Lindo Wing

A happy and heavy mama :-)
Coming out after my antenatal appointment today with my 29 week bump. Urine, blood pressure, bloods and the baby of course were all good!

Lately Ive had lots of questions about The Lindo Wing where I'm due to give birth. I will try and answer all the questions here as opposed to replying individually to each email.

Yes it is indeed the same place where Kate "The Duchess of Cambridge" Middleton had her baby, as well as the hospital that Princess Diana gave birth to both Princes, Harry and William.

You have to research well before you decide which consultant you want and preferrably book him/her in your first trimester, as most of them get booked up well in advance as people come from all over the country.

Your consultant will most likely order some tests that aren't done routinely on the NHS. Also, you'll get a lot more choice about antenatal appointments with a private consultant, and they all have a little ultrasound machine in their rooms so you'll get to see the baby every time.

Main reason why a lot of women chose to go private is because they want the freedom to have an elective Caesarean (C- section), they want to be able to come in as soon as labour starts (even only open 1 centimetre) and they want to get an epidural as soon as they arrive, and throughout the whole labour up until the last minute. 

Another important thing to highlight is that it's not a midwife who delivers your baby but the consultant you've chosen and seen for the duration of your pregnancy.

Convenience and comfort, that's what you pay for. We also happen to live only 10 minutes walk from the hospital which is very handy.

I gave birth to Sean at the Lindo Wing, and had such a wonderful experience there. I remember every time I pressed my call bell someone was there in seconds and I had loads of support, help and advice. 

And the post-natal care at night is simply fantastic. At midnight Sean was whisked to the nursery, so I could sleep, and returned to me every 3 or 4 hours so I could breast feed him. Maternity nurses manually showed me how to breastfeed, to change nappy and how to bathe Sean. It's obviously hard to tear yourself away from your newborn, but getting some sleep is definitely the best thing for the long nights ahead once you're home with the baby. 

The Lindo Wing, unlike the Portland Hospital, crucially has 24-hour access to critical care and neonatal units at St Mary's, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which is comforting to know.

All in all, the staff are very attentive and it's a bonus that your husband can stay over night with you in your room too -  I can't wait to be back there again to give birth to my daughter  ♥