How much does an independent midwife cost?

[powpowbam]

Does anyone know roughly how much an independent midwife cost? I'd be using the nhs for tests and scans but I'd like an independent midwife to support a hospital birth (support at home to stay at home as long as possible and then advocate for me in the hospital in late stage). Does anyone have any idea what sort of price this would be?

Depends where you are. Google independent midwives for your area, most will have their prices on the website. Many offer different packages depending on what you want. It's likely that They won't be able to provide care in hospital though and will be there as a birth partner only.

Maybe a doula would be another option. If you don't need an actual mw for antenatal care then a doula could support you at birth. I wonder as well, if an independent mw would be allowed in an nhs delivery suite. There could be a conflict about who is in charge of your care,.and they wouldn't be allowed to actually intervene.

You could always look into going for a home birth (with the secret intention of transferring to hospital). In that case, the NHS provides one to one midwife care during your pregnancy, and one midwife (later two) who comes out to you during labour and if you're transferred past a certain point, will also come with you to hospital. It's an amazing service.

Starspread - so I'd see the same midwife during antenatal apps and then during labour? That sounds like what I'm looking for. Will the midwife stay with me at the hospital tho or will they leave as soon as I'm handed to the obstetrician? there is a high chance I will want to go to hospital to monitor the baby closely in the last stages. Hopefully that would be close to the end of the labour but I would like the consistency and support if that happens.

Google one to one midwives. They are like an independent midwifery service but funded by CCG. They are only available in a few areas though but you might be lucky!
The IM would probably take more of a doula role in the hospital but will be there to advocate and support you. Prices vary from around 2-6k depending on exactly what you want but most I've looked at have been flexible and some offer monthly payments x

If you had NHS midwives attend for a home birth and you then came into hospital, your care would likely be transferred to a hospital midwife - the out of hours midwives work on a rota and will need to then be available if another woman needs them during that shift - I doubt they could stay with you in hospital until the baby is born, although perhaps this is not the case in all areas. You are also not guaranteed to get the one who looked after you ante-natally, because of the rota. You will get whichever one is on call that day/night - you could be lucky I guess and get someone you know! Depends how many are on the rota

It's worth talking to your local NHS midwife and confirming this stuff, as the policy where you are may be different to where I am