Please help with choosing a hospital, private or Queen Charlottes

[Londonmummy05]

Hello all,
I'm 10 weeks pregnant and I'm driving myself crazy trying to decide on a hospital! I initially went to look at the 3 main private hospitals. I wasn't too keen on the Portland, i liked the Lindo wing at St Marys but would prefer a mid wife led birth (they only have consultant led) I loved St john and St elizabeth and was planning on going there but my Dh's bestfriend has worked in Obstetrics for the past year and thinks I should definetely go somewhere that has NHS facilities but still has a private ward- like Queen Charlottes. She said that even though only a small percentage of births go wrong if you need to be moved it can take up to 24hours to find a bed for you! John and lizzies doesn't have a special care unit so I am now considering QC. Has anyone used their private ward? What's it like? Please help need to decide soon Thanks alice

lol prufrock, thanks for seconding my opinions on J & L's and again for anyone whose interested as holistic and wonderful as they are and where with me first time round i also had to be induced had to have an epidural and sweep and everything to get me me going because i had meconium. My baby was suctioned whilst half out of me and still attached and as said there were 2 neonatal specialists waiting gowned up at the ready. So its not just an airy fairy holistic birth unit and i whole heartedly second that they have better facilities than most birth units and without a doubt more than home!!!!! Anyhow if my babe doesnt come by monday iill be down the induction route again but I know that i am in the best hands for me BTW Simone is on holiday this week but everyone there is just so helpful and nice !!!!

Hi Profrock and sleeplessmum2be, just wrote a really long message and then deleted it by accident! Thanks for the deatails again I'd love to hear about your experiences and hope you go in soon 'sleeplessmum.."

I caaled J&L today to book my 12 week scan, unfortuanately Dr Yehudi Gordon is fully booked already and Dr Gibb now only deals with consultant led births. Can you suugest anyone else? The lady I sopke to (kristy) said they only had 10 spaces left so she put me down tentatively, I don't want to book for sure until my DH is back from Hong Kong, She said I could do my 12 week scan and then decide. I'm 95% sure that's where I want to go. thnaks for all your reassurance. do you guys live near J&L? does it mater where you live?
Alice

Ps. Thanks for the bill rundown Prufrock, I worked it out to be more. I thought the antenatal was 1780 the birth and one night is 2040 and then 800 for other nights and 500 for scans and 500 for epidural that's 5620. What am I doing wrong?are the scans very expensive, I didn't realise you don't need that many, the NHS usually only have 2 throughout the whole pregnancy
Alice

Last one sorry! prufrock how did you get your insurance to pay, ours wil only oay for complications and I know that nearly all insurance companies don't cover birth, you're so lucky!

Talha (not sure his surname) is supposed to very good too!!! But have to say that the midwives are so fantastic its a bit of a waste of time being linked to Yehudi i've only seen him 3 times. Whereas i was under Donald Gibb last time and saw him every month i think and then daily when it all went pear shaped. The midwives are so experienced and Bill Smith the scanner at the diagnostic clinic is very very experienced and equally charming!!!

I had complications - so not so lucky. I had a condition called obstetric cholestasis, which basically meant my liver reacted to my pregnancy by stopping working effectively. It meant weekly scans /blood tests and lots of drugs (all done in NHS in case something went wrong) and then a c-section as I couldn't deliver any later than 38 weeks (huge risk of stillbirth) and they couldn't induce as I'd had an emergency c-section first time (same condition) But as log as I made it to 37weeks, it became a normal birth, so J&L were happy to take me.

Jo Aquilina is lovely, and is head of the feto-maternal medicine at Barts and the London and one of the best scanners around (he had to scan the veins inside my babies heart to measure the blood flow) but are you ure you want a consultant led birth rather than midife led? In which case I think Bill Smith will do your scans?

It doesn't mattr where you live. I was in East London thenmoved to Hertfordshire at 34 weeks. That was a bit of a pain when I had to get up at 4.30 to be there for 7am the morning of my section!

Nothing to add to help, but all this makes me pretty glad I don't live in London! 3 births, 2 at the local hospital where I was given 1 to 1 care throughout my stay and had fantastic midwives, and last one transferred to a hospital several hours away because of complications where I had to stay for a couple of weeks, was given a free amenity room due to the length of my stay and had the most amazing support for midwives almost all the time.
Maybe the moral is move to the North of Scotland and have your babies lol

I want to say that I must have been really lucky in terms of my NHS birth. Dd ( as some of you know) was born with a heart defect - detected at 20 week scan at local hospital and confirmed by fetal cardiac scans at Kings ( brilliant cardiologist there!!) I saw my consultant once and that was it.... he happened to be on holidays when dd was born.

I had to have a number of scans to monitor dd's growth - at 38 weeks they found that I had lost a lot of amniotic fluid ( I was unaware of!!) and dd had not grown and so had to be born that day. That was about 9.30am. The midwife in charge of the unltrasound clinic - came to dh and I and explained what was happening and then took us upstairs, she then stayed to help prepare me for surgery - end result - an emergency caesarean with dd bring born at 11.08am. Whilst in surgery - the atmosphere in the operating theatre was so relaxed and calm - we were all chatting about things and I felt so at ease even though this was everything I did not want.

Dd was immediately transferred to special care and I was able to see her later in the day. I did not get to hold her until the next day. I was lucky enough to be placed into a 'private' room with an ensuite - can't remember what the cost was but they were given to women like me who had babes in special care and then to women who had 'booked' one.

Nothing was too much trouble for the midwives on the postnatal ward.... everyone from the nurses aides (not sure correct term) to the cleaning staff were fabulous....... My room and ensuite were clean and spotless - everyday.... they would hold dinner/lunch etc if you were over in special care visiting your baby. At one stage I had a bit of a crying episode and the midwives called over to special care to make sure dd was okay as they were worried about me.

I am very much someone who likes to be in control of what is happening and I experienced a birth that was everything I did not want..... BUT my focus was on the babe not the birth and to me that was the most important thing. My little local hospital were brilliant to our family and we feel so grateful for all they did for us.

But I may have been one of the lucky ones..... you have to decide what is best for you....

hi londonmummy05, i had my first at Queen Charlottes and it was FANTASTIC. everyone without exception who i talked to about it pre birth said what a good hospital it was. my sister also had twins there who were 8wks early and the neo-natal care was incredible. they gave her a private room for a bit. all i know about booking a private room at QC's unless it's changed is that you can tell them you want one but it's still on a first come first served basis as if someone really needs one and you're not in labour yet then they get priority. I fainted quite afew times after the birth so they gave me a private room for 24hrs.
you can choose between the birth centre and labour ward and like someone else said they are meant to have the best maternity ward in Europe. they have loads of highly thought of doctors there etc. I'd def. go there and save your money for something else. x

Thanks qsack, you're right QC seems great and if a decide to go the nhs route i will definetely be going there, even if I do splash out and go private I'd use them too.