'Birth only' -independent midwife, is 1000 pounds ok?

[aiti72]

Funny question, sorry, but I honestly don't have a clue about prices for these services here in London.. We're looking for an independent midwife (or experienced doula, however we thought that medical training would be a bonus) for a hospital birth. Have got an answer back from the first lovely midwife who told me she'd come to the hospital (plus meets me twice before) for 1000 pounds. Does this sound reasonable to you? Thank you very much for your advice.

are you getting any post birth care from her as well? I think going rate for everything (regular visits pre birth, attendance at birth and good after care) is about £3000...

No, Scarlet, it's just for the birth (plus two visits before). Anyone had this service..?

my independant midwife is charging 3,000. however she does do a birth only package which costs 1,000 so it seems right to me. The visits beforehand was so the midwife gets to know you ad you are comfortable with her whilst also getting an understanding of your history.

Hi. I am new to mumsnet but hope someone can help me. I am 10 weeks pregnant with my first child and is considering a private hospital. Went to Portland on Monday for a tour but have since heard that they have a bad reputation. Do any of you have any experience with Portland. I have also considered Lansdell Suite but not too keen on St. Thomas Hospital so if anyone have any experience, I would also be happy to hear. Really confused. Thanks for your help in advance.

Can I just ask (something that has always puzzled me...)

Presumably these midwives have more than one client on the go what happens if two or more go into labour at different locations at teh same time?

CD, part of the money that you pay is to keep them on standby just for you. so my midwife wont take anyone on 4 weeks prior to me to ensure she is available. If you think its 3k, 1000 is for the birth part and some for antentatal care but rest is her retainer to be on call just for me :-)
its also great as you have a midwife at the end of a text message, yesterday i had a migraine and i text her asking what i could take and she came back asjing all my symptoms. its well worth the money to feel so cared for!

And what happens if you are 4 weeks early?

CD - I had IMs. What mine said was that they wouldn't take more than 2 clients due in any month. There is always a risk that two of their clients will go into labour at the same time. In that instance, which is pretty unusual but has been known to happen, they would arrange for one of their independent colleagues to cover for them.

We only signed on at 36 weeks and had shared care between two IMs, both of whom planned to attend the birth. The chances of neither of them being available was extremely slim so we didn't really get into the ifs and buts. I think that if it was something you were concerned about then they'd arrange for you to meet their colleagues before the event such that at least you had an idea who the midwife knocking on the door was.

Although before hand we focussed on the birth, looking back the antenatal (limited though it was) and post natal care was really where we got our money's worth. As TDW says, having someone you know and trust on the end of a phone is a level of care you're extremely lucky to get on the NHS these days. Considered as an hourly rate, £1000 for the birth might be steep - but if the IM is turning down a "full" client to take you on as a birth only it's a pretty good deal - they do need to get enough money to live on .

Kabajou - welcome to MN . Private hospitals are a bit of a different kettle of fish to IMs, so you may not get much useful info on this thread. A quick search turned up this recent discussion, which might be of use. Or be brave and start a new thread with your specific questions Congrats on your pregnancy .

wow im from new zealand.... i have an independant midwife its all free over here, i wonder why things are done so diffrent!!

you have to pay????

thats silly!!!

wow im from new zealand.... i have an independant midwife its all free over here, i wonder why things are done so diffrent!!

you have to pay????

thats silly!!!

CD: Your question is a valid one. I had one very exhausted midwife who barely made it for DS1's birth because there was a combination of late and early deliveries all in one night. Generally, this group of IM's like to send two midwives for the big event but we were 'lucky' to have one.

Since babies arrive on their own time, I suspect that it must be a balancing act to figure out how many expectant mothers to take on.

It is worth asking what might happen in the event that the midwife is unavailable.

Kyme, no wonder New Zealand is one of the countries with the highest quality of living according to statistics. My search for IM is getting more interesting, the next one I asked quoted 2000 pounds for birth only, third 2900 for birth and "antenatal care" (from 36 weeks onwards!). I'm beginning to think I want to retrain to be a midwife.

hi kabujo, i had my DS at portland and had a wonderful experience.

i am pregnant with our 2nd child, and am going to have my baby there again.

good luck with your search

if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me

Kyme, the model that is used for midwifery is what the independant midwives in the UK are championing for.
Aiti72, i know it seems a lot of money but my midwife only takes 6 clients a year so she earns 18k! in addition independant midwifes cant get insurance now as the policy is around 18k for a year! i dont envy her at all and she withdrew from the nhs due to the poor standards, pressured environment and targets. For instance my GP is allocated an amount of money for my care on the NHS, say 3k, independant midwives are requesting that if a woman chooses to use an independant midwive that allocated cash should be used for her care. as it is my GP gets my allowance and i still have to pay for my care!!!

We had topay £2500 for 9 weeks cover from an independant midwife. It was the same price whenever you booked her from.

We didn't go with her in the end.

Tangle, would it be possible to get the name of your IM if you're in London area? I've been searching for a doula for 2 mos. now with no luck (most doulas booked for my EDD). We're now thinking of going IM route and would love recommendations.

wow so expensive aye,my independant mw is also originally from the uk she is just lovely ....thanks its intresting to know all this stuff i asumed that it worked like how it does over here oops sorry ladys!!