hospital advice for american giving birth in london

[prettydream]

hi all -- my first post, thanks for your help in advance! i'm an american planning to travel with my husband to give birth in london next year (he's from england, but hasn't lived there for decades, so we know nothing about anything). we'll be arriving just 5 or so weeks before the birth, so don't need much antenatal care, just looking for a hospital or birthing centre to give birth. my preference would be for a natural birth, and it would be nice if there were birthing pools, balls, midwives available, but i don't mind being in a hospital versus birthing centre setting. all my prenatal care here will be under a midwife.

my insurance will cover birth in the following places:

St Mary's Hospital and St. Mary's Lindo Wing

St. George's

Central Middlesex

Guy's and St. Thomas's (only the public hospital, not private)

Portland Hospital

London Bridge Hospital

Lister Hospital

Royal Free Hospital

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

No idea where we'll be living yet, so just looking for recommendations on what places might be best... and I suppose if you know of any consultants that work with these places (if that's required... I'd be delighted to use a midwife) that would be helpful too. Have heard good things about the Portland but am worried about the lack of Adult ICU, if anyone has comments, please, comment away. And THANK YOU!!

I chose Kensington Wing at the C&W as it is very close to our home and it also has a fully equipped adult and baby ICU. This will be #2 there (due literally any second!) and I had #1 there two years ago and had a wonderful birth experience (natural birth with gas and air), am hoping for a water birth this time if I can get there in time (pretty quick last time).

I was consultant led with Keith Duncan. Happy to give more info if you want to PM me.

I would choose somewhere relatively close to where you live - with my first we were literally five minutes drive and it felt like an eternity when having contractions every two and a half mins..!

The Edgeware Birthing Unit is like a birthing spa in my opinion.

The best place in the whole of the UK to give birth vaginally (if not at home).

The aftercare is excellent and you retire into a double bed with your DP and baby in bed with you. The rooms are en-suite with under-floor heating and patio doors to a small private garden.

Every delivery room has it's own birthing pool with underwater lighting and the midwives there are truly excellent and attentive.

Not private though but worth forgoing that IMO.

How have I never heard of that place?! Sounds amazing!

Although you do have to transfer if something goes wrong, which would put me a bit on edge. Looks amazing if you can be relaxed about that though!

I think the point is that things are much less likely to go wrong in the first place iyswim.

I gave birth to my second there, after a bit of a traumatic time with my first which technically meant I didn't meet the criteria. However, I made a strong argument that all the things that went wrong in my first birth were to do with the environment (MLU in a hospital) rather than because there was anything wrong with ME iyswim.

They accepted that, and also changed my due date based on the fact that I told them the scan was wrong.

The general level of respect for women's ability to know their own needs and bodies is IMVHO the main selling point.

Thanks! I will pm you timeforgin. Unfortunately, the only hospitals I can use are the ones on my list, so I think Edgeware is out of the question. We're not in the NHS system and it doesn't look like they have an option for international visitors unless I'm missing something.

OP - in your place I'd go for the Portland. I gave birth in the UK paid for by my american insurance and went to John and Lizzies which has sadly since closed down. If I had to do it now, I'd opt for the Portland. Many on here will disagree with this because some are nervous about private hospitals in the UK. I'd just say; the facilities are more like what you will be used to in the US; there is a NICU on site should you need it; and you will get access to pain relief if and when you need it which is not always the case in other London hospitals.

But it gets booked up quickly. If interested, I'd suggest you start speaking to them now.

Thanks so much Bogey. That's definitely where I'm leaning at this point, it seems like it will give me the experience I'm most looking for. And thank you for the advice to book fast! I will get in touch with them asap!

prettydream if I were you I might consider going for a midwife-led birth at the Portland. Seeing as you are under a midwife at the moment, I can't see the point of you transferring to a consultant here.

Also you might have to leave earlier. Many flights won't take you from the states to uk after 32weeks

Bue: I would prefer the midwife-led birth there, but I spoke to the midwives and the absolute latest they will take a patient is 30 weeks. I have a job here in the states, so I have to work as late as possible, which for me means to the point at which the airlines won't allow me to fly. (Forevergreek: that was one of the first things I checked in to, and the major airlines, United, American, British, etc. will fortunately all allow international travel to 36 weeks).

I gave birth at an NHS hospital and then for the second The Portland. Think the Portland would suit. I know some are saying that if there were any issues you would like to be right there....

The issue is, even in big teaching hospitals - they arent waiting outside your door for the emergency. You take your turn just like everyone else.

just wanted to come back and say thank you to everyone for your advice. i've decided to go with the portland. thanks again!

Hope you have an excellent birth experience there, prettydream!

Hi,

I just sow your post and I am in the same situation as you are. My insurance is covering birth in different hospitals, and my option would be St. Mary's Lindo Wing. I am living in Aberdeen and I will need to travel to London to give birth but I am facing an issue: where should I live for the last weeks before birth and in the first weeks after it? Did you find some info regarding this issue? Should I just search for a temporary apartment to rent or are there some specialised companied offering accommodation in these cases? I am thinking that I am not the only one facing this problem because in UK there are no private hospitals outside London area, so what are usually women do in this case?

I'm a C&W Mother. I loved it there and my consultant was Mr Richard Smith. It was a few years ago now.

I have heard some not so good things about the Portland.

The Lindo Wing has, of course, some previous very well known patients which might be a nice story to tell relatives back in the USA!

My Husbands daughter is training as a MW at the C&W. She loves it and raves about the Woman centred care the MW's there are advocates of.

Oops Zombie thread!

Sorry, I wanted to say that: there are no Private MATERNITY Hospitals in UK outside London area, as far as my insurance company advised me.

Monica, when I was giving birth at The Birth Centre (sadly, closed now) I was down in Kent and we ended up getting a short term let on a flat, which was about a month. It took a lot of finding but I think there are better options on short term lets nowadays compared to five years ago.
Facilities specifically catering to women in our position would probably not work as the demand would be very low.

I had a few appointments and St georges and would really recommend you stay away from it. My friend had a baby there recently and the MW started screaming at her during labour. Awful awful care.

C&W is brilliant. I had my son there and the MW who was with me during all my labour actually came back on her day off to check I was ok and meet my baby.. so caring.

Good luck !

Monica - why do you not give birth in Aberdeen? If entitlement to NHS treatment is an issue there must be a billing mechanism -you can't be the only oil exec wife in town (I'm making some assumptions here).

It seriously it sounds like a lot of hassle to trek to London and be so far from home.

I've only heard good things about ARI (several of my friends have delivered there) and at least one has had need of the Adult ICU afterwards and her baby NICU following a complicated prem. delivery.

Hi Pretty Dream,

Congratulations on your pregnancy :) I went through a similar exercise myself several months ago as we recently relocated to London from NYC. Baby was just born three weeks ago and couldn't have been a more lovely experience.

While I agree with most posters that the Portland is the most luxurious/best facilities and that they are most comparable to what you find in the US, I decided to book in with the Kensington Wing at Chelsea Westminster because Dr. Gubby Ayida is simply amazing.

I also was hoping for a completely natural birth, so before booking in with Dr. Ayida I interviewed several consultants (a few of which were already mentioned on this thread) and I found Dr. Ayida to be the most impressive in her support and belief in a woman's ability to give birth naturally (here in the UK most people only see consultants when they are high risk, so obviously consultants don't regularly see the straightforward, normal labor and deliveries as often). She is one of just three Statler awarded Obstetricians in London (these are considered to be the best doctors in the country), her whole staff is lovely, she is extremely understanding, approachable, just all around awesome. Anyway, when I went on a tour of the Kensington wing initially, I also questioned all of the midwives I met to find out the "inside scoop" of the consultants that practiced there--they basically confirmed that she was by far the best consultant to go with if you are hoping for a natural birth. Very highly recommend considering Dr. Ayida if you want to go for a natural birth. The other person I would have recommended (but she no longer has a private practice) is Zoe Penn as she had a home birth herself so her philosophy is pretty obviously in line with your desires to keep things on the natural side :)

Anyway, hope this helps and good luck in your decision. Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions! xx