Advice on being relocated to London w/ husband's job

[cabruhn1269]

I'm four months preg and my husband has just learned that he'll be relocated to London for a one year assignment. I'm hoping to be able to join him if we can find someone back home in the United States to care for our three pets. Assuming this all goes well and I go to London to join him I obviously have many concerns. I've traveled internationally quite a bit and have loved it but relocating is quite different. I'm nervous abou the NHS system; delivering in another country w/ no mom or friends to help me; the whole mid-wife thing; which hospital has the best OBGYNs in London; how to meet other women who maybe in a similar situation being an Expatriot; best place to purchase baby furniture and misc. items; ect. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely,
stressed out cabruhn1269

hi and congrats on your pregnancy and move to london!
I'm also in london
just wanted to reassure you about having a baby on the NHS - I've had 3, and they were all v good experiences. I grew up in Canada where midwifery is still a bit of a fringe thing, and where everyone had their obgyn for pregnancy. If you are covered with your insurance you could look into going privately in which case you would have your own consultant.....but do look into the NHS a bit more, it's not all doom and gloom.
about the baby furniture - try some of the bigger department stores like John Lewis. Lots of deals on the internet as well for specific items, have a trawl through the products section ( old threads)
shout out here to find other mums from the us, there are lots on the site
you'll have a great year!

expatparent.com/ has some useful info

I would recommend you ensure your husband's employer covers both of you for fully private healthcare including your pg/delivery

That is alot to juggle, and you have my sympathies.

Where in London is your husband's job? Presumably the company will pay to relocate him? Also assume they'll pay a rental agent to find a flat, and that you'll want it furnished rather than trying to move furniture for such a short time? Will he have private health insurance through his job? Do you know what kind?

Start with those...and then we can help you with other questions. Doctors/hospitals etc might work best according to where you'll live.

Just wanted to reassure you that meeting others could be easier than you think - I knew no-one in my neighbourhood before having my son 18 months ago, but rapidly established lots of nice contacts and a good number of real friendships.

Many of us who moved to London years ago for work have friends all over the city, but only properly get to know people in our own areas when we have kids - so you won't be alone in this. Also worth signing up for antenatal classes; many people form a strong bond with their group.

Might be harder to find other expat mums - tho Mumsnet will help with that - but otherwise just go along to all the baby-related activities you fancy, and you will find friends!
Also - had my son on the NHS and all was well; the hospital was fantastic, despite potentially difficult circs. Good luck with everything!

Don't know exactly which area of London they'll house us. Luckily the company will cover all housing and food. Still worried about the horrible exchange rate. Crazy! We'll be w/ Cygna Health Insurance. I don't understand the difference between the basic NHS system vs. going privately w/ your own consultant. How does that work? Also, does every women deliver w/ only a mid-wife and not a physician? That seems scary to me.

Most British women even if they have private health ins won't be covered for birth etc
So mostly you go to an NHS hosp and see midwives for care and delivery. You only see an Obgyn if you have problems

Privately you can deliver under the care of either a consultant or a midwife

Agree it is very normal to have midwife led care. It is common to only see a doc only if you are having some sort of prioblem with you or the baby.

I would recommend kiddicare.co.uk for buying your baby items or John Lewis is very good (a department store)

If you want to meet people then join the antnatal group through the NCT.

really, please don't be scared about having a midwife instead of a doct0r - they are highly highly trained for the purpose of delivering babies, they will have delivered a great deal more babies than consultants.

Hi, I moved from S'pore to London 5 years ago. I'm now pregnant 2nd time round. Was nervous about NHS system too (a very foreign concept to me) but I soon found out that although it's not always the clearest system, at least a system DOES exist. I also realised that in this NHS system, seeing a midwife (and not the consultant) means good news and that your pregnancy is going well.

After giving birth, I joined the local post-natal group organised by my local clinic. Through that, I have now the best mum-friends I could ever ask for. They've not only been tremendous support emotionally, mentally and babysitting-wise, we've all become very good friends in other aspects of our lives as well.

I never could have found such a good support system in my home country. Good luck!

Allianz insurance cover you for private maternity, but unless you are aleady insured with them it's already too late as there is a 10 month waiting period for maternity claims.
Bupa International also covers you, but same issue with waiting time.

Otherwise you can pay to go private - will cost you about £8k though.

Going private means you get a Obgyn throughout the pregnancy and birth and you get a private room where you give birth and stay after the birth.
Mosy English women think it's not worth it though.

Correct me if I'm wrong here but it's safe to assume that if you are not w/ private care you will not have a private delivery room? You deliver in a room w/ other women? That would be weird.

No no, you deliver in a individual room on an NHS labour ward (leaving aside the time I nearly delivered in the corridor as ds was not prepared to wait ).

But you won't get a private room for postnatal care unless you pay for it, or you have horrible complications.

No! You give birth and labour in a private room! Once in established labour. Private here means that you pay for it so think that is what was meant. Not in the way that private means on your own!

But you can be put in a small ward - I was in one with 4 beds - after delivery. Although you can pay extra for an amenity room (private room) if they have one available. Personally I never bothered. You can be discharged from hospital from about 6 hours after the birth if all is well anyway. (although this varies I think by hospital policy)

Please don't worry about midwife delivery - they are highly trained and it is perfectly acceptable and normal here.

if you want to look up some of the best known private maternity care in central london, go to following websites:
-Portland hospital (US expats on fat relocation packages and other posh mums)

• St mary's Hospital (Lindo wing - Where the late princess Diana gave birth)

There should be some pricing and consultants details. Full maternity care + delivery and post delivery care about £7,500. As said before, not all private insurance covers pregnancy and usually, there is a waiting period 12 to 18 months before you are actually elligible.

NHS is absolutely fine in most hospitals. Midwife led care is very good standard as it is the common practice here. Usually 2 scans included and you will be reffered to an ob-gyn if there is any concern during pregnancy.
Delivery mid wife led with ob-gyn ob stand by if any complication arise.
Midwives are ususally very experienced but you have to be very assertive about what you want for delivery and have them write it down in your file.
Post natal support groups, breastfeading support and baby clinics are great.

Hi!
I lived in London and had 2 of my 3 children there. I am English, but many of my friends were ex-pats. There is something in South Kensington called...something like the American Towns womans Guild?!!sound scary but its like an ex-pat club. My American Friend also works for an American relocation company - swhen the family comes over, she will have checked that the ir rental house is ready for them to move in etc, given them school choices, ante-natal groups etc, anything that the family has voiced concerns about.
I did some very swanky ante-natal classes with a lady called Christine Hill, in Chiswick, there were many people who flew in for these!! As well as ex-pats.
I went to the Portland and it was wonderful. So coseting and like a hotel, others I know have delivered at The Lindo wing - St Marys
Equiptment - very practical stuff get delivered from Peter Jones/John Lewis there are loads of other companies based around Notting Hill, Sloane Square, Brompton Cross - good luck xx

There are loads of expats in London, lots of Aussies, Kiwis, Americans and Canadians. Well, and every other nationality too, really.

Is anyone familiar w/ the Basingstoke area of England? Now we're being told this might be where my husband will be based out of. I see it's about 1.5 hrs from London. Is it rural & boring?

Have any of you being an expat moving to England had to experience moving your pets? I've researched the process which seems incredibly grueling and I'm not sure it would be worth the effort, cost and stress on my pets for only a one year assignment w/ my husbands job relocation.

Surely the pets would have to be in quarantine and I think that is something like 6 months, so really notworth it.

Funnily enough I did the reverse of you and did a temp move to USA from London for dh's job.

this site may help give you some answers.

Oh dear Basingstoke is a not particularly nice medium sized town in Hampshire (south of England). If he is going to work there then I'd suggest you'd be better off living in Winchester - only a 30 min drive to Basingstoke - which is a smaller, picturesque, historic town with a fantastic Cathedral. Basingstoke is very urban, lots of sprawling housing estates, pretty ugly actually to be honest.

1. England's Relaxed Quarantine Rules - the Pet Travel Scheme

Some cats and dogs may be spared the standard 6 month's quarantine under the Pet Travel Scheme. To qualify, a pet coming from European Union countries must have been fitted with a microchip tag, had its blood tested at an approved laboratory and been vaccinated against rabies. Animals coming from nations outside the EU that are certified as totally free of rabies will also be able to qualify. Australia is a leading example of such a country.
Several years ago , the scheme was extended to cover pets coming to England from the US and Canada. People coming to England from the USA and Canada are able to bring their vaccinated pets without having to put them into six months quarantine.

In the UK and Europe most microchips and scanners comply with ISO Standards. The USA and Canada have different microchips. Owners of animals identified with non-ISO microchips may experience some difficulties in demonstrating that their animal has been microchipped. Such owners are advised to provide their own scanner.

There are many restrictions about manner of travel, acceptable ports of entry and countries to which the Scheme applies. The Defra website has full details. Defra is the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

So actually you may not need to do quarantine.