Portland vs Kensington at the C&W

[sparechange]

I feel a little bit silly asking this, as DH and I haven't had our BFP yet, but having read other threads on here about private maternity in London, it seems spaces get booked up very quickly so I'm trying to research as much as possible so when we finally do get lucky, we can book something up ASAP...

I've ruled out St Thomas's, and Lizzie and John's is too far away from us.

Realistically, our two options would be the Portland or C&W.

I favour the former, as it is very close to my office and will make getting to appointments very easy, where as DH thinks it makes us wanna-be footballers and thinks the C&W would be better as it is close to our home (although at this stage, I'm 90% sure I'd have an elected CS)

They seem pretty similar in price, and share a lot of consultants, so I'd be grateful if any of you lovely ladies know of any deal-breakers or deal-winners for either, or have had good or bad experiences you could share with me.

I don't know where you live but have you thought of the Lindo Wing (St. Mary's in Paddington)? I live between the Lindo Wing and the Portland and we decided against the Portland because they don't have the facilities of a large NHS hospital if things go badly wrong. I was really pleased with my experience at the Lindo Wing and my consultant offered appointments at the Lindo Wing and in Harley Street, which might be convenient for your office. I had to have a c-section but my consultant would have done whatever I wanted.

Thanks ladies
The reason we had arrived at our shortlist of those was proximity to work and home.
I imagine long trips to and from appointments when heavily pg must be a pain, which I why I favour the portland (5 stops on the tube from my office). It will also be good to not to need to take lots of time out of the office for appointments.

DH thinks proximity to our house (Wandsworth) should be a bigger consideration, which is why he thinks the C&W would be better. I think this would be important if we were planning a natural birth, but not so much in our case.

I've heard lovely things about both J&L and the lindo, but they aren't convenient on any front!

I had an NHS elective at the C&W. Fraid I couldn't afford to go private (they emphasised that you had to pay for the whole package) though I did give a significant donation afterwards. One thing I would bear in mind is that, in the absolutely totally unlikely event that anything goes wrong you are in a hospital, not a grand hotel with consultants wheeled in. I believe that if anything goes wrong at the Portland you are rushed to St Marys, though others might correct.

Having said that, ironically as my DH an expat here I am now covered by insurance which pays for private births (not that I'm having any more!) and his female colleague/colleagues' wives really seem to like J&L.

Thanks bellissima

Do you remember who your consultant was?

Oh eek no - DC1 is nearly 11 anyway so she might have moved on. (Was a she. The young male doc who came and said I'm doing your section looked of an age where it might be part of a GCSE project - but to my relief he was clearly being supervised. Fraid under the NHS you don't have that much communication though I had met her before at a mtg to discuss having one. Male anaeth. v v nice as well - we had to wait as there was an emergency section taking place, so we had pretty much swapped life histories by the time he put the needle in!)

DC2 was at Edith Cavell in Brussels, consultant Von Lennep, remember that but it was only 7 yrs ago and I saw her all the time for apptmts - tis the system there. Suppose I ought to say that she criticised the 'NHS stitching' (she did a massively sophisticated fold inside job that left absolutely no ridge) - but that was done by the 15 year old, not the consultant.

I was in the same quandary as you a few months ago. Whether to go for the portland (which everyone seems to rave about but no emergency support available) or C&W where you have best of both worlds and is a bit nearer home. In the end we decided to go with C&W and am happy (so far!) with the decision. Am booked to have c section in a few weeks. Consultant led care is fab- I see Mark Johnson, he is amazing and lovely.
Getting to and from ante natal appointments from office is not ideal for me but at least C&W is on the way home and it means I am not reliant on the tube (I have become less keen using the tube and crowded spaces as my bump has increased in size!). Also work should pay you for time spent at ante natal appointments (I think) so is not a big deal; my appointments pretty much run to time so not much time wasted when actually at the hospital.
Also even if you plan a c section, you never know when you might need to quickly get yourself from home to the hospital; for example I ended up a bit sick a few weeks ago and was not sure what to do, phoned C&W and was told to come in immediately so DH had to drive me in to C&W at 4 a.m. in a hurry as hospital wanted to monitor me (bump and I were fine but to play it safe my consultant admitted me on the spot for a few days which I was not expecting but on reflection was great as it meant that I got excellent care and was comprehensively checked out). Anyway, i will try to post a review once I have had my elective and let you know my further thoughts.

sparechange, i think it may depend on which consultant you choose as to whether all your appointments would actually be at the Portland. My consultant was based on Harley St when i had my 2 and all my appointments and scans were there rather than the hosp. Not a million miles from the Hosp but you may feel it makes a difference.

I was at the Portland as my consultant only delivers there but i've no doubts if he delivered at the C&W's Kensington Wing i would have gone there - much closer for me too as i'm in your area. the big deal for me though was that HE delivered my baby so i went to the relevant hospital and did LOVE it - fab care, nursery and midwives/nurses before, during and after.

With regard to what your DH says i wouldn't be bothered too much by that remark {smile} as i'm pretty sure 90% of Mums delivering are us mere mortals! No WAGs near my room when i was there for 5 days each time! On the other hand the Kensington Wing was just refurbished last year and pretty fab by all accounts.

Thanks cobblers and mrsmarshall, that is really helpful

To be totally honest, I'm not overly worried about the lack of full emergency facilities at the Portland. It is never, ever brought up when women say they are having a homebirth, but is always the first thing people say when you mention you are thinking about a private hospital! Have never totally undesrstood that one...

Mark Johnson seems to be a MN favourite, so that might well be a factor

Thanks again for your fab insights

i have only ever heard GREAT things about Mark Johnson but do book early.
also, even though my husband had to schlep 45mins or so to the portland (by car or tube) when i was there it really wasn't a big deal.
its not that far away and its only for 5 days (possibly 4 days if elective CS). not really a trial in the grand scheme of things and when its your first you tend not to worry about the geography so much! life becomes a little trickier with 2nd baby and Number 1 is at home and needs looking after.

I LOVED the Portland - am very fortunate that i can say i've had very positive birth experiences even if one of them was an EMCS and the care was outstanding and every member of staff i had contact with was phenomenal - wouldn't hesitate to go back if i ever had a 3rd (not likely unfortunately!).
All the best.

It's not mentioned re: homebirths because you can't have a section or instrumental at home. If you are planning a section or end up needing an instrumental then postnatally you may need emergency support.

I had DS at the Portland in May last year and had a great experience. Had vaginal birth with epidural. Delivery, quality of care and midwives were amazing. Baby came out after 20 minutes of pushing. Delivery rooms are far better than Lindo Wing, which is important as you spend a long long time there (I visited it - they are tiny), although it might not matter if you have c-section as you are in operating theatre. Great care after birth - I stayed 3 nights and could have stayed longer! Prenatal care with my consultant was at Harley St, not Portland itself. Had some friends with terrible experiences at C&W private wing so would never go there even though closer to my home. C&W private didn't have their own anesthetist so unless you have scheduled c-section, private wing shares anesthetist with NHS wing and you can't be sure you'll get one when you need one. If I had a DC2, would go back to Portland with same consultant.

Thanks pinkpeony
It is intersting to hear about your friends experiences
Can I ask what sort of areas they found terrible?

Had one son through the NHS and final son at the Portland. Would highly recommend the Portland It was a few years ago and the Portland has shot up in price so I would check costs. I would book a tour around both St Mary's and Portland. I had a relative give birth at St Mary's and this ' well of course they have emergency facilities' comes out often as a reason why women choose to go there. Are the doctors outside the door on the off-chance? At the NHS hospital (I wont mention it) I had some problems, trace on the babies head, heatbeat a worry etc and the midwife told me that as it was the middle of the night there was no one to deal with me. I would have to wait my turn and there were women who had more issues than me - nice!

Could somone please give me an idea of the cost of going to the Portland or any of the other private hospitals mentioned?

hi GF1
firstly do you have insurance?
secondly, at the moment, are you looking at a straightforward vaginal birth?
both these points are factors.
i've had 2 babies at the Portland but CS both times (first EMCS, second elective for breech) and insurance takes care of the hospital bill but consultant fees are always separate.
if i'd had a vaginal birth i think at the time we were looking at a figure anything between £8-£10k for the hospital bill. Don't know how much an elective CS would be but you'd be in for longer so imagining that would cost more.
Depending on who your consultant is you're looking between £3-£6k + extras for bloods and scans.
Fortunately for me my consultant was a bit less than others. Also i know friends who've had the first 20 weeks of care on the NHS and then swapped to consultant led care (as a result they paid less fees too).
hope that helps or shout if you need more info.
OCx

Things have shot up price wise in the last few years, it was about £6k 5 years ago and is now about £10k all in for straightforward vaginal birth.

Thank you both for info. Was unaware that you could get insurance to cover CB. Going to start saving up and looking at loans - worth going without holiday, changing car etc,etc to get the best possible care, and continuity of care. Have been horrified by reputation of local mat hosp which is whar is making us consider this option.

GF1 : i can't speak for other insurance companies, but Bupa whom i'm with, only cover CS if its medically required.
ie, if you have a straightforward vaginal birth they don't pay.
my first birth was induced and we were paying until my consultant said EMCS (for various reasons) after 7 hours of labour (didn't feel a thing as epidural was in - yay!)
As DC2 was breech its medically described as an "unstable lie" so they pay for that too.
However do check with other insurance companies to find out their policies.
I'm quite happy without a holiday for the next 10 years if it meant having great care and attention for what were the 2 most significant events in my life and that of my husband. Good luck.

"2 of the most" !!
marrying hubby is right up there too!

Kensington is brilliant. My friend had hers at the Portland and was never impressed with the midwives, esp at night (while you are labouring they support you, but the MWs are also there for your care after which is important if you have a CS). Many of them are agency staff from overseas. Also the lack of proper emergency facilities would put me off too. I went back to the Kensignton in 2008 to have DC2 and recognised many of the midwives from DD in 2005. Would not want to go anywhere else if we have a third.

I would recommend Keith Duncan and Nick wales. Both are very focused on you rather than having an idea about the way they want to do things. For me it was natural birth but if it's otherwise for you I would also recommend. Keith is great as he is a scan expert and does all your scans too so you really don't need to see anyone else throughout.

I agree Kensington is great and I think they have changed their anaesthetist policy now so you are guaranteed one. (And charged more!!)