C-Section in London with a private room? Where? how much?

[MichaelaS]

Hi everyone, i'm trying to research where to give birth, hopefully in April. I will need a planned C-Section due to medical issues, around 38 weeks, and this is my second baby but my first was a vaginal delivery.

I'm concerned about delivering at my local hospital after some terrible care last time around where I was an inpatient in the ante/post natal ward for a week on strict bed rest in 30 degree heat with nurses who took 3 hours and 5+ buzzer calls to bring me a drink of water, plus the hospital's idea of vegetarian food was cheese sandwiches or cheesy potatoes twice a day every day. Then when I did go into labour I had to be moved to another hospital miles away becaue of the lack of neonatal cots - my 4 hour experience of the labour ward didn't do much for my trust in their care. This pregnancy they have been terrible in the antenatal clinic and their consultants planned care for me which would have (probably) resulted in a late miscarriage.

So I don't feel comfortable in trusting myself and my new baby to the postnatal ward when i'm likely to have to stay a few nights. This time I am keen to give birth somewhere which has some decent aftercare as well as medical expertise for the surgery itself. Ideally I would like to be in a private room with a TV (that works), and which will allow my husband to visit 24 hours a day and stay overnight. I know its possible to pay for a private room in a normal NHS hospital which sounds like the cheapest way of getting what i'm hoping for. But I'd like your experiences of which hospitals will have enough nurses to help me lift my baby and breastfeed and which will ignore me ringing the buzzer for a few days.

Another alternative is going private, but having researched the cost I really don't think I can justify paying that amount. Maybe a halfway house is to go to a private wing within an NHS hospital. but not sure of the cost.

I had some surgery at 12 weeks at the Portland hospital and it was so gorgeous being there and having the excellent staffing ratios and private bathroom and fabulous menu. But it was a 2 night stay and a very discounted price from the surgeon which made it somewhat affordable, and it was life or death surgery for my baby which the NHS would not offer. I think the experience has spoilt me for going to the cruddy local NHS one for the birth. But we would be entirely self paying if we went private and I honestly can't justify spending £10-15k on "upgrading".

Maybe there is an NHS hospital with some good care I could transfer to? I'm in east london by the way.

Sitting bull makes some excellent points about the quality of care being key. It sounds like you aren't happy with your hospital so maybe your focus should be on finding another hospital or
Consultant.

Also if you don't opt for full private care, there is no guarantee of getting use of a private room if it's already in use by private patients. So you may find that you end up sharing anyway.

I've had a private room in an NHS hospital with all 3 births and although with dc1 I experienced some of the things you did with dc2 and dc3 things were much better.
I didn't have a tv (no idea when I would have watched it) and I took in my own water and snacks and got dh to bring decent food each day.
Also, regardless of the private room DH could still only visit during n

Oops too soon!

....during normal hours and was not allowed to stay in.

I know this isn't really how it should be but I did find that anticipating the shortfalls in the NHS post-natal made it much easier second and third time round. And knowing what to do with a newborn also really helped.

Good luck with your pregnancy.

post-natal care

Not in London but in the NHS hospital I work at you can pay for a private room - £60 a night. However it doesn't get you any better care, different food etc. The midwife will still be looking after you and another 10plus women and your dh wouldn't be allowed to stay overnight. So do look at what's involved before you commit to somewhere.

I don't think any London hospital would have enough midwives to be there to lift your baby in and out the cot for you unless you pay for full private care at somewhere like The Portland or Lindo wing.

I had a planned c section On the NHS at Homerton and had a private room for the 5 days I spent in hospital. In my experience, being out of sight on a busy ward meant that I was sidelined and forgotten. I had no help with Twin 2 who was with me from day 3, no help expressing for Twin 1 who was in special care, my meds were missed repeatedly and they forgot probably half of my meals. With very strict visiting hours my husband was only able to help me for 3 hours in the morning and evening so I was fending for myself for most of it. Definitely do your research! I don't know anyone personally who thought their NHS aftercare was amazing. It seems to be generally accepted that it's poor. I do hope you find what you are looking for.

thanks for your replies - and you make some good points. Definitely medical care is the most important - but i'll just be a routine C section and i'd hope any hospital should manage the surgical side just fine. The baby and I are not expected to have any complications as long as I make it all the way to 38 weeks.

The TV isn't really important you're right.

What is worrying me is how sore I was after my surgery at 12 weeks - which involved a Csection type incision. Being in bed with a catheter in I have no idea how I would have reached a newborn and brought him/her into the bed to feed. This is my main concern - so how did that work for you? Does a nurse have to come in and help you every time your baby wants a feed? And if you keep the baby in bed with you for skin to skin contact and bf then how do you manage changing them?

After the first 24-48 hours I know I could manage as I was up and about quite early after my surgery so although it would be sore I think I could do it. I'm just imagining a tiny newborn crying for milk and cuddles or with an overflowing nappy and me being unable to reach him/her, and noone answering the buzzer.

The food thing also really annoys me, given how important food is to health. We could manage with my husband bringing in cold food if necessary, but I strongly feel that patients should not need to source their own food. We are not in a third world country where you are supposed to bring relatives to do the nursing care.

Re the private room think I don't mind too much, it was nice to be able to get up and go to the loo without worrying if my bum was on show or not! But that's a minor thing. In our area more than half of the women on ante/post natal wards don't speak english so i'm not likely to get a lot of company, plus when I was in the hospital before there were families of 15 coming in to visit 1 woman, with the kids left to roam the ward. It was very noisy, women in first stage of labour screaming all night right next to women recently delivered. I just don't want to face 5 days of no food and no sleep and not being allowed my husband there to cover the shortfall in nursing care.

Maybe i've just been reading too many hospital nightmare stories though? It sounds fairly common to be left alone for hours on end, not fed, medication not given and baby not getting fed properly in the first few days which can lead to a complete failure to breastfeed at all.

Check out the Forest Suite at Whipps Cross - the aftercare I received after my EMCS was excellent. The food wasn't great but as it's a large hospital catering to many different cultures there was always a proper vegetarian meal every evening - I only had to have the dreaded Cheese Pie once!

My husband didn't stay overnight (he was with me from 8am to 8pm), but I think it may have been allowed if he had asked - I was happy for him to go home as I felt safe with the staff looking after me, if I rang the buzzer someone came within seconds!

I think the rooms are £100 per night and I was there for four nights - a wonderful MW helped me establish BF and checked me every 30 minutes during the first night - she was an angel. I can not fault the care I received.

The Knutsford Suite at Watford General. You Have the choice of an NHS delivery with full private aftercare including very nice rooms, great food and dedicated midwives who will do all that you ask or you can have a private delivery there too with your choice of consultant, all of whom also work at Watford on the NHS. I assure you that you will not regret it, it is a world away from NHS and the rooms are much nicer than those at the Portland. Full private delivery and aftercare will be around £6k.

I should add that NHS delivery plus private post natal care is about £430 a night. They have a website

I was on a ward for 24 hrs then I was in a side room post EMCS with 100% NHS care for a further 2 nights. On the ward the care was ok, i certainly had plenty of help with DS. Like a previous poster I was sidelined once in the side room, and did not get the help I needed. I think It may have been easier to get the MVs' attention on the ward. I missed a lot if meals which was fine as they were grim and my visitors brought nice sandwiches and the occasional hot take away. It was much easier to sleep though.