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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Private Caesarian sections - advice on hospitals/consultants

2 replies

alim733 · 09/01/2014 20:24

My insurance company has given me the option of going to one of the following:
Portland
St Thomas's
Lindo wing
Chelsea and Westminster
I need a Caesarian due to complications with my last labour. As I haven't been private before I just wanted to hear whether anyone has had first hand experience with these hospitals and what u would recommend. Any names of good consultants would be appreciated too! Thanks

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
ohfourfoxache · 09/01/2014 22:58

Mr TG Teoh at the Lindo wing - he is fabulous. He's the top chap at st Mary's but he does get very booked up very quickly. Actually a lot of the Lindo bods are pretty chuffing good.

Do not go to Chelsea and Westminster, please - lots of complicated pregnancies end up being shipped out to other units as they simply don't have the expertise.

ghislaine · 10/01/2014 12:39

I've had two ELCS privately, one at the Portland in 2012 and one at the Lindo in 2013. If I had another baby, I would try to go back to the Portland but with my Lindo consultant (we changed insurers after the first birth from Aviva to AXA and AXA wouldn't cover the Portland).

I only had private deliveries so can't comment on the consultants other than briefly - I had Pat O'Brien at the Portland and Raj Rai at the Lindo. Both are excellent surgeons, my scars are small and neat (Mr Rai's has the edge though). They both have a scientific approach to their job, not patronising, but more of a "this is how I like to do things and here is the medical evidence why" type. I wouldn't say that either was an old school smoothie or the mothering type, although both were very sympathetic to my pregnancy anxieties (I had a termination for abnormalities in my first pregnancy which meant I never subsequently relaxed). I did gel more with Mr Rai, whom you'll find described on various forums as 'quirky' but I'd happily recommend Mr O'Brien too. Mr Rai's secretary was much better to deal with than the Harley St Centre for Women.

In terms of the hospitals, I greatly preferred the Portland. I found the midwives more supportive, more forthcoming with pain relief and more helpful with breastfeeding. At the Lindo they were quite cursory when I asked them to help with the latch, positioning, etc. The nursery staff were a lot more helpful at the Portland. Food was much much better at the Portland while the Lindo was rather stodgy and boring. The Lindo also misplaced my NHS notes including my scan photos! Roomwise I would say there's very little between them, as the Lindo was refurbished in 2012; the only key difference I can think of is that at the Portland your OH has a fold out bed in your room while at the Lindo it's a reclining chair.

I would recommend touring them all, and checking out the consultants' websites to get a feel for someone who supports your approach to birth. As I was delivery only, I had no problems securing a consultant even at 24 weeks. Feel free to ask any Lindo or Portland specific questions.

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