Westminster Maternity Suite: Top Consultants and antenatal appointments advice?

[PimlicoBelle123]

Hi everyone!

Hubby and I are thrilled to be expecting our first (I'm 5 wks pregnant) 😊

After extensive research, we've chosen Westminster Maternity Suite for our care and delivery. I was initially certain about wanting an ELCS, but now I'm undecided until I consult with an expert. Below is our shortlist of consultants and I wondered if anyone has any feedback on experiences with them, as well as any additional considerations we should think about?

Our shortlisted consultants are:

• Miss Jess McMicking
• Mr. Kumar Kunde
• Mr. Con Kelleher
• Professor Oteng-Ntim

Our primary criteria are:

• Thoroughness
• Expertise
• Top surgeon (also the skills to do a tiny/barely visible c-section scar would be a bonus 😅)
• Ability to handle high-risk situations and emergencies

Bedside manner is secondary for me.

On a different note, I have a question about the timing of monthly antenatal appointments. Do they need to be exactly on schedule, or is it acceptable for them to be a week or two off?

My husband and I are temporarily moving to France for three months (months 3-5 of my pregnancy), with occasional trips back to London. We planned this move before finding out about the pregnancy, and it's now too late to cancel. Should I take the Eurostar back to London precisely for each monthly appointment, or find a temporary private OBGYN in France, or is it okay to have these appointments a week or two early or late?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I’m with Mr Kunde, I’m 28 weeks now. I chose to go private and to decide for this consultant based on reviews. I’ll need a c-section and my criteria was to choose an experienced surgeon. Can’t say much yet, but appointments are flexible. They are every 4 weeks between 12-28 weeks and I call in to arrange my next appointment, it doesn’t need to be exactly in the week it’s supposed to be.

Surely your primary criteria is the standard job description of any surgeon?

It's very difficult to get an impartial opinion because generally women will only have used one of the obstetricians. If I were you I would ensure that they have a good NHS practice, are mainly interested in obstetrics rather than gynaecology and possibly that they are highly experienced so over 40 . The main benefits of private care are to do with postnatal support in hospital and , of course, comfort if you have to be admitted antenatally. One would hope that decision making would be the same and care of the child will be the same.

are mainly interested in obstetrics rather than gynaecology and possibly that they are highly experienced so over 40

@yikesanotherbooboo I wouldn't necessarily agree with this... for example an obstetrician with an interest in gynae may have more of an interest in prevention and management of pelvic floor/prolapse/tear related issues. You also cannot tell a thing about someone's experience based on their age, and doctors with different levels of experience will bring different things to the table so it's a completely daft criterion on which to base the decision. (I do agree thought that most of the benefit of private care is in the frills around the edges, not the medical decision making and @saveforthat is right, the OP seems to just be looking for someone who has the basic minimum skillset to be doing obstetrics!)

@Greybeardy you are right I was a bit clumsily trying to think of ways of judging surgical skills while ensuring that a specialist is sufficiently experienced in the full range of obstetric decision making .

The problem is most people assess surgical skills on 'does my scar look neat?' which ignores 99% of the job.

I would always pick someone who does a significant amount of NHS work as it means they are seeing a large volume of cases and emergencies.

Thank you all so much for your replies which are really informative! The general consensus seems to be to look for someone who has considerable experience within the NHS which was as I thought. I feel that any of the doctors in my shortlist will be excellent. We are leaning towards Mr Kunde as his reviews highlight key points that we are interested in. We are doing "meet and greets" this week (having perused Mumsnet, it seems meeting several consultants before making a decision seems a good idea) and will decide this week.

Thank you all again very much for your insights!

@SE473 Thanks for this info! What are your thoughts on Dr Kunde so far? Any positives and any negatives?

I am under the care of Ms McMicking and very happy so far

Hi OP, how's it going? Also looking at Westminster - can I ask why you discounted Dr Chandiramandi, she's currently our top choice but haven't met them all so not sure (did you book initial consultations with several to decide)?

Thank you for the helpful responses. Unfortunately, I miscarried in late July so we didn’t get a chance to follow through on our plans. We weren't aware of Dr Chandiramani so I didn’t speak with them.

The good news is we just got a positive pregnancy test so we’re cautiously optimistic. Mr Kunde and Mr Oteng are both on our shortlist as they’re highly recommended, so still deciding between the two. I’m hoping to make an initial appointment soon to arrange an early viability scan and get everything started on the right foot.

Oh I'm so sorry! & Congratulations!

Hey how was your c section? I am also considering mr kunde