has anyone ever used a private health visitor

[Reallytired]

If so, how did you go about finding one and how much did it cost?

I only got a temporary health visitor as my GP surgery has no health visitor. I have a history of severe postnatal depression and I am little concerned about the ridiculous workloads that health visitors have and lack of continuity. There are just simply not enough hours in the day to support mothers.

Also I think it would be good if I could have a listening visit when I return to work.

I trained as a paeds nurse and have worked with a health visitor but heva never heard of private ones. Have you thought of a therapist?

I'm not aware that there are private HVs - as you know HVs usually have a Child Health caseload based on the GP population practice, so if they're not attached to a GP practice(s) then where would they work from IYKWIM? Who would they take referrals from and liaise with? I suppose you could try contacting a private midwife in your area and asking if they know of any private HVs.

Maybe you need a postnatal doula? Or if you are at high risk of PND maybe a CPN? (I suppose that depends on their referral criteria, you may not meet their threshold).

Hi. My friend from abroad who had her baby at the Portland had an NHS HV but also paid a private midwife to come and advise her about post baby care (breastfeeding, vaccinations, weaning etc)

She was the wife of one of the Portland doctors, I believe. I could get her number if you wanted to.

I hired a lactation consultant when I lived in Singapore who used to be a UK health visitor so she covered the same ground with me. Expensive, but really money well spent. 8 months later I'm still breastfeeding so I saved the money in formula!

This is interesting cos I agree that there seems to be no sort of continuity in the advice that HV's give and they tend to just rush you through. I also wouldn't mind paying for aomeone privately cos I'm really pissed off at the moment with all the conflicting advice I've been getting this week.

Dorisbonkers I'd like the number

I used a doula - depends what you want really - listening support or baby care advice. I needed support when I started thinking about baby no 2 as had bad pnd with my DS. She came over and did a series of visits whilst we talked things over. I was then going to have her for DD but she left and I used a different one who continued to support me postnatally and now if I wanted support I would just ask.

OK Shish, let me ask my friend but it may be a few days as she lives abroad.

No worries. Thank you x

Hi everyone - New to this thread but very interested in your musings. I had a really helpful health visitor when we had our darling son a few years ago, now we have just had our daughter, it was a complete turn around. The health visitor says she can only visited us once and it was at a time when we were having our baby's naming ceremony. Totally inappropriate. She said she could only visit us then and it would only be the 1 visit - so I had to leave the ceremony and listen to over an hour of 'words' which I couldnt take in. As I was tired, pre-occupied and certainly in need of the loo!
My only wish was that this was done at a time when I more relaxed and possibly when my husband had returned home from work so he could have been a part of the proceedings.
I asked for an evening visit and was told they only work 9 to 5pm and certainly no weekends. This we saw as a huge gap in their service delivery. The only way around this is to ask for a private visit- which of course they cannot do. Now my friend has just told me about a new service which she got a leaflet at her clinic its a new website www.privatehealthvisitor.com[u][/u] - does anyone know anything about private health visitors are they any good? How do they work? I am interested in using this service I will of course dig some more and offer any more info I find about this service through this forum.

There are Health Visitors who work privately- you can find them on google....