Natural birth at Lindo Wing?

[Audrey2013]

Ladies, has anyone had a recent experience of Lindo Wing, especially if you were aiming for a natural birth?

Apparently staying active in labour is meant to help a lot but Lindo doesn't have any of the equipment and there's not much space to move around anyway... Is it still possible to have a 'natural' birth there? A bit worried about that:(

Also if you know which of the consultants are more pro natural birth, please let me know.

Thanks for any info!

[greenygrassy]

If you really, really want a natural birth you might want to reconsider a private wing.

I went to the Kensington Wing at C&W wanting a natural birth with the most pro-natural OB in London. I did hypnobirthing and was all geared up to go totally natural. (In retrospect I wanted a natural birth but chose the set up least likely to lead to it!) The wing wanted to see me early in my labour (the NHS would never have asked me to come in). The pool room wasn't ready and I was put in a cold tiny room with nowhere to kneel but the cold hard floor and nowhere to sit but the bed. There was no ball and no mats! The midwives were all about the epidural and intervention and not at all interested in whale music or breathing. Long story short, I ended up with the birth from hell. I'm quite sure that if I'd been at home or in the NHS it would have all been fine.

During late pregnancy last time it did actually occur to me that the Kensington Wing wasn't quite right, but I thought I was buying the best care possible. I wish I had listened to the voice of doubt in my head.

Mine is just one story of course (though now that I think about it, of the 6 other women in my NCT who were at Portland, Lindo, Kensington or Sir Stanley Clayton, all 6 ended up with EMCSs (the only one who had a natural birth was in the St Mary's Birthing Centre), but I'm certainly not going private wing again!

Good luck with you decision.

[Teapot13]

I gave birth at the Lindo Wing three years ago and am booked for an ELCS (repeat first due to breech baby) this Monday. Why don't you book a tour and ask them your questions? Check out the birthing centre too and compare everyone seems to really like it.

I have no idea whether this is actually the case, or what the statistics are, but the impression I get is that a lot of women chose to go private because they want the freedom to have an elective CS and they don't want to be waiting for an epidural, so this is what the consultant expects patients to want.

[Audrey2013]

Thanks a lot for your thoughts and comments ladies!

My local hospital is UCH so if I decide to go with NHS it would have to be there... Now I've only been there twice in my life but somehow it just wasn't right both times and the place instantly makes me panicky...
Plus I do want a private room after birth, I do want to see the same person throughout my pregnancy, I do want a midwife with me all the time during labour - I think it's worth paying for.

I did go on a tour (loved it), the message is "your money - your choice" but just like greenygrassy said, I get a feeling it could be quite different when it comes to the real thing.

The approach probably also varies from one consultant to another but I just will not be able to meet them all - simply too expensive!:)

[fgr]

Audrey. you can go midwife led at the portland which I did and they are very pro natural plus you have the back up consultant if things go wrong. All the gear like the pool, balls etc are there plus the mobile epidural which isfab.

[QTPie]

Agree with fgr - look around at the other private units too AND birth centres.

Shame John & Lizzies closed - that would probably have been just what you were looking for: I went there to get an amazing natural birth, with birth pool, constant midwife attention, but epidural on tap (if I felt the need) and consultant back up. Of course DS was breech and I had an ELCS in the end - doh! Things never quite turn out how you think...

(I live in Bath, so had to travel some way!)

QT

[Audrey2013]

From Bath? That's quite a long journey! O_O
I absolutely adore Bath btw:)

Just because things often do go wrong it would be wise for me to be in a hospital which is included in my insurance policy list (they cover only complications but still) - and that would be either Lindo or QC Sir Stanley Clayton. Will concentrate on these two for now...

Thanks a lot ladies, it's really helpful, will do more research and thinking!:)

[QTPie]

Audrey

Bath is definitely very lovely (if you ever fancy a change from London, I recommend it!), but the hospital is... My friends' maternity experiences here (one birth pool and more likely to get blood out of a stone than an epidural) and my early prenatal care (always very rushed, stressed midwife) made me panic and look for private maternity care. No private maternity care in this area (not even Bristol), but the in-laws have a house in St Johns Wood - so we made London work :).

Completely honestly, if we conceive again (I have just started an ICSI cycle - drugs start tomorrow), I will go back to London. We now have a (just) 3 year old, but we will make it work. I think that a GOOD birth experience (and goot postnatal care) helped us to get off on the right foot with a new baby - honestly, invaluable!

Good luck choosing.

QT

[Teapot13]

OP, why don't you visit/call the birth centre at St. Mary's and ask the midwives to recommend a consultant who is in line with what you are looking for and then see if she/he has a private practice? I guess the midwives there work less with consultants so maybe that wouldn't work. . .

[Audrey2013]

Great, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts and experiences, really means a lot!