Could anyone recommend a private obstetrician or a private birth centre in London or Birmingham

[needahand]

Ladies, I need your expertise/experience of any private birth centre in either north London, herts or Birmingham. I have just been to visit my local hospital and was horrified by the facilities. I already knew it had a very poor rating, but I just cannot see myself giving birth there. I will try to visit the other hospitals in my area, but I want to keep my options opened and would appreciate any recommendations for private obstetricians/birth centres.

anyone?

Mr. Murphy at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's in Paddington is lovely (was with him for my first birth).

At Queen Charlotte, Prof Bennet is great (was with him for 2nd birth).

Both Hospitals are good. St. Mary's has had a much needed facelift since I gave birth, and Queen Charlotte is very good in the private wing.

Other consultants whom my friends have been happily with: Mr. Teoh and Mr. Smith at St. Marys.

Thanks morningglory, I will do a bit of research on these

I would recommend Ed Dorman at St John & St Elizabeth (North London)

i am having dd2 at st john and st elizabeth in st john's wood- mw led care with gubby ayida as backup consultant. not given birth yet but very pleased with antenatal care and environment (dd1 was born at uch- was ok, but in no rush to go back if i can afford not to!)

another vote for St Mary's, although Mr Smith is no longer delivering babies - Mr Teoh or Mr Murphy are two other OB's who worked with him.

is home birth an option for you with an independent midwife?

Another vote for Ed Dorman at John's & Lizzie's. Yinka Akinfenwa was also wonderful.

But the midwife-led care there is great, you don't need consultant-led (unless you have complications). The birth was bliss. Can't recommend it enough.

Another vote for private wing at Queen Charlotte -- I recommend Dr. Kumar, but you can call their private patient care and get input as to which of their consultants might be the most appropriate (given your medical history, the kind of birth you are looking for, etc)

Thanks all I really appreciate your advice

at the moment after having done some research, my preference would st StJohn and Elisabeth as it seems more in line with my aspirations (hollistic natural birth). spottedandstripped and beforesunrise and brummieontherun can you tell me more. What you like, are they always available/helpful. Have they ever turned down anyone in labour etc.. Can you come as early in labour as you want (would have to travel 1h to 1h30 so would have to leave at the first twinges really).

lulumama no independant midwifes aren't really an option as my DH is put off by the fact they don't have insurance. In addition if there was an emergency I would still have to be transferred to my local hopsital and there is no way I can take that risk. I am looking to see if I can transfer to another (and hopefully better) NHS hospital a bit further. At the moment I am trying to consider all my options, I don't really know what to think.

needahand, if you're at all interested in J&L then I'd call them straight away. They take a very limited number of women so you need to get on the list as soon as you can (or hope for late cancellations).

The only issue with J&L is that they don't have a NICU so will transfer you/baby to St Mary's. This is very uncommon, but it can happen.

The ante-natal and postnatal care is excellent and the birth you can achieve is wonderful (candlelit waterbirth, music, essential oils burning, option of epidural if you decide you need it after all, double beds for DH to stay afterwards), but are you really going to want to do 3hr round trips for every appt?

I meant to say, if you just call and book an appt to speak to someone there, they'll answer all your questions and give you a tour. There's no obligation to commit until you've had a good look around and satisfied yourself it's what you want.

needahand
YOu might like to speak to Robert Sawers at the Priory in Birmingham.

BrummieontheRun I will and I thought so. I am worried I might be too late already as I am 30 weeks. Yes I think I would do a 3hours round trip for every appointments. I wouldn't have too many left anyway. It hink it is worth it. Will try to book a tour. Thanks for the advice.

I was pretty disappointed when I went round J&L and opted for the private wing of C&W in the end (despite having been convinced I would pick J&L beforehand). It's seen better days to be honest. But granted that may not be your top priority.

I'm not sure that a journey of 1-1.5 hrs is a sensible idea though - not all labours kick of smoothly. My waters went early and I ended up with two late night trips to the hospital for monitoring before I gave birth on the third day. I'd think carefully if something more suitable close to home exists.

Thanks Slinkiemalinki it is my second birth though and my first labour was 36 hours so it is probably unlikely this one will pop our in 2 minutes. I am also trying to see some other local hospitals (nothing private near where I leave). It is a tricky situation.

As regards John & Lizzies, I have had a great experience so far - midwives are always willing to spend time with you. I agree with Brummie that if you are "straightforward", that going midwife led is a good option, with back up consultant who you choose. I am not based in London (about an hour away) and I have met at least two other people who are having their babies there who have "longer" journeys to the hospital. You can go in as early as you want to in labour. John and Lizzies has a very "natural birth" ethos and a very calming atmosphere. Despite having been on the ward lots of times, I don't think I have ever seen anyone looking stressed.

Thanks spotted I have to say I am a bit worried about the journey. It is about an hour by car if there is not to much traffic. But I think if the baby came during rush hour we would probably take the train (and provide the entertainment for the commuters) as it would be quicker than the car then. It is good to know I am not the only one considering this despite the journey. I tend to think that I would leave in early labour just to be on the safe side and to make the journey more comfortable.

It is the natural birth ethos that really appeals to me as I would like to try for a relaxing birth.

May I ask what promted you to chose J&L?

I picked them for the privacy initially, but in the end it was their holistic approach that was most important... and the fact you are almost guaranteed to have a delivery room with a birth pool. Both delivery suites have one.

We were advised on diet, posture, complementary medicine... every angle that ensures a straightforward birth. I could never have conceived of having a drug-free birth (after 32 hour + epidural for first delivery).

Btw, if you're going to have a long journey, I'd recommend doing a quick course on hypnobirthing. (J&L recommended the Gowri Motha Gentle Birth Method, but any of them are great). It'll help you coped with pain while you can't move around.

hi there- can i just say- taking the train while in labour... doesnt really strike me as a great idea. clearly up to you what you plan, but i;d rather be in the car than on a public train!

re j&l- second what others have said really. it is a very calming and relaxing place and i liked the ethos. plus it's a 15 minutes walk for me, so v convenient!

if you are 30 weeks pregnant though it might be tough to get in. i thinkt he portland is probably your best bet as they always seem to have spaces

good luck!

I initially started thinking about going private after two friends had really bad experiences on the NHS

I chose J&L because of the emphasis on childbirth being a "natural" process, rather than treating you as an ill person. I was very interested in the possibility of a waterbirth and wanted my husband to be able to stay with me afterwards. I had heard glowing reports from other people. I agree about the Hypnobirthing.

Thanks to all again
Brummie I have done a hypnobirthing course, which is one of the reasons why the J&E look so appealing as it stays in the same spirit and encourages that sort of things. I had a similar experience to yours first time round (36 hours and all the drugs in the book + ventouse) which I am keen not to reproduce

beforesunrise perhaps not indeed, but I am hoping with the hypnobirthing course I could cope with 30 mn train journey. I wouldn't leave it until I have contractions every 3mns though and I would be surprised if the baby came during rush hour anyway (apparently second babies are night creatures). But I have to say the distance is a bit of a concern and I am trying to find other options locally as well. I called them this morning and luckily they still have some places. Don't fancy the portland I have to say as it seems too "medicalised for me"

Mr Smith at the Lindo now retired. I had Mr Miskry at the Lindo, thought he was great. Would recommend him whole heartedly.

Oh and by the way, labour #1 was 28 hours, labour #2 was 5 hours.... so you might be surprised at how quickly your second labour progresses.....!

I've heard really wonderful things about John and Lizzies, if I had the dosh, it sounds like the kind of place I'd go to!