Changed mind about kensington wing...and need homebirth advice!

[Aefeth]

Hi Everyone,

I went on a tour of the Kensington Wing yesterday and I was not very impressed. I was very surprised at how sterile and "hospital-like" it felt, without any frills I would expect from such an expensive option. I don't like the idea of having to labor in one room and transfer into another room for delivery, I hate the feel of hospitals in general (who does?)--the idea of having to spend any more time than absolutely necessary in such a cold medical setting just doesn't seem appealing. My first birth (international) cost about the same but felt more like a luxury spa rather than a hospital room so maybe my expectations were slightly off to begin with but either way, they are what they are.

Anyway, after the tour I am reconsidering my whole plan for birth. I think I would be more comfortable in my own home, and since I was planning to do things naturally anyway it just seems like a better option.

There are only three issues at this point that I need to figure out:

1. In the event that something does go wrong for whatever reason at the homebirth, will it be difficult to get a room in the Kensington Wing if I need to be in the hospital anyway? I know they require payment in advance which makes me think there is a possibility they "book up", although I'm not sure how likely this is? Does anyone have an idea? Would my pre-paid consultant be able to carry any weight here?

1. Is there any advantage to go with an independent midwife for a homebirth vs. an NHS provided midwife?

1. I've already paid in advance for a private consultant's fees. I am hoping she will agree to continue to provide me antenatal care in parallel to a planned homebirth, and then act as a "back up" plan for delivery in the event that something with the homebirth goes awry. Any advice on how to go about having this discussion? I'm afraid she is going to reject the idea all together.

Any advice/etc. would be helpful.

Thanks so much.

What did you really expect from a hospital? Regardless of how much it costs, it is a hospital none the less.

I can't really answer your questions but does the Kensington Win not have any 'birthing unit' type rooms? I gave birth six weeks agon in Chelsea and Westminster but was in the NHS part. I had a water birth and used the midwife lead birthing unit and it was lovely. Felt very non-medical.

BrummyMummy--I expect a level of care and environment commensurate with the price being paid. My first birth was also in a hospital, and we paid a similar amount, but they went to great lengths to improve the quality of the environment which is why it felt more like a spa or a home than a hospital. Your comment isn't helpful, but thank you anyway.

Mmmmm sort of agree with the poster above - it is a hospital! If you want hotel style after care try Mermaid maternity retreat on the Kings Road. They will pick you up from C&W after the birth or you can check in whenever.

Did you not look at other private options before booking in at the KW?

Out of curiosity, what sort of things are you looking for?

Also in response to your question above, the wing fees are separate from the consultant. If you are not booked up with the wing then I would have thought you would then be on a first come first serves basis - ie if they have room on the day. They are not going to bump someone who has paid up.

You would need to speak to your consultant about your proposed plan in 3. Also most people who want consultant led care want the consultant guaranteed at the birth. Query how you would feel if you end up having to transfer to hosp and are not able to see a consultant...?

I guess if you don't have anything to compare the environment/level of care provided by private options (or you are comparing it to the NHS options), it makes sense that your expectations would be lower, and the fact that "it is a hospital" is sufficient enough a reason to mean it should to look/feel a certain waynamely, like a hospital. I don't happen to agree with that as I have experienced a very different and higher standard of private care elsewhere, in a hospital. There were many things I was disappointed to see, but I don't think it would be a valuable use of my time to outline them here as the purpose of my post was getting advice on how to go about making changes to my plannot highlight why this option doesn't meet my expectations.

Any advice that addresses my three questions would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Timeforgin,

Yes I understand what you are saying about the rooms being on a first come, first serve basis. That is what I was unsure about.

I have already paid my consultant fees in full for her to be at my birth. What I am saying is that I would only actually use her in the event that the homebirth didn't work out. She is being paid fully either way. She would effectively "be on call", but we would only see her if we end up needing to transfer to the hospital.

Apparently the Lido wing at Paddington is pretty good !

Apparently the Lido wing at St Mary's is pretty good !

oops , so good I said it twice!

If you are going for a homebirth, you will probably want an independent midwife unless you liven an area with case-loading NHS midwives. with an independent midwife you will have continuity of care and know the midwives who will be there at the birth, and they will be experienced in home births. They will also be able to be there for the birth - in some areas, the NHS only allocates enough midwives for one birth at a time, and any other women going into labour have to go into hospital or be attended by midwives who might not normally attend home births. Most independent midwives also offer much more postnatal care, feeding support etc.

Thanks so much YamiofYawn--just one additional follow up question about that...I remember reading on one past thread that there is some issue with independent midwives beginning in October, they can't practice or something??? Are you aware of something like that at all? I'm not sure if that is just hogwash I had just read it several times and didn't know if it was true...

It's sort of true - there is a huge issue in that they can't get insurance (there aren't enough midwives working independently for insurers to take them on, as payouts for birth injuries caused by negligence can be astronomical) so unless the situation is resolved, they will be unable to attend births from October. I'm not sure what the current situation is. You would probably be better off contacting an independent midwife directly.

I think most people are focused on the guaranteed high standard medical / post natal care as opposed to the 'frills', I certainly was, though as you say I guess it depends what you have experienced before. The KW is certainly luxurious compared to what you would get on the busy NHS side!

You could always just pay the KW too so you are guaranteed a bed 'just in case' which I think is what you are hoping to do re consultant?

I would be interested to hear what your consultant says about home birth though, do update!

The price you pay has absolutely no connection with the level of 'care' you receive, neither does the look or feel of the environment you choose.
If you pay for 'hospital' care, that's exactly what you are going to get. Private or NHS. Forget the Molten brown toiletries and teddy bears.
If your pregnancy is without complications to date, a home birth is probably the best choice for you. Private midwives, from my experience, are no better in manner or more qualified than NHS midwives. Maybe look into having a Doula? If you like the idea of having a serene, natural birth, I recommend them. Also, you have a midwife on standby to get involved when necessary.
Personally, I think if anything should go wrong, you will honestly not care at that time what hospital you give birth in. As long as they keep you and the baby safe, that's the important thing.
I didnt think KW take payment untill discharge?
Sorry about my last post, I was very tired and upset after reading another post on here regarding possible child abuse.

You pay a £5k (virtually) non refundable deposit with the KW on booking.

Timeforgin I will let you know what the consultant says--we are having the conversation tomorrow and I really don't know which direction it will take. I'm hoping it goes well! :) I am super low risk so i don't think she can justifiably say it is a TERRIBLE idea, I'm just afraid she won't be OK with being a "back up" or something and won't want to have me as a patient anymore. That said, shes already being paid and I'm not asking for my money back or anything so maybe she will be cool. Who knows. We'll see.

Thank you for the thoughtful response Brummy Mummy. I have been looking into Doulas. Are there any in particular that you recommend? I have met one that I really like at this point but haven't made any commitments yet. You are right about needing to feel safe in any hospital environment if the homebirth plan doesn't turn out well for medical reasons. I guess by "not going well" I was thinking more in terms of me turning into a huge wimp and begging for drugs and then going because I actually wanted to. I just have a tendency to clam up in hospital settings--they freak me out, and if it wasn't medically necessary that I was there I would hope that at least I could be in as pleasant of an environment as possible. Does that make sense? Also, its interesting and reassuring what you say about the NHS vs. Independent midwives, although if what the YamiofYawn mentioned about the independent midwives stopping practice in October is true, it looks like I don't really have a choice anyway! It would really stink to not be able to get a NHS homebirth though just because they didn't happen to be staffed for it when I went into labor. I think i need to talk to someone from NHS and an independent midwife to confirm all of this....

Yeah KW does require upfront payment to reserve the room. I can't remember how much exactly though, but it isn't cheap.

I am giving birth in the Kensington Wing in October - correct you have to pay £5k upfront and then the balance afterwards - depending on what extras you take - (everything is additional inc pain relief and blood tests etc). Personally I don't think that the KW is that bad...sure it is a hospital but they are extremely nice midwives and they do make an effort to make it more serene than perhaps a regular maternity unit might be. I feel incredibly spoilt and blessed that I have that option..and think in the midst of labour I won't be worried it is not spa-like! My mind will be at rest that I am in a lovely peaceful haven in the middle of a very professional hospital setting if something does go wrong. I also considered the Portland and there really is not so much difference, although the cost is even higher, and they don't have such good medical facilities. Having your own room and space to me is luxury enough! As an aside you can rent a room in the Kensington Wing and transfer from the NHS ward too subject to availability HOWEVER the last two times I have been there I have seen people asking and it is not just subject to having a spare room but also enough midwives available....both were turned down and the husbands looked very addled that they were going to have to say no to their wives. From the impression I got, quite rightly, they don't let one-off patients detract at all from the ones who have paid up front and appear keenly aware that those are there priority. I think it would be high risk for you to assume you would get a bed just when/if you wanted it - let's face it, many more people would consider it if this was an easy and no-risk gamble!!

I am taking my doula with me to the hospital and she has great experience of making the room more homely and creating the homely environment that I am after...

Good luck with your decision!

I had my bub in the kensington wing last year and it was amazing! My first one was born in dubai and was much more luxuriousbut thats dubai. I spoke to some ladies who gave birth at portland. But i got negative feedback. Their great treatment seems tojust be for celebs!

The midwives looked after the baby while i slept fir 4 days. The care was amazing!

The food was very nice and service too. Im due again to give birth there.
Def a lot more luxury than the nhs

Thanks so much for all of the advice/information ladies!
Logistically It looks like there are some issues to making this work...

-While my doctor is fully supportive of homebirth, she will only agree to stay on call as a "backup" if she is given authority over the midwife attending the homebirth (and they continuously report my status to her). She said she doesn't want to be left picking up the pieces from someone else's mistakes if there is an issue. Since I would probably be going with an NHS homebirth, this is a little tricky and unlikely from my understanding.

-Without paying in advance for the Kensingston wing, i wouldn't be guaranteed to be able to see my doctor privately if we did happen to need to go to the hospital. (unless they happen to have an opening, but they told me this is a total gamble)

Anyway, at this point it looks like I need to plan for one or the other...has anyone on here had a successful homebirth experience? It is so uncommon where I am from and it makes my DH quite nervous, but in my opinion it sounds so lovely!!

I have had on hospital birth (NHS) and two home births. If your pregnancy and previous birth are free of complications I would wholeheartedly recommend.

I had a pool at home (birth pool in a box) and loved it - with my 2nd that was my only pain relief, with my 3rd I had gas and air too.

I think it is so nice to give birth in a familiar environment. No worrying about when to set off to hospital, and best of all a shower in your own shower and then tucked up in your own bed afterwards.

I had NHS midwives and had no problems - for me, it wasn't worth paying £3-4k to have the same person all the way through and know she'd attend my birth. But some people definitely do prefer to pay to know that.

My DH was nervous and against the idea before my first homebirth. The NHS midwives did an appointment at home with him there where they answered all his questions and reassured him. The next time around he was as keen for a home birth as I was.

I think you need to weigh up how important t is for you to have private treatment in the event that you need to transfer from home. If you go for a home birth option you will have to transfer to an NHs hospital. If you are v fixated on the frills aspect then this will not measure up to your expectation though you will get good care in most places. It sounds to me that your best option would be to go the private route you have already paid for and take some home comforts in to make the environment more to your taste. Tbh once in labour I doubt you will care that much and I can hardly believe the posh room is unpleasant.