Relocation while Pregnant

[Want2bSupermum]

My DH is being relocated to Manchester, UK in April 2011. We currently live in the US (I am British; DH is not). We have expat health insurance to cover the cost of any healthcare needed during the first year of living in the UK. I called up my old GP in Chester and they said they can't take me unless we live in his catchment area. The receptionist was quite unhelpful and told me to call BUPA...

I have my first appointment booked here in the US but am I not sure how to coordinate things if our move date of April 17th doesn't change (I will be 29 weeks pregnant). It is likely that I will be high risk due to breaking two lumbar vertabrae at 17. I will most likely need a c section. Are there any private hospitals in Manchester that do childbirth? Are we able to use an NHS hospital (I would prefer this as they are better able to handle emergencies) and have them bill us?

If my DH has his employer change the move date back so we deliver here does anyone know how it works moving to the UK with a 3/4 week old baby?

If you're British and will be living in the UK, surely the NHS covers you anyway? Obviously it might be nice to have private healthcare for some stuff, e.g. post-natal room in hospital if available.

Do you know where you'll be living?

Check the Foreign Office website for travel info would be my advice. You'll need a passport if travelling with baby.

Have you worked out what you will do if your move date doesn't change, but you cannot fly by then? It is possible that could happen, so I'd work out a contingency plan.

I'd say give birth in the USA - much better healthcare over there than here. My husband is American and I spent almost a decade living in the USA. To me there wouldn't even be a question where to give birth to a child... In terms of the actual move, you can get a passport for the baby quite quickly and fly to the UK when you are ready(you will have a choice of USA or UK, or both passports)...

Something else to consider which may or may not make a difference to you.

If your child is born in the UK it will be British by birth but if born in the US it will be British by decent, the difference is that British by birth means your child is able to pass their British nationality on to his/her own children (if born outside the UK) but not so if he/she is British by descent.

Sorry I cant help much on the NHS/Private front. I flew to the UK 8 months pregnant, but I had done my booking in at 12 weeks in the UK so I was already "in the system" it was still a bit of a nightmare though as every doctor I saw tutted and frowned at my foreign scans and notes. I got the impression that if it wasnt done in the UK it "didnt count" to them, they re scanned me as soon as I arrived!

I also had problems getting a community midwife - I was told it was "too late" and only had appointments at the hospital - I wanted (and had) a natural childbirth and found that the hospital staff were really anti natural birth. Wish I had pushed more to get involved with the community midwives from the start.

best of luck to you.

thank you for your replies.

While I am British and will be living in the UK I will not be considered a resident at that time. As a non-resident I am not entitled to NHS care.

We will be living in Manchester, hopefully in one of the houses in Hale that my DH is viewing this week...

I tried the foreign office and they said to contact the NHS. I tried contacting the NHS through my old GP and I didn't get anywhere. I called the portland hospital in London and they were helpful but couldn't recommend anywhere in or around Manchester.

If I give birth here I worry I will be on my own after I deliver and flying out with a newborn on my own as DH has MBA courses and strategy meetings to attend in June (in Manchester). Of course if it is a medical necessity then I am sure DH and his employer could work something out but I don't want to make such a fuss if I can avoid it.

I am from near Manchester and as far as I am aware, there are no private birthing facilities in Manchester. I looked into this myself. You can have scans done at the Alexandra Hospital (Cheadle) but I don't think anything more. Also, the private hospitals in Manchester do not have NICU facilities should something go wrong.

Ah - I was born in Canada so my child won't be British if born here in the US! Quite stupid if you ask me but thank you for that info. DH is Danish so will ask him to speak to his buddy at the embassy about our children getting Danish passports over here.

I wonder if that will also make w2bsuperkid ineligible for NHS treatment if we move over after delivery in the US?

I live very near Hale and you will be right next to Wythenshawe NHS Hospital, i had DS there last year and they were fantastic. OK it is nothing to private healthcare but for a NHS job they were lovely. The maternity unit is literally 5-10 mins drive from Hale.

Also you are under Trafford PCT (or whatever they are going to be!) and their community midwife services were pretty good too. Apparantly Trafford is one of the best areas for maternity services.

PM me if you like either now or when you move here - even tho i am working full time next year i will be happy to give you any tips for being a yummy mummy in Altrincham/Hale

oh and Hale is vaaairy lovely

Dh and I might have been moving to the US while I was pregnant (thankfully it got put off!) and I have to say that it isn't that simple US vs UK care. Personally I wanted to give birth in the UK to avoid the over-medicalised approach without many options of the US.

Have you tried the NHS website? A local GP won't be able to offer advice, that's for sure.

I know that with GPs, you can see an NHS GP as a non-resident - you just incur fees.

A quick google tells me the fees are £3000 and the name of the act is:

The NHS charges to Visitors Regulations Act 1989

The only hospital I could find actually applying the act seems to be getting sued for abusing it!

not pleasant reading

This article suggests you can get care but will be charged after the event

sh77 - I checked out the Alexandira hospital but they confirmed they could do all check prior to childbirth but not childbirth.

MummyAbroad - The women in the first link seems a real treat! My first thought after I saw the 'pregnant' show on my test was that I would have issues getting treatment on the NHS within the first 180 days of being in the country. GBP3k for a birth sounds far too cheap and as the portland is charging GBP6-10k for a delivery I am expecting something in the upper end of that range for a natural birth and more for a c-section as they will charge me for check ups as well.

Tomorrow morning I will try the hospitals to see if I can get hold of anyone who knows how this works.

If you've got cover, why dont you just have it at the Portland or Chelsea and Westminster private wing?

Manchester is not that far from London in the scheme of things.

You could get someone like Addison lee (posh minicab company) to drive you and baby back there for a few hundred quid

One other thing to consider is taking such long journey with a newborn after a c-section on your own. 3-4 weeks may well be too soon, particularly when you're not even allowed to drive until 6 weeks - at the very least I reckon you'll need someone with you to help with luggage, carrying the baby etc. etc.

Good luck with arranging the hospital care you need - my mind boggles at the complexity of it all , however, it must surely be possible.

what about this bloke www.spirehealthcare.com/Manchester/Our-Facilities-Treatments-and-Consultants/Our-Consultants/Mr-Anthony-Michael-Nysenbaum/ If you don't like him at least he should know the local options.
All those footballer's wives must give birth somewhere. this lot www.lwh.me.uk/html/maternity.php might be helpful.

Why would you not be resident? If you are arriving and planning to remain for longer than a holiday then you are resident from the date of your arrival. Things are difficult if you're not registered with a GP etc but the way I read it you're a British citizen returning from a stay abroad, which gives you immediate ordinary residency. The key is whether you intend to stay in the UK - the answer to that question, presumably, is yes (or at least until your DH is re-relocated).

Try the Health Authority for more info.

If you have cover I'd just stay in London and go for the Portland or similar. Would the cover not extend to you delivering in an NHS hospital and having to pay?

I called Wythenshaw this morning and they said they would have no problems treating me if I showed up in an emergency but don't know what the procedure is for prior care of aftercare. I called Trafford PCT and they just told me to show up! The bupa guy doesn't do deliveries but fertility treatments.

I had no idea it was going to be so hard to sort all of this out. I think I am going to ask my DH to speak to his employer and see if we can move either in January or September. If September, DH will be in Manchester for his meetings I will have my brother or father fly out to stay with me. There is no way I am taking a taxi, no matter how 'posh' it is, to London to deliver and clucky kate - you are right on c-sections (hadn't thought of that).

Thank you for your help guys. If anyone hears anything different please post it on here as someone else might have this issue in the future.

You can register with the NHS GP immediately after being able to proof your address (i.e. rental contract usually works).

Want2b- sorry- I meant go to London for the delivery and then once you've delivered, get someone to drive you back if you dont have your own car. If you're having a c section you'll know the date and it will be pre-term so it's not like you'll be driving down the M6 in labour!

I'm not being flippant- I honestly think one of the London private hospitals is your best bet becuase there is very limited provision outside London as private births are just not v popular, largely because many women are not comfortable giving birth in private hospitals which dont have an emergency department/ intensive care, and private hospitals in the UK dont, other than private wings of NHS hospitals (such as C&W) Note: this is not the same as just getting a private room in an NHS hospital- the entire wing is private and separate from the NHS hospital.

Basically, if you just show up in labour at your local hospital, they can't turn you away BUT if you know you need a section then that would be a bit of a risky thing to do as you'd be turning a planned c section into an emergency c- section.

I would call the Portland again, see if they have availability (may not- it's quite late) and ask them to recommend a private Obs/ gynae/midwife in your area to do your prenatal checks