Considering private c section in London - advice greatly appreciated!

[SheThinksShesPeople]

After a fairly traumatic nhs birth with ds1 -gave birth in the middle of a ward as no beds or midwives, wasn't examined afterwards or stitched up which resulted in a prolapse which I then had to pay to have repaired privately (apparently not wanting your cervix sitting in your knickers is cosmetic). I'm considering having a c section privately this time.

I'm not due until December but do I need to get it all sorted now? Can I mix and match ans have antenatal appointments through nhs then just the delivery privately? Any advice/ recommendations would be much appreciated!

DC2 was private antenatal care, 10 years ago, in a vain attempt at a home birth, following a sub-standard but depressingly commonplace sort of NHS experience. We used the Birth Centre in Tooting but I think they have gone bust now. AFAIK you can mix and match. Have you ruled out an NHS elective completely or are you just checking your options?

St Thomas' Hospital has a private bit to it. I think other teaching hospitals do as well. The 4- 5 days in hospital afterwards to recover from the c-section are not cheap, not cheap at all. Remember to factor in the cost of that to the op itself.

DSis had a truly awful time with her first child. She was much happier when she had an elective booked in for No 2. Hope you don't get too many people on your thread with judgey-pants on.

I've not totally ruled out an nhs birth - I'd just hate to get further down the line and be told I can't have a c section on nhs then find I'm too late to book one privately.

When I had prolapse repair the consultant said he'd strongly recommend a c section but I could give birth vaginally but with a fairly big episiotomy.

I just don't know which the nhs would push me to have. The thought of having to argue with people about why I don't want my fanny cut to shreds again isn't particularly appealing.

I needed the ok from the consultant midwife at St Thomas' to try for VBAC with DC2. She was the chief midwife. But once I got the green light from her, all I had to do was stay healthy for the rest of the pregnancy to be allowed to try. This was after my 20 week scan. There was apparently no point seeing her before then.

Is your GP likely to support you in a c section?

I'd say your prolapse and previous traumatic birth would make you a good candidate for an elective section on the NHS. So don't rule that out. You just need to be firm that it's your choice from the start.

I was, and didn't face much opposition. Had baby #2 by ELCS 12 days ago and it was wonderful. I'd highly recommend it

It sounds like under your circs you'll get an NHS elcs.

I've have two private c-sections. One at the Portland and the second one at the Lindo (no issue with the Portland, in fact I would have loved to have returned there but my insurance company changed and wouldn't cover the Portland). As I was only covered for the section itself, I had virtually all my ante-natal care on the NHS and transferred around 37 weeks. As it's just the operation and a few days in hospital (I had five with DC1 and three with DC2) I would think there would be a lot more availability than if you wanted care throughout your pregnancy.

I would ring around to give you some peace of mind about availability for delivery-only packages in December (about £3-4000 for the consultant and then there's the hospital fees on top) and at the same time explore your NHS options. I haven't had a VB but I thoroughly recommend a section as a way to give birth - it was very relaxed and I found a great deal of security knowing that my baby was't at risk of shoulder dystocia, hypoxia etc.

The private options in London that I can remember are:

The Portland
Lindo Wing at St Mary's
Sir Stanley Clayton Wing at Queen Charlotte's
Kensington Wing at Chelsea and Westminster
Westminster Wing at St Thomas's
Guthrie Wing at King's
Coombe Wing at Kingston