Private pregnancy care

Fliss_M

Morning

After my last pregnancy ended in an un-necessary emergency section (they thought baby was in distress but couldnt get a blood sample so whipped her out anyway, tests on the placenta later showed she wasnt. But I hold no grudge that they did it, better safe and all that) when we try for our second in 2012 I already know I want a WBAC. I laboured in water and it was great. When I had to get out due to merconium in my waters when they broke them it all went pear shaped. It was agony, the pethadine didnt work, I just lost my memory and I am scared of labouring and giving birth on land. I dont think I will cope.

But I know that to get a WBAC you have to fight hard usually with the NHS, threatening things like demanding a home WBAC to get the hospital one you want. So I was considering private care to avoid the stress that can go with getting the birth I want. The consultant uses the local NHS facility which is in the next city, 20 miles away (which if the local PCT get its way I'll have to go to anyway as they want to turn the maternity ward in our town where I had my daughter into a midwife-led unit) So I think your admitted as an NHS patient with the private consultant? Dont know, guess I will ask if I go down this route

http://reassur3d.com/services/pregnancy-care/
Thats the site. I cant tell tho if the fees for say option 2 include the consultants attendance at the birth and the birth itself.

Question is do you think its worth it? 2K, while not a small sum, is cheaper then I thought I would have to pay which is why I am considering it (and also this far in advance so I can factor it into our saving plans) I appreciate any thoughts as I am right at that stage where I dont want to call them as were not even TTC yet but want to get things straight in my head ahead of TTC. I tried emailing them but I just got a reply saying I will have to call the consultant, which again, dont want to do till were TTC or am pregnant

(I know this could seem a little advanced but I have been planning this 2nd baby for 2 years now and with the final years wait ahead of me am getting quite broody so want to do all the planning to distract myself and calm the broody in me )

galvanizersbaby

Hi OP

If you are dead set on a VBAC I'm not sure that you do have to fight hard with the NHS? - I've had 2 sections and have been offered a VBAC this time round but declined though perhaps it's because my c sections weren't emergency ones?

Perhaps somebody with some experience of VBAC will be along to advise shortly?

I think the cost is worth it if there is no other way for you to attempt a VBAC.

lol! - ignore me - just noticed you said WBAC not VBAC!

Nicki

I had all 3 of my children privately and for me it was worth it as local NHS maternity services were not good.

To answer your questions, the website seems to be clear that the fees quoted cover the antenatal care and the delivery. You should be aware though that the consultant isn't likely to be there during the labour but will be called by the midwives in time to do the delivery itself. So it will be down to the midwives whether you labour in water or not, and if you are an NHS patient also I should think likely to be dependent also on whether the pool is available or in use by another mum. You might be more likely to get the pool if you are a private patient but then you'll need to pay the hospital fees on top. To put this in context, my last pregnancy, the consultant's fees for antenatal care and delivery were £3,500 and the hospital fees were £5,500 for a one night stay with an extra £1,000 for each subsequent night required.

The other thing to bear in mind is that whether you can have a WBAC will be a medical decision, and if the consultant thinks its not medically viable for whatever reason, then it makes no difference whether he is seeing you as a private patient or an NHS one. Similarly, a decision to do an EMCS, whether justified or not in the end, will br made in the same way whether you are private or NHS.

For me the benefits of private care were being able to spend a bit of extra time with my care giver asking all the questions I wanted, being able to have scans and appointments at a time which suited me, and at a regularity which reassured me, rather than when an overstretched NHS could fit me in, and delivering in private, comfortable and spotless conditions, where I could be reassured that there would be enough midwives available to look after me in labour, and a consultant on hand to deal with any problems immediately. It didn't really affect the kind of delivery I had, and in fact my second birth was quite traumatic for a number of reasons, though one and three were fine.

Hope this helps in some way with the decision making process.

jcr16

i know plently of mums of havd vbac'ed on the nhs. at end of day the nhs can't make you do anything you don't want to.

i've had 3 sections, 1 emerancy, 1 baby late, 1 baby breech, but i'm planning on having a vbac this time, but of course i won't put myself or baby at risk.

i think the only reason they don't recommend water birth after section is becuase they can't monitor you aswell. but if it is what you really want, they can't force you to do otherwise. they of course tho will always put the safety of you and baby first.

when are you due ?

pinkclouds

Tbh, £2k sounds like an absolute bargain - I had little change out of £10k. I'd double check that the fee covered the actual delivery including emergency surgery. Also, I'd check what the 24/7 care would be like. My obstetrician was essentially on call the whole time I was pregnant (and I did call him a few times, at odd hours) and the poor man was dug out of bed for both my babies who were early but also time-consuming arrivals. These people seem to operate as a team - possibly the reason why they are significantly cheaper? I wouldn't like to have a stranger at my delivery but presumably you can meet the whole team in advance (or maybe it doesn't bother you)? They do pre-pregnancy consultations - I'd book one and get all my concerns aired now, rather than later. It's no fun to track down private healthcare options when you're actually pregnant and working to a strict timetable!! Oh, and I'd also query their insurance cover - just to be safe. I mean, they don't seem to charge any more than a private midwife and I believe private midwives can't actually afford insurance these days!

mum2twinsx2

I can`t comment on experience as I had two emergencies sections first one twelve weeks early, second one almost 8 weeks early due to my not so good friend pre eclampsia.

Have you thought about an independant midwife ? ive found at work they seem to have some power of bossing consultants around....

stiltwalker

I had an emergency C section with number 1 due to non progression - I had to be induced as my waters broke early and I didn't go into labour and then when labour finally started I laboured for 30 hours to get to 3 cm! Had a thoroughly miserable time of it and was not impressed with many aspects of the maternity service in my area.

I am now 26 weeks pregnant with number 2 and am going for VBAC partly as I don't want to be stuck in the d**n hospital any longer than absolutely necessary! This will be NHS (no option as even 2k would be beyond us) and when I went to see the consultant earlier in my pregnancy he was very reassuring and also very pleased that I wanted VBAC, think he would have pushed me to at least think about it if I hadn't been so keen anyway so quite the opposite of what you are worrying about. It might be an idea to try and speak to some mums in your area who have had experience C Section and VBAC to see if it the same in your area.

Fliss_M

Thanks guys. Nicki and pinkclouds, some excellent points! Thank you very much. I did think 2k was cheap and while its not london I did question it. Mostly its to avoid the stress I read about other women wanting WBAC's going through. VBAC's mostly their happy about but WBAC's seem a fairly new concept. What I will prob do is have the concultation just before we start TTC (history has shown we catch quite quickly) and go from there. If we have the money may just do it or have it as a back up if we encounter any problems.

jcr16, am not pregnant yet (tho I wish I was!) but I like to have things planned. Like calling my daughters future school even tho am not due to apply there for her till this time next year )

Fliss_M

thanks stiltwalker. With mums in my area I wouldnt know where to start. While the local mat unit has a lovely pool I dont think its used much, let alone for WBAC's. I must admit after I had a consultation with the head midwife 1 year after about how rubbish the labour went, she did reassure me that WBAC would be an option.

You have all given me alot to think about which is what I was after. thank you so much