I also used Annie and Tina at Neighbourhood Midwives. http://www.neighbourhoodmidwives.org.uk for the birth of both my children.  I couldn't recommend them more highly.

I've had a great experience using a private midwife when I worked in Denmark (Privat jordemoder).
And I would really recommend everybody, that can afford it, to hire a private midwife.
It is a complete different experience, to have your own midwife, instead of the ones working on the hospital.
If you want to know the difference between a "normal" midwife and a private midwife, you can read this article. It is in danish (Private midwife= Privat jordemoder) but you can translate the page to english:

min-barseldk/guides/privat-jordemoder

Sincerely,
Sandi 

We hired Odette from Regents Midwifery for our first delivery which happened at end of June 2017. Unfortunately a choice we regret.

Our decision was mainly based on the pain and stress management techniques for labour she claimed to master – my wife was very nervous about her first delivery - and to have support in the decisions and choices to be made when at the hospital.

Odette didn’t turn up to our flat once labour started to help my partner managing stress and pain – as she said she would have done during her “sales pitch”. She arrived at the hospital about 11h after we had been admitted and over 9h after even NHS deemed appropriate to offer us a one-to-one care with their midwife!! In the meantime, my wife had already been recovered in the labour ward, received epidural and been induced (all decisions we counted on Odette to help us dealing with). By the time Odette came around, her support was useless.

Actually not just this. When we were still at home first and at the hospital later and we started asking for her support, she was available via chat and call but started pushing back on her arrival time saying she only comes around when labour is fully established – thing we had not at all been informed before and even then she arrived way later... As a result my wife felt she had been let down by the person she chose to rely upon and I had to manage not just her pain and stress but her disappointment and augmented anxiety on top. That is why i say hiring Odette’s was not just useless but detrimental.

My wife’s disappointment was such that she didn’t even want to see Odette for the 3 follow-up visits we had already paid for – the non-refundability of the upfront fee being the one point she definitely fully delivered among all her promises and contractual obligations.

Would you hire a private midwife who comes later and offers less care than NHS ones? My take, i will stay away from her as i don’t want to risk another big disappointment at a high upfront cost.

http://www.neighbourhoodmidwives.org.uk ... e-packages

That is a link to the website that has prices. We were going to go for the simplest, but Tina, rightly, advised me to allow for more meetings pre-birth to work through what had happened last time and get to know each other. It was actually really good advice for my situation as Tina was able to attend CBT visits to the hospital over and above getting to know each other. I'm sure if it was something more straightforward they may guide you to a different package accordingly. x

Thanks. It's really useful when people come back and share their experience. Was it expensive?

Just wanted to follow up on this, now the event has passed. We did go with Neighbourhood Midwives and were lucky enough to have Tina and Annie taking care of us. To say it was a completely different experience would be an understatement. We were supported from first contact, right through until long after the birth with regular visits at home. My partner, who previously said that birthing our first child was the worst experience in his life, now views labour as something that was actually really positive and not at all scary.

To anyone that has either had a bad experience under the NHS, or is worried about the lack of resources, I cannot emphasise enough how much it is worth getting some extra support. Thank you so much to all those that took the time to post with their positive experiences, that encouraged me to find the funds to do it, and for pointing me in the direction of Tina and Annie. It is lovely to be able to have ended on a much more positive experience, to say the least. x

We may be able to help you with the Private Midwives. I will send you a private message.

hhirst - having spoken to them, St Thomas' private midwives aren't allowed to do midwife lead deliveries, the only private option through the hospital is under a consultant, but you can then request a midwife actually delivers you for religious reasons or whatever, but it is only the full private package as such that they offer.

Thank you again for the all the recommendations. Having talked to my NHS caseload midwives they are not at all anti me taking someone else along to offer support, and agree there is no guarantee they will be able to be there themselves on the day if someone else is having a home birth for example. My other half just can't get his head round a home birth, so that isn't going to be something I can try myself.

I have spoken to Neighbourhood midwives who have been really helpful, but apparently Annie and Tina don't practice as much and they are going to come back to me about what cover they can offer for Clapham. Thanks also for mentioning Odette at Regent's.

I have also found someone that seems local called Annabel Bryant if anyone knows of her?

I appreciate the doula suggestion and the debrief, but I have had a full debrief that was consultant led at the hospital, and as there were several medical issues with things that occurred last time I would get more peace of mind from a midwife versus a doula I think. I take on board the points raised though about clarifying what service the private midwife can actually provide though.

Finger and toes crossed!! I'm very thankful for the number of replies, but at the same time it is a poor reflection that many people have had a horrid time of it and been let down along the way.

Sorry, I meant to add, with regards to private midwives, continuity of care can most definitely help. A doula can be a fantastic source of support if you are feeling nervous.

So sorry to hear about your horrible experience. I think that the NHS often under estimate the long lasting impact that a negative birth experience can have on a woman, especially if she wants another child. I am not sure if I am allowed to post a link on here, but we (The Doctor and Daughter's Guide to Pregnancy) are holding Birth Debriefing Sessions which you may find helpful. The classes will be very small allowing each person the chance to chat one-on-one with an Obstetrician who will hopefully be able to help explain what happened to you and why. We will have plenty of time for questions and will make sure that you leave feeling more positive and empowered about your next birth.

P.S Just read your second post - Doulas support both parents so your DH should not feel pushed out at all. In fact he should find himself more involved! I teach some basic massage techniques to dads for instance. I also make sure that partners know what is going on / why its happening throughout.

Hi

I'm so sorry you had a terrible care at your first birth. The continuity of care from an independent midwife will I'm sure make a massive difference. The other option might be to hire a doula. I am a doula but at 38 weeks pregnant myself am not self promoting! I just thought I might be able to help you by giving you another idea. I've been at many second births where the first has left both parents with PTSD on some level which is so sad, but second time around with continuity, support and with someone you trust to be an advocate the experience has been a wonderful one. Whatever unexpected turns the birth might take.

Have a look at http://doula.org.uk/ if you're interested in Doulas.

All the very best with whatever you choose.

Sass

I had a private midwife at tommys with my 1st in 2011 and it was a disaster. When pregnant last year I was referred to the head of risk and head midwife there to discuss what happened and plan for the next. I was clearly traumatised. Long story but what was clear was that there was conflicting opinions in the room with nhs and private midwife.
With my last preg it was total reversal as I used private Westminster suite and the midwives there are outstanding. I'm all for support, just be aware of the impact. Please message me if you need to chat.

I too had a grossly mismanaged first birth that was very traumatic & endangered my baby's life. I won't go into it but thankfully we came through it. For my next birth I thought that the way forward was to be actively managed. This resulted in a delivery by ventouse, a lot of pain & again fear. During my pregnancy with my third I felt fear at every hospital visit, someone suggested a doula, which having researched it I think is an excellent idea for support during birth. However as my research progressed I came across a private midwife who I spoke to about options & risks. This led to me having a beautiful, empowering home birth with my third son. I did hypnobirthing, read many books & meditated to prepare ( I'm happy to share any more info). It was pain free & I was in my own bed having tea & toast within a very short time. My midwife was excellent, educated, connected, professional & I really recommend looking into private midwives & birth options.

I used a private midwife at my hospital birth. It was Odette at Regents Midwifery. I would highly recommend her. The NHS nurse who delivered my baby was grateful for the second pair of hands so no turf issues. I would recommend you get a private midwife that has worked at the hospital you are expecting to deliver your child at. Because they know a lot of the current practicing midwives, it makes it much easier when they turn up. Odette gave my husband and I the confidence to walk out of the hospital when the doctors wanted us to stay. It was great to be at home in my own bed and not on a busy maternity ward.