Help! 38 weeks, I suddenly have to have a C-section - is it too late to think about going private?

[SSMulligan]

I'm 38 week's pregnant with my first baby, and had a natural birthing-pool birth planned in my local NHS birthing centre (at UCLH) Unfortunately, there are some problems, and I've just had a scheduled c-section confirmed - for next week!
I have a great relationship with my midwife, and think the birthing centre is wonderful - but my experiences with the rest of the hospital haven't been great (long delays, lost notes, lost blood tests etc). I don't doubt their medical expertise and that the attention I get during the surgery will be exceptional - it's the after-care which I'm concerned about. I've heard some real horror stories, particularly about care post-caesareans, and one of my good friends, a year on, still gets upset when she talks about her experiences there.
I'm lucky that I have insurance which enables me to consider going private - but I'm really up against time limits.
have any of you gone through this and can give me some advice? is it too late to start calling private consultants on monday morning and see if any can take me on board? (and if not, can anyone recommend any?)
I know this may seem like a trivial concern - after all, my main concern should be (and is) that my baby and I are both healthy and safe. but I react terribly to drugs and surgery and really need the recovery days immediately after the surgery to be as comfortable as possible.
or am I just overreacting to my experiences - and those of my friends?
any advice at all is welcome. thank you, Sal

I think the Portland has a good reputation for CS & aftercare. Why no give them a call and ask if this is an option. I was there for an hysteroscopy and had excellent care (only day-unit, though).

Welll... I had an NHS caesarean and very good care throughout, but that's just anecdotal. You can't be sure how much more likely you are to be comfortable by going private. I've heard of bad experiences too - but with a CS a lot depends on your own body, how it reacts, if anything goes wrong (eg an infection) and so on. I do think that a planned CS will give you a better recovery than an emergency one after a long and miserable labour when you're half-starved and exhausted - so in that sense the odds are good of it being OK.

IME you can also improve your experience in hospital by being nice to the staff but also insistent and well-informed.

If you've got private insurance, then use it. A CS is a life changing op! And if you're private they'll have more time to dicuss your worries etc

I had an emergency cs on the nhs and abysmal pre, during and post care. However, I did plan on having my second at the Portland, but when I finally went and visited the place and started talking to people who had had their babies there, it became clear that the care is equally as bad, but extremely expensive (as much as £30,000) if you don't have insurance. And the Portland is not medically equipped to handle things if something goes wrong and they will just ship you over to the local nhs hospital.
My advice would be to go for the nhs elective, but try to get into one of the private rooms in the nhs hospital. And just make sure that your family is prepared to give you the care that the hospital won't. By my second child, I learned that you just need to refuse to do things. For example, if you feel that the ward is not adequately staffed, then insist that a family member spend the night with you even if they sleep in a chair. Ask for a supervisor or PAL representative to mediate the interaction. Get someone to bring in decent food for you. And anything else that will make your stay more comfortable.
PS. Don't be too upset about losing out on the birthing pool...it probably would have been broken anyway. I had my 2nd on the natural birth floor at Queen Charlotte's and although the staff were lovely, the hot water wasn't working properly and the birthing pool wasn't filled until long after dd was born. (And that hospital was a brand new one)

it may depend on the hospital but I had an emergency c-section on the NHS - from having an ultrasound at 9.30am to dd1 being born around 11am - the care I had was exceptional. I had a very sick babe who was taken straight to ICU so we both had fabulous care.

Have only skim read so not sure if this has been mentioned already but Private health insurance will not cover you for having a c/section.

Just to take a step back - do you mind me asking why you HAVE to have a c/s. There are very few circumstances that this is actually the case.

Howdie, Independent Midwife

My private health insurance WOULD have covered my c-section, as it is for medical reasons, transverse baby ain't coming out any other way!

BUT I am insured with AXA who I have now found out are one of only a couple of private health insurance companies who will not pay for any pregnancy related condition/procedure.

So I will NOT be renewing with them next year!!!!

I had an emergency c section at St Thomas's in London and had private care. It's brilliant and as it's a regular hospital, has access to the best equipment you can get. It's about 6-7 grand for the op plus £650 ish per night stay. You don't have to lift a finger, the midwives are great and look after you and the baby so well. My private health care covered me for 3 nights and the theatre costs as the op itself was free it being am emergency. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

ring the protland and see who they suggest. if your insurance is paying then i would definately go with the portland. the care is very good and you will need it after a CS. it is one midwife to every 4 patients in the ward. during the CS you have your own midwife who stays with you until you get to the ward.

the food is also very nice. private rooms are very nice as well.

Our private medical care covers c-sections (as long as they are medically indicated).

Thanks for all your advice everyone.
I think that if I can get it covered, I'll go private - mainly for the aftercare - and hope that I can find someone to take pity on me! in fact I've just found out that the consultant who runs the labour ward in UCLH is a consultant at the portland, (and is meant to be fabulous) so that will be my first port of call. fingers crossed....

I'm .
I have got to have a c section due to low lying placenta and would love to go to a private hospital.
I'll keep dreaming.......
Hope everything goes well for you op.

I had to have an emergency section when having my second child, even though I had a 'normal' delivery first time (which ended in an episiotomy and 15 stitches!) Had to have a caesarean because my baby was distressed, and it was a very scary experience. However, the after part wasnt too bad, my scar has healed really well and I didnt have any complications with it. Got on with looking after my baby, made sure I didnt lift anything too heavy and before long I was fully recovered. I am sure if you have a planned section everything will be fine for you. Good luck xx

I've heard the Portland is great, although it's not for me as a bit far for DH and my girls to come and visit easily. Cost of a private C-Section for medical reasons (see their website) is £4,785 plus a few days afterwards at £1,475 a day. Not that that's relevant if it's on insurance though.

FYI I had an elective C-section on NHS (at Chelsea and Westminster) last year and they were really great. I'll be going back for another elective next April all being well. Even my first section (also at C&W) which was an emergency and all a bit of a mess wasn't really that bad. So if you do end up going NHS, I really wouldn't worry too much - it's pretty no frills, but fine really.

twinkle3869, I beg to differ, I am an educated person who does know what she is talking about. I thought the Portland was dingy, drab and filthy with antiquated equipment and uninviting rooms. There have been plenty of stories from people on mumsnet and elsewhere who have had poor care there. And the medical professionals that I knew when I lived in London highly recommended from a medical point of view that I did not have my child there. The £30,000 was a figure quoted to me by the consultant that I was seeing who would have delivered me at the Portland. (If you add up NellytheElephant's numbers for a week's stay plus the consultant's fees plus VAT plus incidentals...you're heading into the £30,000 range). I'm glad that your costs were less and that you had a good experience there, but it's hardly productive or good manners to say that a complete stranger doesn't know what she is talking about....especially when she decidedly does.

I have met Sofia in person and can in fact confirm that she is an educated and intelligent person.

I've never been to the Portland so can't really comment from experience, but I imagine that just like all hospitals it has good times and bad times.

Perhaps being such an intelligent and educated person has given Sofia exceptionally high standards by which she judged the Portland. However, I suggest you don't get her started on St. Mary's.

PS. I just visited my dd's playmate in a hospital here in Los Angeles. It's in a poor hispanic/black neighborhood and services the disadvantaged community who for the most part have state provided health insurance (ie the poorest of the poor). It was cleaner, prettier and more modern than any medical facility I visited in all of England (or Italy). The staff (clerical and medical) were friendly, efficient and available. And for some reason it actually even smelled lovely.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have come back to the usa to have my children even though my dh couldn't have been there. (Note: please see thread on dh's who are wonderful husbands and fathers but lousy birth partners ;) )

There have been some highly publicised maternal deaths at the Portland:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1390810/Another-Portland-Hospital-mother-dies.html

Thank God someone said it first. Three words. Maternal death rate. Bugger the colour telly and the drinks cabinet.....

yep, wouldn't touch it with my lottery winnings....

Also, have you talked to your normal midwife since you had this news? In our area, you can go to the MLU for post-CS aftercare. Check out what your other options are.

In terms of equipment and resources for any kind of medical emergency, the NHS is generally preferable to a private hospital.

Back to OP:

If you don't end up going private, def organise to ask for a private room as soon as you get there (ours you can't book in advance). I had one after emc-s with ds2, think it was about £80 a night?
And think again about your hosp bag, tips from me would be
FOOD and lots of it!
a pint glass/plastic
a REAL pillow

and get lots of help booked in for afterwards so you can put your feet up, cuddle baby and be waited on