Consultant at the Portland Hospital for difficult birth - any recommendation?

[starchildmum]

Hi

I would be very grateful if you could share your experience with consultants delivering at the Portland who have been able to manage a difficult situation.

I am particularly interested in finding out who has assisted a very traumatic birth and did a great job - I don`t only mean cesarians but a really difficult situation.

I know that most consultants at the Portland hold at the same time senior specialist posts at NHS hospitals and probably assist a lot of more complex birth scenarios but I am happy to find out about your personal story at the Portland.

Otherwise, if you experienced a difficult NHS birth and know that your consultant also delivers at the Portland, I am more than happy to find out who it was who saved you and your baby.

I think they just ship you out the back to UCLH if it goes tits-up, actually.

They do indeed. Exactly that happened to my SIL.

Fredericke Eben was absolutely fantastic. Emergency c section handled fabulously, in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning

Oh congrats vixatis. I heart good things about Dr. Eben

SmartA. With which consultant was your SIL and what happened to her?

bump

Are you wedded to the Portland? My consultant was very good - specialises in multiples, and delivered my identical twins without blinking...he is with st Mary's ....not sure if he also at Portland. His name is mr. Teoh.

Guy Thorpe-Beeston is excellent, and a very nice man to boot. He was part of the team who delivered Prince George.

Don't know his name but I'll find out for you. SIL is away at the moment and doesn't seem to be responding to my emails but I'll be back.

Not sure what happened exactly - didn't like to ask - but her life was in danger as well as the baby's. It was 4 years ago, mind you - her little boy has learning difficulties but is an absolute joy.

Thank you. Yes Moggy72. Have heard about Mr Teoh. St Mary`s superstar.

Yes, homehypno, I have heard about Guy Thorpe -Beeston. He is the leading obstetrician at Chelsea and Westminster and delivers there the very tough cases. I guess you can`t go wrong with him.
He will be on my shortlist to consider. However ideally i prefer a woman.
Otherwise there is the lead obstetrician of UCLH Pat O Brien. He has an excellent reputation. But was so much hoping for some REAL stories.... it would give me much more reassurance.

What about Dr Erskine?

I am open for the hospitals, could be St Marys private or Portland.

Dr Gibb at the birth company.

I used him for my pregnancy with DS. I had a massive ante partum hemorrhage at 36 weeks and went into premature labour.

He was fantastic. Action stations immediately. As soon as I got there/to him, it turned into a scene from ER. He was very calm reassuring despite a potentially difficult situation (there was so much blood and it just kept flowing it looked like placental abruption-it wasn't).

I stayed in for 3 days. Labour subsided and DS was eventually born via CS at 39+4 (previous emcs with DD less than teo year previous and he was 9lbs 8oz).

It was all fantastic. Calm and extremely well managed.

You should probably try to ask for more opinions on here or speak to the consultants them selves.

They are all very different people which comes through in the way they manage your treatment/birth.
Dr Gibb may not be everyone's cup of tea (very direct) but that suited me best. Other I spoke to were more of the hand holdy gentle types.

You should consider what you want from them.

Thank you so much Mrs Florrick. Thanks, that is exactly the sort of sorry I wanted to her. Its easy to write a glooming report about a doc because he was a wonderful person and delivered baby safely if it was a very straightforward delivery.

I wanted to her of consultants who really demonstrated expertise under pressure.

Many thanks.

No problem.

Also consider how you want the consultations during your pregnancy to be like.

Some Obs. will be very empathetic and hold your hand when you complain about tiredness and other general pregnancy issues other Obs will be extremely direct and just brush it off with an "well that's pregnancy" type comment.

Dr Gibb falls into the latter category. Not terribly concerned with the trivial symptoms but when it matters he is all business. Very calm organised and informative.

For me I am a very direct sort of person so he suited me down to the ground. I've heard other here on MN found him a little abrupt. I didn't but that's because I am in the very direct camp too.

I'm labouring the point (sorry not intended) because you should think about what kind of bed side manner you want during consultation.

That said he isn't cold he is actually very warm but direct.
After the danger was over with my bleed and the labour had stopped, he came to see me and I was a little teary because I was in hospital and it was the first time I had left my 22 month old DD plus we moved house the day my bleed happened (yes I know utter madness).
And he gave me a great big hug. And said he'd prefer I stayed in for another night to be certain labour was over but if I absolutely wanted to go home that would be fine too as long as I would come and see him two days later for a scan.

Mr Pat O'Brien (UCLH) also delivers at the Portland. He was fabulous - great during appointments beforehand and very calm and reassuring when things went a little wrong the day before my planned CS (I had an epileptic seizure). Still had CS the next day, and I had a great experience. Can highly recommend.

His UCLH details: Pat O'Brien and Private

My first ds was delivered by Mr Gibb who was also good, but personally I was more relaxed with Mr O'Brien.

PoB is divine. I know him in work capacity and rather adore.

Thanks for the info Florrick. Dr Gibbs sounds great. I sometimes can do with a bit of pampering but I can easily adapt and if the vibes are right, direct is great. I guess I should meet him and see what I think of him, but knowing that he is fantastic if it matters is already a great starting point.

Thank you Storms and Lightening. Great to hear that Pat is excellent. Your CS healed well? No scar? I am happy you had a good experience. I know he is very experienced. At the Portland he works in a team with Dr. Eben and Dr. Erskine, which means they work in rota and that one of the colleagues might deliver your baby rather than the one you are booked with should you be really late or early or delivering during a weekend they are on holiday. So any experience with Dr Erskine or Dr. Eben ?

Star. I'd make appointments to meet a short list of three. Most of them do a no obligation free meet. It's worth it if you feel unsure.

Good luck with your new baby

CS healed very well, yes. Tiny tiny scar, and he cut away most of previous scar (which Mr Gibb did really well too). Not that I really cared, but for what it's worth. I was up and running - well, walking - the next day.

As I had a planned CS, I knew it would be with him, but I did get to meet Dr Erskine. She visited briefly every day whilst I was in hospital to check on my recovery. I knew this in advance though as he was not available that weekend. She was nice, but I don't know anything of her medical skills. I would think she's good if they're working in a team.

Oh, and apparently you can ask to meet the covering doctor (if your delivery consultant not working that weekend, as in my case) in advance. I didn't as to be honest it was just checkups, but it might be different for you if you're having a 'normal' delivery. Worth asking when you speak to him / his office. Good luck with everything.

Soooooo helpful, Thank you all !!!
I will meet with at least 2 of them and then base my decision on my instincts. What I know for sure it that I will have a consultant lead delivery. ( There is always a midwife present anyway who will assist). But I need the reassurance that an expert is monitoring the whole situation.

Question: Did any of your consultants give you their mobile number? I have heart that they sometimes do... What about Dr. POB, Dr Gibbs, Dr Guy Thorpe -Beeston, etc. Or do they prefer that the hospital gets hold of them?

I had mobile numbers to both Dr Gibb and one of his colleagues (in case he was attending a birth).

Great, thanks.

It may be that you have already found your ideal obstetrician but for female ones I can recommend Zoe Penn who is very experienced, very reassuring in a traditional English kind of way. Another good one I know is Kirsten Vogt. She is very German and excellent clinically. I remember a woman who had endless problems following her first ceasarean, and no-one could quite figure out why. She had her second baby in the NHS, and Kristen did her emergency caesarean. She found that her womb had stuck to her bladder in her last (planned) caesarean hence the hideous pain, constant uti sensation, sexual problems etc etc. Kirsten removed all the adhesions as well as delivered the babyand the woman said she felt better the day after caesarean than she had done for years because of the good surgical job she had done. She may not have quite the celebrity following as some others in this thread butshe is a reliable one.

Jeannie Yoon delivers at the Portland and is lovely.

Great.
Just checked with POB, he does not take bookings 14 weeks of pregnancy. Will meet him however soon for a dating scan.

I have a few friends who absolutely loved giving birth at the Portland so I guess I will deliver there...

My husband can also stay over night which is great and the NICU is great too. They just don`t deliver pre 30 weeks but hope this is not going to happen.

Would you book at an NHS just in case? Like St Marys? And IF something happens can I have a private birth at St Marys? Or how does it work?