Going private at 26 weeks - UCL vs Lindo

[isitwinetimeyet16]

Hi all,

I'm 26 weeks pregnant with DC2 at the moment - due next March. I had a pretty good delivery with DD in 2015 at UCLH (SVD,, no tearing etc), but as she came out with the cord round her neck we had to stay in for 5 days and the postnatal care was horrific. The midwives were so busy, there was blood all over the floor, the woman in the bed next to me was on her phone at 3am when we were trying to get some sleep...etc etc.

We ended up paying for a private room for the last few nights of the stay - but apparently they've changed the system at UCLH so this won't be possible this time if I need a longer stay.

I'm also just generally really worried how overly busy they always seem to be in the antenatal ward - one of the midwives I saw recently was saying they've seen a massive increase in their caseloads in the last few years with no increase in staff.

I'm considering going private for the birth only - I just wondered if I will have left it massively too late, and if anyone else has done something similar? I'd much rather go for the Lindo wing as I like the fact it's attached to an NHS hospital - I'm also consultant led due to a blood condition so would need to factor that in to costs.

Any advice / experiences gratefully received!

Bump!

Why don't you employ a private midwife? I had one for first DD and am also due end of March and will be having the same midwife again. The one on one care you receive isnt even comparable.

Find out who the consultants are at Lindo, call their secretaries and enquire or call Lindo wing directly. Seens the simplest thing to do.

I would also suggest that you budget for all eventualities, including an EMCS (however unlikely you think this is). My planned CS with three nights stay will cost approx £13k.

You may also struggle to find a consultant who will see you for the birth only. They may also want to take over antenatal care.

Thanks so much for the replies all.

user - I hadn't considered that option, is it not a problem that the private midwife might not know the hospital you give birth at?

LesLavandes - I definitely will do that if needed - just wanted to see if anyone else had done something similar first!

WildlifeMag - that is interesting, I hadn't thought they might want to take over the antenatal care too. Were you private from the start of your pregnancy? To be honest 13k is a bit less than I feared - I was thinking more like 20k for the whole thing if I did need dramatic interventions. Can I ask where you're planning to go?

I’ll be at st Thomas Westminster suite. The £13k is the cost without the antenatal care. I know the Westminster suite is cheaper than others. It’s probably not as luxurious but I like the comfort of knowing one of the best neonatal units is a couple of floors below. Also not sure if EMCS would be more than a planned.

I wouldn’t leave it much later to start calling the secretaries to get consultant fees and availability.

I had a private c section at UCL 3 yrs ago. Unless it's changed you can only have c section not natural there. Not cheap but worth every penny. Your own midwife throughout your stay, excellent care, good food and private facilities. If you can find a consultant that isn't already booked up, the price won't be massively different. The consultant charge doesn't change whether you use them.from 12 wks or 30 weeks. You just save on the scans and blood tests.

I'm at St Thomas Westminster too. I know some of the consultants do packages from 25 weeks with a reduced antenatal care cost. Not sure about birth only. But they do fill up fast so you need to ring around and find someone who will fit you in. I went private from the start, so it is about £16k if I end up having a c-section plus the costs of scans and extras on top. Not cheap, but I wasn't happy with the antenatal care I was getting on the NHS and want to be consultant led and to have a say in how I give birth - not to have to beg for a ELCS if that is the route I choose to go down. Plus I'm self employed and the ability to choose the date and time of my appointments, have them after work or on the weekend and so not miss work, and not to have to sit around in a waiting room etc has saved me a fair bit of money!

Do you want a planned section or natural birth? It will prob be easier to find a consultant to do the former, and in fact I recommended mine to a friend who wanted a section and was struggling to get one on the NHS out of London and she saw him essentially just for the birth and 6 weeks postnatally (that is included in his package), though I have had three vaginal deliveries with him. Might be harder if you are wanting a vaginal delivery as may be harder for them to timetable with existing patients / cover. But call round a few and ask. Mine is at Kensington Wing at C&W, which also has NHS hospital attached. As I am sure you know, the hospital charges separately to the consultant. But if you have complications that require transfer for either you or the baby, I believe you transfer over to the NHS side which would be treating you (for free!).