Independent Midwives - Any views/experiences?

[MotherofOne]

Has anyone got any first (or second) -hand experience of using an independent (i.e. private) midwife for their (NHS hospital) birth?
The birth of my first child in 1999 left me with doubts about the level and standard of midwife cover in NHS hospitals and I wondered about investigating the possibility of having my 'own' midwife there for the birth of No. 2 in July.
With ds I had 3 midwives over 15 hours (none of whom I'd ever met before) and the last one, who turned up just as I was getting into 2nd stage seemed virtually unable to speak any English, other than shouting "Pooosh into your bottom" at me and didn't understand when I said I wanted to change position etc etc. I ended up with an emergency CS, and still can't help feeling that with better MW care and communication might have avoided this.
Is an independent MW there for you all the way through? How do they work alongside the NHS MWs - can they administer pain relief etc etc?

By the way, I'm not fantastically rich, or of the 'too posh to push in the NHS' variety, but I do have a couple of friends/work colleagues (I currently work in a health-related business) who may be willing to do independent work at much lower cost than elsewhere charges. I don't even want to ask them though until I've explored it. Mind you, not sure whether I fancy the intricate details of my labour & birth being coffee machine gossip!! (No, just kidding- I'm sure they would be professional, and very discreet!)

I've no experience of independent midwives but you can find out more about them at Independent Midwives

Motherof one, I definately would have had an independent midwife last time around, if it hadn't been for the cost.
A friend who had one subsequently, underlined all that I had been looking for. Firstly you see the same person throughout your pregnacy and are able to develop a rapport and bond with them. All the way along they will be able to build a picture of the kind of person, you are (and vice versa) and, on the day, provide you with a fanatstic level of care and support based on a great deal of knowleged.
I think the second reason to hire one is that you are much more likely to have the birth you desire, you won't be treated as a commodity on a conveyor belt! I don't know where you live, but wherever it is, if you can't get a friend, then you should book someone as early as possible, because they limit the number of clients - in order to give the best care, and some ares of London are very poorly covered. I don't know the detail on how they work within the NHS, but I'm sure the site Suedonim has recommended will cover that.
Since it may take several years to persuade my husband to have any more kids I may start saving now for an independent midwife!

Hey.... what about a doula ???
I am serious, she can follow you throughout your pregnancy and be there at the delivery (and usually once after the delivery as well). She will offer emotional and practical support. She will be cheaper than a midwife.
As I have mentioned on another discussion, I will become a doula (soon). If I were your doula(hypothetically)I would see myself as having talked with you at length about your experience, worries, wishes,.... the way I plan to work is with the midwives (I know most of them in my town). The doula isn't there as a replacement (or competition) to your husband but as someone who has more experience than your husband and who will stay with you during your entire labour to ensure continuity. She can be the liaison between you and the midwife.
They cost between 250 and 400GBP per birth.
I don't know if they all would do as I describe but its worth discussing it with them.
doula.org.uk has more info.

I have inadvertently had the experience of what practically amounted to an independant midwife. An old schoolfriend of my sisters who works at the local hospital met me in hospital prior to the birth of number one ( I had preeclempsia) and purely out of the goodness of her heart and also because she seriously LOVES delivering babies( and in her senior post does not get to do it very often) and seeing a case from start to finish, she gave me her mobile number and insisted I call her when labour began.
She came in on her days off for both my labours and stayed throughout....helped me with the breastfeeding etc. I have to say it was absolutely wonderful to be looked after by someone I knew and trusted, with whom I had lots of discussions pre labour . She also has 4 children of her own, and is fairly pro minimal intervention in labour, but very non judgemental ( I ended up with maximum intervention first time round! )
It would be very difficult to put a price on this "service" but Pupuce's figure of up to £400 would seem well worth it.
(we sent her a couple of cases of wine and half the flowers from the local florist!)

Thanks everyone. I had a look at the independent midwife site yesterday, and there are quite a few near where I live, so I'm going to make a few phone calls. The 'full' going rate for MW cover throughout all of your pregnancy and birth seems to be £2,000+ (!gulp!) but I am going to talk to my midwife friends too once I get a sense of what an independent MW can do.
Thanks Pupuce - I hadn't thought about a doula - will also investigate this. However my fear is that a rushed off her feet NHS mw will still take over (asserting seniority!)and I'll end up with another birth like last time.
Anyway - I'll keep you posted!Thanks.

Motherofone, a friend of mine who is expecting a baby in April has come to a 'skill-share' deal with an independent midwife, where the cash transaction is partly replaced by a kind of barter exchange (I think my friend may be setting up a website for the midwife, but I'm not sure). Maybe you could work out a similar deal, to chip away at that £2k?

Motherofone, a friend of mine tells me that some independent midwives will accept payment in installments, or are willing to negotiate around your requirements, to keep costs down. Another idea; if people are likely to give you gifts for any occasion in the near future you could always ask for cash to go towards a Midwife Fund, instead.

Motherofone, I looked into this for the forthcoming birth of number two, but the cost put me off. I don't know where you live, but in London I couldn't find anyone offering the service for less than 2.5k.
It all sounded wonderful and if money were no object, then I would definitely have used one.
Good luck with your own efforts.

Motherofone, where do you live? my SIL has just given birth at a midwife-led centre in Crowborough, Sussex & had a very positive experience (gave birth to nearly 9lb baby in water, no stitches! - one of their goals apparently is to avoid stitches) - I don't know whether there are other centres like it but it sounded like you got a lot of personal attention.

Hey Bundle... glad your SIL had a good experience. I live near Crowborough and that's great place.

it has a fab reputation - I suspect it's a bit of a one-off around the country, though

I think it's good for mothers who want a home birth style labour but just don't want it at home.
If anything goes wrong they do transfer you as there are no doctors and no epidural available !

yeah, maybe not for everyone

We too have a fantastic midwife unit, which everyone speaks highly of. It also has the highest breastfeeding rates in the country.

We also have a midwife unit which is really cosy and nice, but no epidurals!! If you're lucky you get a wooden spoon to bite on

Thanks Bundle - I'm in Surrey so Crowborough may be a bit far (windy country roads!) It sounds excellent though.
I'm having a few second thoughts about how far I'd be willing to travel to give birth, after I spoke to a friend at the weekend who was 40 mins from hospital in London and didn't make it.... her dh parked in a bus stop when she started shouting "it's coming" and rushed out to open the back door of the car and was faced with arrival of head and shoulders of their baby! (Good job he was a rugby player with a good sense of catch!)
Yikes....

hi mo2, how did it go, did you get an independent midwife in the end?

after my labour and ante-natal care last time (nasty, brutish and very loooonnngg...) i haven't been left with very positive feelings about my local community team. i really want a home birth this time - it was the plan last time but didn't come off. i've been thinking about an independent midwife, but i'm realising i just don't trust any of them now.

has anyone used a doula instead?

thanks in advance for your comments.

great thread and lots of interesting info - does anyone know how to get independent midwife care in the east Midlands (none listed on that site) as there are absolutely no natural birthing centres in my area and I freak at the thought of the NHS high-intervention place where I had dd...

bk, I haven't used a doula but might have done by the time you give birth. Hope someone responds before that though!

Bossykate - I do know people who have used a doula rather than a MW but I would warn you against that... I think what one needs to do is discuss their needs/expectations with an IM and a doula and it may become clearer what the mum and dad want... Some doulas are left in VERY awkward situations when the mother has a home birth, calls the doula late in the day and when she turns up... mother is quite far along and NO MW has been called !
BK - there are loads of VERY good doulas in London (they are fully booked very early though)... If you want I can recommend some - just e-mail me !

thirtysomething - I am on the Notts/Derby border and I don't know of anyone I'm afraid although it depends when in the East Mids you are. I have heard of IMs attending people in Derby.

I believe Notts is a bit of a desert when it comes to independent midwifery although I have heard on the UKMidwifery list that there are a number of 'radical midwives' in the area which should bode well. See here for more about radical midwives.

There are two doulas that I know of in Nottingham although I believe one specialises in postnatal care.

Thirtsomething: I know someone near Leicester who had an IM-attended birth in early 2002. Are you near Leicester? if so, I can try to find contact details for the IM. Has anyone else mentioned the AIMS website ? That seems like a good starting point for finding IMs.

bossykate - doulas aren't instead of midwives - they are as well. I realise you may already know this, but just incase you don't - it is illegal for anyone expect a registered midwife or doctor to provide care for a woman in labour, except in an emergency - although of course other people (partners/friends/doulas) can offer assistance and support! Some people do go it alone (which I really wouldn't recommend! but there is no law preventing it) but it would be unfair to ask a doula to attend if you did not have a midwife there also.
YOu may know all of this - and I may have gotten hold of the wrong end of the stick and misinterpreted your comment. But thought I would say something just in case!

It is worth remembering that there are midwives, and then there are midwives. They are not all the same - some are little more than doctors handmaidens, and some are dedicated woman centered practitioners. The only way to be certain you will get a particular midwife in labour (that I now of) is to go independant - which IS very expensive. But you can at least then discuss in detail the thigns you do and don't want to happen in your labour, and hopefully build a relationship with your midwife during the a/n period which will allow you to trust that as far as is possible your wishes will be respected.
I'm having an i/m this time - she is lovely, and I don't get all the bitching I would have got from most NHS midwives about not wanting any tests /scans /listening to fetal heart with pinards only /my whole family being there (if they want!) /vitamin K /all sorts of other issues that I am quite opinionated about! If there is any way you can afford it I really would consider it carefully.

thanks for the responses. you may have seen that this is no longer an immediately pressing issue for me. i'm sure these comments will be useful next time.