't post more on the subject), and this personal contact / hearing their account of what happened etc. may mean we'd prefer to go elsewhere, despite the fact that I know they have improved their protocols, monitoring, overall performance etc. since this (presumably very rare) event several years ago.

hth.

Original poster

valentine · 08/07/2006 23:53

thanks hub2dee - that is v helpful - always v difficult to make decisions like this! my experience of the paedriatricians there is certainly a positive one! horrible though for your friends to lose a baby there...

OP posts:

kitegirl · 09/07/2006 05:32

If there's no reason for you to think yours is a high-risk pregnancy Portland is likely to be just fab!

if you want the extra comfort of knowing that there's all the back-up of a NHS hospital in case anything goes wrong, check out Lansdell Suite at St Thomas's I am having my baby there under Mr Mascarenhas (high-risk preg) and everyone so far has been lovely.

novadandypowder · 09/07/2006 08:23

I had DD with the midwife led unit at the Portland, and can only give it the most glowing report ever.

Original poster

valentine · 09/07/2006 10:20

sounds great novadandy - would you say being a strep B carrier is high risk?

OP posts:

novadandypowder · 09/07/2006 18:42

I know they test for Strep B as part of their ante-natal screening - think it just means a jab for you during the birth (or I might just be making that up?)

Why not give them a call, it can't hurt

matnanplus · 09/07/2006 19:03

Present mum saw Pat O'Brien for IVF and UCH birth.

He does Portland aswell.

frogs · 09/07/2006 20:16

Oh yes, Pat O'Brien delivered my dd1 at UCH ages ago when he was Mr Silverstone's registrar. And he did a successful ECV on dd2 a couple of years ago, also at UCH. He's a really nice guy. I didn't have the birth I wanted with dd1 (ventouse, epidural, blah blah) but never felt I was being railroaded into anything I didn't want.

lotsofquestions · 16/08/2006 15:57

Hi there!

This is my first time on this message board so I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with a lot of the terms you've all been using- of well, sure I'll learn!

Wonder if any of you could give me advice:

We're trying to decide which hospital to use (pretty sure I want to go private- this would incl private wards on nhs hospitals)

This will be my first child and so i have no experience of where the best place is. I am most interested in somewhere that can give me the best possible care if something goes wrong.

Any tips??

DollyP · 16/08/2006 21:39

Welcome LOQ!

You will find a list of acronyms at the top of the page. Basically, DW - darling wife (hub2dee is a man), DH - darling husband, DD - darling daughter etc, CS - caesarian section, ECV - external cephalic version (a procedure to try to turn a breech baby into the head down position before labour starts).

Where are you in the country?

sleepfinder · 29/08/2006 16:12

I'm currently under midwife care at the Portland and they are brilliant. I can't comment on the birthing experience yet, coz I'm waiting for it to happen

I would say that Strep B, if you know you have it, is goint to be fine there - because they put you on an antibiotic drip for 4 hrs during labour which means your baby is totally safe from it.

alittlebitshy · 29/08/2006 16:34

3 years ago i used jonathan brooks and i thought he was fabulous!

bundle · 29/08/2006 16:39

Pat O'Brien does have a good reputation

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