Considering going private...

[iWILLdothis]

Anyone here know anything about going private to have their baby? I am just considering it at the moment due to a horrific experience the last time. I just called the doc surgery for info and advice but secretary just told me I'd have to speak to a doc about that...which means making an appointment etc etc, which I probably will do, but would have to wait maybe a few weeks for that....and I'd like to know a bit about it before then.....so please share any experience you have re. costs and the benefits over being on NHS etc. I'm also needing physio (at only 7wks :( ) for bad SPD and next available physio appointment on the NHS is not until May! So would going private with an obstetrician also mean I get private physio care? Or is that separate altogether?
Tia.

What about a private midwife? They cant generally do hospital births but will do home birth packages including prenatal care, labour and postnatal care - in our area package is about £3000. I would love to do this but cant even consider a home birth for various reasons. The lady who takes our aquanatal class is a private midwife and instils so much confidence and speaks so much sense I am planning to do a deal with her for all my prenatal and postnatal care

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

You can self-refer for private antenatal/birth care - you don't need to go through anyone else. In fact it's better to get the ball rolling now because good doctors get booked up early. It is NOT cheap though - obviously a lot depends on the hospital and consultants involved but even for a straightforward birth you're looking at £6K or more. Take a look at the Portland's website for their pricing guide - they're not much different to anywhere else (I believe). Consultants charge a few thousand for the delivery alone, plus more for a complete antenatal package. Then there are the anaesthetist fees if you need them.

If you want a natural birth, maybe an independent midwife at home might be an option?

You could still get NHS physio care even if you were private for your pregnancy. You don't usually need any consultant to refer you for private physio care - you can self-refer, or you can get your GP to refer you.

I'd highly recommend seeing an osteopath or chiropractor who specialises in pregnancy as they can work wonders. I also get SPD from very early on (I can barely walk any distance from the start of the second trimester) and I've never had much luck with regular physios.

Good luck!

thank you for your reply, jasmine. A private midwife sounds wonderful but I'm going to have to request a ELCS, due to my previous experience, so that's not really an option for me. Lucky you to have an aquanatal class....I've been searching everywhere for special pregnancy classes, but there's nada in my area.

Where do you live? That makes a huge difference to your options.

x-posts, thanks for that, sparklies. sounds like it's going to cost way over my budget then.... Yes, I am looking for local osteos & chiros because my physio can't see me until May.... what is the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor btw?

BIOTB, I'm in Northern Ireland

Anyone else with experience of this?
Ta

Ouch - yes, with an ELCS you're looking at well over £10K unfortunately :-( If you have BUPA or similar you can get the hospital costs covered which brings it down by a lot, but a token amount towards consultant fees.

Osteopaths are usually a bit more gentle, whereas chiropractors tend to do more sudden movements (I think - I've only ever seen osteopaths) I'm sure somebody else could give a better description though!

Hi, have you considered a combination of NHS and private care? I also want an elective CS which (as long as the hospital agrees and they should given that my horrific previous birth experience was one of the factors that contributed to PND) I'm going to have on the NHS. I'm plannng to supplement my NHS care with additional private scans, a private room after the birth and private lactation consultant to come and visit me at home.

I had a private scan at 352 Maternity in Lisburn Road and the consultant I was under at the Royal when I had my DT's also does private care there. There was a lady at the Royal who'd been her private patient for the pregnancy, but was having an NHS birth under the same consultant, I think this is quite common?

If you ring them they can probably give you an idea of costs, but AFAIK it is about £2500-£3000.

Re the private option, dont mean to scaremonger but watch out for hidden costs for example if you or your your LO needed even a tiny bit of extra care at first it can cost thousands.

Can you ask to be referred to another hosp for physio? They wont all have that waiting list, I was seen the next week & asked when I would like to come in which was a novelty

IWill ref your question on the difference between osteo's and chiro's...not quite as Sparklies has put it. If you see a chiro from the BCA (British Chiropractic Association) then their method is 'click you back into place' which can be quite uncomfortable and often works by overextending the joints.

A McTimoney Chiro is as gentle as an Osteo, you really feel like not a lot is being done with both of these therapies but they really do work!

The difference is the principle they work on as well as their methods. McTimoney chiro works on the basis that the whole body is aligned by the pelvis, so they'll use gentle techniques to realign you based on that.

An Osteopath's principle is that the body is aligned by the head (hence it's also known as cranial osteopathy).

I have used both but found osteopathy most effective for my SPD. Physio is a total waste of time tbh. If you can find an osteo that specialises in prenatal then even better.

Hope that helps.

Hi there - I'm also in Northern ireland and am going private for the same reason - (awful experience 1st time round) I'm going to Cranmore Medical also on Lisburn Rd and will have an NHS birth in the royal. What hospital are you hoping to have your baby in - If you ring the maternity dept they can give you a list of the consultants who work privately. AFAIK most private maternity patients in NI are under the care of their consultant but will give birth as an NHS patient under the supervision of the consultant - I'm 33 weeks at present and am so much more confident about the imminent birth because of fabulous antenatal care and the fact that I have seen my consultant for every apt - Cost for this is £2100 payable at 1st apt after birth.

thank you everyone for your responses....some great info & advice there....now I've got lots of phone calls to make and research to do!

I had private treatment in Singapore and had Asherman's (interuterine adhesions) and a year's HRT and check ups, then got pregnant (scan a week much of the time as high risk) then elective section at 35 weeks due to breech and preeclampsia and all told was billed for the equivalent of 30k, about 15k of that was the birth. My (wonderful, wonderful -- a god, that man for curing the bad Asherman's) ob/gyn said rates were comparable, perhaps a bit higher, with the UK (he'd worked at the Portman too)

I would budget 10-15k for private antenatal and a EC.

I am covered for a medically necessary birth here in UK but so far my treatment at Kings has been thorough and diligent (ok, so there's no piano in the lobby and I won't have a plasma screen in my private room ) so I don't feel the need, but I do have that backstop if I do.

Very good luck to you.

iwilldothis As far as I'm aware the Royal is the only hospital in NI where you can actually have a private birth ie the top floor of the RVH maternity ward is for private patients (Johnston House) Obviously you can have private consultants etc then an NHS birth, it depends what you want. My sil had two elcs privately in RVH. Why don't you just go seperately for any physio care etc. Know quite a few friends who have used a clinic in Hillsborough for physio, really recommended it.

I have bad spd too and I only have 10 weeks to go, physios cant really do anything, I have elbow crutches, support belt and co- codein, the crutches have been great for taking the pressure of my pelvis during the day but doesnt take the pain away completely. I wouldn't go to a chiropracter, I dont think they have any evidence to prove they help, that's why it isnt offered on NHS, but a massage is great you can get special pregnancy ones.

I went privately with 352 medical consulting on the Lisburn Road with both my babies. I had a good experience the first time, with Dr Tharma. He was available at my birth to deliver my first baby (they don't guarantee that the doc will be at your birth - they might be on holiday).

The second time the doctor had a day off and a midwife delivered my baby. She was very good.

For £2600, I had a number of scans at their offices, including 4d scan pics. All you are really guaranteed is the convenience of having extra scans at their offices. It is over priced for what it is.

The second time I went, the doctor (not Dr Tharma) kept patients waiting for an average of 30 mins, once it was even an hour.

I had one baby in the Royal and one in the Ulster. Both were NHS - I'm not aware of a private birthing option.

In the Ulster, there was not enough room on the labour ward so I had to go into the home-from-home. But it was quite late on in my labour that I got into that ward. Apparently they were very full that day.