5 * Babies Inside The Portland Hospital BBC 2 9pm (wed)

[seasidesally]

Really looking forward to this,anybody else ??

I was a bit miffed Expat. But I guess so elated at having first child, and all things considered (i.e. everything else was top notch) etc....

In normal life, I would have kicked up a fuss and tried to get some money back. It's weird, everyone kept coming into my room and remarking at how chilly it was. This happened for a couple of days before I really started to feel it myself and had to get out. As soon as I stepped into the corridor it was warm and lovely.

I could't fault the individual care and attention I received. If only it could be like that for all women. I was on my own a lot at the hospital so I was glad of the company (in the form of comforting, reassuring and kindly midwives) for a start!

I can't fault in labour care (two different NHS hospitals) I had. The delivery midwives were totally brilliant. However antenatal and post natal were absolutely awful at both hospitals.

Oops. Posted too soon. With my first, I had an epidural and felt so sick that the last thing I could think about was food!

Surely Pat must have some help in the nursery..? I can't imagine her looking after nine (possibly more) babies on her own!

Placemarking so I can read all posts later :)

Parsley I'd hope that for that kind of money, they'd get someone to pop out for a halogen heater! But glad it went well for you

I work in a NHS maternity hospital. I had all my babies at the same hospital.
There is no way our nursery nurses would be allowed to look after 9 babies at onceThe maximum is 4 per nurse.
Parents, if they choose, can be shown how to bath baby and make up bottles.
We have specialist breastfeeding nurses whose sole job is to assist mums with breastfeeding.
OK, the food isn't brilliant but they get 3 meals a day, tea, coffee and biscuits on tap if you can manage to walk to the kitchen!
All this for free, good old NHS I say

Oops sorry don't know why my thread posted again. I'm on my phone, it's got a mind of its own!

Parsley - you said you were in the Lindo wing in your first post - I am such a nitwit! . Sorry.

I would gladly help Pat with those gorgeous newborns. For a few days anyway

Watching it now, I think it's OK, exactly what I'd expect really.

Pat's comments were a bit

If I had the money I'd be in there like a shot and also have a maternity nurse too.

To be fair I thought the consultants were all quite honest about the differences ie you'll be cared about in nhs but one of many, here you're one of one

good luck to them jealous of their wealth.
Welath brings you the best of everything
private hospitals, schools, housing, the best of everything. Who wouldn't want to be in that position and to be able to buy everything your baby needs too, brand new instead of looking round for bargains or hand me downs- would be fantastic. Much better than being poor anyday. what a lovely house the property developer and his wife had too.

Glad the nurse wasn't starstruck and treated everyone the same. We are all human beings at the end of the day. wonder if that was Victoria beckham that said do you know how I am. Its silly.

I don't know about wealth bringing you the best of everything. It didn't bring the Chinese woman a flat stomach (I suspect she thought that would come with the CS and was a bit shocked when it didn't) or ease her worry about her husband running off with another woman.

I had to laugh when she instructed her mother to hold the baby tenderly

I was struck by how old-fashioned the place felt (the nursery! labouring flat on your back in bed!), with the emphasis in all the wrong places - if my husband had been encouraged to order (and calmly proceed to eat!) a 3-course meal in the delivery room, there may have been more blood than mine shed

It made me feel enormously thankful for the fabulous care we received from the NHS, after a very traumatic experience. My DS failed to pass any meconium, and after some inconclusive x-rays at our local hospital (where I was still on the post-natal ward for high blood pressure), he was ambulanced to our nearest regional Children's Hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit. He needed lifesaving bowel surgery when he was only 2 days old, and I remember not being able to see to sign the surgical consent form for tears. It was such a shock as nothing untoward had shown up on any of our scans and we weren't in the least prepared for it (if one ever could be).

But the level of care he and we received was phenomenal. He was in hospital for nearly a month nil-by-mouth while his bowel recovered, and we were found a private room so we could be near him. Both the midwives and neonatal nurses were hugely supportive of me expressing colostrum and milk for DS to have when he was ready, and in showing us how to care for him as he slowly came off all his tubes and drips etc. Then, when we were finally discharged, our lovely community midwife came and spent nearly a whole day with us at home helping me get breastfeeding established (as he'd become accustomed to a bottle after needing to be fed very specific amounts post-surgery). Not sure I'd like to think what all that would have cost at the Portland.

I'm happy to say it all worked out just fine - he's become a little milk monster, and we'll be celebrating his first birthday alarmingly soon. Thank you NHS!

I doubt yoga lady laboured on her back,I expect she just got into bed for that bit they filmed.

I agree with the pp who said that what going there gives you is control and choice.

A proper choice whether to have a c-section or not.

I desperately wanted an epidural with my second and third births and didn't get one even though with the third it was the first thing I mentioned in all my later appointments and as soon as I met the consultant - it just never happened whereas I suspect that at the Portland if that was my wish then I would be prepped for it at the appropriate time.

The choice whether to send my baby to the nursery or not - DCs 1 & 3 both spent time in SCBU after their births and I have to say that being given the chance to rest and recuperate myself made a massive difference to how I coped when I got home.

Being able to see the same consultant throughout - I'm not against midwives at all, but personally, I feel more comfortable with consultant-led care. In a similar vein, a homebirth is everything I wouldn't want for a birth experience, even though for many that is exactly what they want.

And the food wouldn't go amiss either ;)

I had a huge room in Lewisham hospital with an en suite,about 4x the size of the ones that were shown in the programme!!

And my DH too, Miaow, who spent the birth having full English in Garfunkels across the road from the hospital

(Although actually he hates ponce and can't stand 3 course meals so would never had ordered one of those from the hospital)

Dotty, I don't agree that it's necessarily always the best option - you just have more choice if you are wealthy, but doesn't mean just because you go for the most expensive option that it's the best one. Maybe best for them, but that's different.

Personally if I had the money, the last place I'd want to be is surrounded by people fawning over me and agreeing with every bit of uninformed nonsense I say just because I am wealthy - and then as soon as they look the other way they are rolling their eyes and tutting and even telling the film makers they feel a bit like slaves, rather than focusing on their role as healthcare professionals.

I'm not saying the staff are any less professional but I thought it was very sad to hear the property developer's wife say she'd taken a pill to suppress her milk because she "just wants the baby to be well" - why wasn't she advised on the benefits of at least attempting breastfeeding for at least a few hours/days/weeks? She may have had other reasons - like her creepy husband only wanting her breasts for himself - but to say it's for the baby's benefit sounds totally uninformed. It would have been better if she'd just said she didn't want to breastfeed full stop. Just sounds like pandering to wealthy people's whims rather than giving the best medical advice.

I would have liked that if I wanted an epidural I could have had one, rather than labouring for two days and being told that I couldn't as they weren't able to accomodate that.

Also, being able to see a women's health physio and lactation consultant as standard is worth it's weight in gold.

And I'm an NHS nurse.

On OBEM they all labour on their back,

just saw this last night. All those who claim the NHS is the place. Well, first child and I did use the NHS (big teaching hospital) and it was horrible. Not enough staff and saw a different doctor for my check up's. They tried to give me a sweep which was awful and done by a junior doctor which I didn't realise at the time.

So, the next and final time I went to the Portland. I am not sure of some of the figures flying around. We didn't pay anything like that but it was over 10 years ago. I didn't warm to the lady from Hong Kong. I didn't see any women like this, most were just like me and had decided to have a more personal experience.

And for those who say 'well, what if something happened'. Do you really think the top doctors in the NHS are waiting outside your room ready to save the day and rush in - the headlines and issues in the NHS are well documented. The lack of staff, a specialist cannot be in two places at once and if they are attending to another emergency then you will just have to wait.

For me the Portland gave me choices. I didn't have the write a birth plan, I didn't have to explain any concerns. The consultant knew me well enough and when he arrived once I had gone into labour he was whistling as he came in the room.

It was the best money I have ever spent!

I can completely agree,although my room was massive on the nhs the care was appalling.