how much does an independent midwife cost?

[eyeeyeippy]

I am considering one as I have had tearing issues in the past, but I have no idea what sort of money we are talking about!

My friend is an independent midwife. I wish I'd known her before having my 3, as I would have loved to have her support me at their births!

Here is a link to the Independent Midwives Association. They should be able to answer all your queries.

Good Luck!

Depending on your budget and what exactly you need, a doula may help you, and it costs less than an independent mw.

It's worth it. Long AN appts at a time &venue that suits you. Informed care tailored to you. Support. The same midwife at every AN appt, birth and PN appt (for 6 weeks).

Everything the NHS should provide

I've had an IM for both my births, even though I knew they would both be hospital deliveries. DD1 was a c section at 35 weeks as breech and my wonderful IM was in theatre with me. DD2 was a full term VBAC and I Couldn't have done it without my IM.

For me, it was about consistency of care. I have a didylphic uterus (2 wombs and cervices) and needed someone who would understand any complications and really get to know me and my family. She came to all scans and hospital appointments and i could talk to her about anything plus the added bonus of stress free check ups at home. The post natal care was fantastic as well.

I don't know where you are but highly recommend south west London midwives. They charge around £3800. Worth every penny as far as I'm concerned!

Good luck

Very interested to read that post, Gunz.

You've obviously never experienced a change in shifts mid-way through labour, then.

Nothing like a whole new attitude and approach to slow a labour down .

Oh, but I suppose that just gives the wonderful NHS midwives the opportunity to show us how good they are at assisted births which we all know they do so well.

But then, they have plenty of practice, don't they .

Gunz:

1.stop being a jealous person

1. Opting for Private care doesn't necessarily mean she's rich and stuck up. I know some ppl who are just above minimum wage who have saved money to be able to afford private care because their hospital is over stretched and want one on one care .
2. Nothing wrong with being well off. Since when is it a crime for ppl to work and earn money and therefore pay tax ?

To be honest if you consider someone with savings of 3k set aside for a IM then you have problem defining what rich is.

1. Where did u get your statistics from? I would like to see your reliable source.

1. If your hospital's antenatal +postnatal care and birth was excellent that doesn't mean everybody else's is. It all depends on where you live and how busy the hospital is. My friend recently had an amazing birth on the NHS . They were flawless. But does that mean everyone will get an amazing treatment and care?

1. No need to be harsh and judgemental on ppl.

1. Life is about choices . Live with it. And deal with your inferiorities quietly.

gunz what a ridiculous post. OP mine cost £4k. Worth every penny, honestly. My NHS antenatal appointments lasted exactly 3 minutes. Then my IM took over my care and they lasted an hour each. My MW knew everything about my DH and my worries etc and by the time the birth came around I felt confident enough to have a tranquil homebirth with no pain relief. My DH felt supported too. The PN appts meant that she helped me get BFing going despite a whole list of problems, something I am 100% sure would not have happened without daily visits for the first week.

The more I think about it, the more irritated I am by your post gunz - I've never heard a more blatant show of inverted snobbery.

Also, "all that one-to-one care" PMSL - that's the first time I've ever seen it described as a negative! FWIW my MW came when DH called her during labour, and she sat quietly in the corner of the room and observed me totally unobtrusively. I was left to "get on with it on my own" and trust my own body, safe in the knowledge though that someone was watching and making sure than any problems would be picked up immediately. That is not the same as being left on my own in hospital with just my DH to have to decide what is normal an what is not....

For goodness sake! Its meant to be "tongue in cheek" i couldnt help thinking of all those anti private school threads, guess none of you ever read them

Of course its a ridiculous post! I thought people would find it funny, but obviously not

Rhianna - your post in particular could have come from a private school parent re my "rich and thick" comment, i know this is about private healthcare but private school kids are regularly called "rich and thick" the parents always explaining about not all private kids have rich parents, many are struggling etc etc, its quite interesting.

We interviewed a couple. Maternally Yours would have been my choice by at 4.5k it was slightly too much for us.

We may end up with one yet lol tho... our community midwives have been perfectly nice when we see them but thats the point - when! My community clinic is once a week from 1 - 4.30. Appointments on a first come first served and no choice of times! Really helpful when you work full time a good couple of hours commute from home.

Also it would be nice to feel I could ring and ask them questions - the only time I have done the response / similarity / service has been OK but tbh MN answers my questions quicker. Its not really their fault, I trained as a Midwife so know how busy they are but it good be better.

Tbh I can really see why its so popular with second timers. As this is my first I have little to bench mark the care I receive against. However already knowing I'd see even less of a midwife with number 2 I suspect I will be chalked up to the 'rich and thick' brand who save and choose it second time around if we go that route at any point.

Well, Gunz, your first post had few clues that it was 'togue in cheek', and I don't see how it could possibly have helped the OP.

If you go back to the OP and read it with a llittle touch of sensitivity, you will find that the OP has already had one baby with the NHS, and during this birth she 'had tearing issues'.

Gunz, have you any idea of the sort of traumatic injury the OP might be alluding to there? She feels this tearing could be avoided if she had an independent midwife.
What does that tell you about the circumstances surrounding her birth, that she hopes that 1-1 care might prevent tearing this time round?

Really, now I've read your other posts, I am more than I was at your original one. How insensitive!

eyeeyeippy, if you dare come back to this thread, FWIW, I tore having my first baby in hospital, after a long and difficult labour), but the two subsequent ones I had no such troubles. In fact, they slipped out without any trouble at all .

The second baby was a home birth, but the midwives had only just arrived and hadn't even set out any cloths or anything when he came. In fact, I was on my way back from the loo, and I didn't even have time to get back to my bedroom-I just had him on the landing!

The third was a bit more wonderful. I had a birthing pool set up downstairs, and spent most of the labour in there. Again, I needed a wee towards the end, so I got up and went to the loo, came out and gave birth right there, no time to get back in the pool. I am convinced the water and relaxing qualities of the pool 'softened' everything and made it very easy for him to slip out (and he had a huge head as well!).

Each home birth was attended by 2 community midwives, but I had not met any of them before, and this is a small authority. I would have felt much happier and more relaxed if I had known them before they saw me and my fanjo in all our glory!

For my hospital birth, I had a lovely midwife (again, I'd never met her before) come to my house in the early stages, then meet us at the hospital and she stayed for a few hours, but when the shifts changed, she handed over to another, who I didn't gel with at all. The new one thought I should just take the drugs, get on the bed and let her pull it out! Labour slowed right down, and became very difficult. I don't even recall the second midwife who was called for the actual birth. I don't think she ever even spoke to me, just came in, assisted the delivery and then left again. How rude! .

Eyeeyeippy, I do hope my stories help you to come to a decision, and that whatever you decide, you have a happy pregnancy and a wonderful birth. Good luck.

Amistillsexy - if the first post had "clues" that it was tongue in cheek then your response was daft to say the least.

OP had "tears" in her previous birth, and that means no one is allowed to post a lighthearted joke about using private midwives.
No one is judging her, its her business she can use who she wants if she can afford it and your bit about "showing sensitivity" is frankly a load of sanctimonious rubbish.

OP is a grown woman, i'm sure she is not sobbing into her hanky over one silly post on MN, get a life! Cos you clearly haven't got one if your busy trawling through my past posts and getting "even angrier".

Maples - i will go to where i bloody well like on MN! The post was meant to be a JOKE! I understand that you didnt get it, the post was poking fun at the criticisms private education parents get on MN, the irony of it people use private for pretty much the same reason, bad experiences with the NHS.

Now please move on.