What is a consultant-led delivery?
The Portland Hospital's maternity unit is home to more than 50 leading consultant obstetricians, many of whom are considered to be among the world’s most prominent birthing experts.
Mothers-to-be who choose our consultant-led maternity option will be advised on all aspects of antenatal and obstetric care by your chosen obstetrician. They will also arrange your hospital booking for the delivery of your baby and offer an informed choice on all types of birth.
During the early stages of your pregnancy your consultant will book an appointment for you and your partner to meet The Portland midwifery team. They will give you advice on nutrition, health and wellbeing throughout your pregnancy, as well as discuss your plans for delivery at the hospital.
When the exciting day arrives for you to give birth to your new baby, one of our highly experienced midwives will provide 1:1 care throughout your delivery and assist the consultant obstetrician. They will also care for you whilst you remain in the hospital post-delivery, providing invaluable support with areas such as feeding your new baby.
Three simple steps to consultant-led delivery
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Step 1: Choose your consultant obstetrician icon plus
Use our 'Consultant search' option to find consultant obstetrician who is practising at The Portland Hospital. Alternatively you may have been recommended a particular consultant by your GP, friend or family member.
You may also wish to contact several to discuss your personal birth preferences, their fees, consulting room location, qualifications, gender, languages spoken or other criteria to ensure you have the most appropriate consultant for your birth. -
Step 2: Antenatal screening and scans icon plus
Your consultant obstetrician will advise you on antenatal screening, scans etc. and make the necessary booking for the birth of your baby at The Portland Hospital.
If you have a private medical insurance policy, it is advisable at this stage to check the circumstances under which you may be covered for maternity care. You should obtain this confirmation in writing, as our hospital admissions department will likely request to see this.
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Step 3: Attend your maternity booking appointment icon plus
Following your booking being secured by your chosen consultant obstetrician, you will be asked to attend the midwifery booking clinic. Here you will discuss plans for your delivery with our midwifery team and the post-delivery care we offer you and your baby.
Search for an obstetrician
Fionas high-risk pregnancy
I was really impressed with the way all of the contingency plans were put in place. It was wonderfully reassuring.
Fiona was naturally concerned when she was diagnosed with a serious form of placenta praevia — a condition where the placenta blocks the opening to the cervix.
Natural delivery is impossible for women with placenta praevia. There is also a high chance of bleeding during pregnancy, which can put both mother and baby at risk. While mild placenta praevia is a common condition, the type Fiona had — type four — is very rare.
'I’d had problems with the placenta at my first birth, so I wasn’t surprised there were issues again,' Fiona says. 'However, I soon realised the type of placenta praevia I had this time was very serious. It was worrying.'
Mr Joseph Iskaros, her consultant obstetrician at The Portland Hospital, made detailed plans for the birth. This involved gathering a multidisciplinary team of 15 consultants and nurses who could be on hand to offer their expertise if needed. A month before her planned caesarean delivery at 37 weeks, Fiona, her husband Ashley and their one-year-old daughter Chloe moved up to London from their home in Surrey to be close to the hospital, just in case. Thankfully, the day of her c-section arrived without any further problems and she gave birth to a healthy son, Daniel. However, soon after Mr Iskaros removed the placenta, Fiona started to bleed. The team in the Portland Hospital's on-site high dependency unit were ready.
'The success of an operation like this is having different teams in place who know what they are doing and are prepared,' says Mr Iskaros.
After four hours of surgery, Fiona needed to spend only four days in hospital before she was well enough to return home.
'Despite all the issues, it was a very calm and organised process and there was no panicking,' Fiona remembers.
'That made me feel incredibly confident and I am sure enabled me to recover faster.'
Contact The Portland's maternity team
Do you have some questions about our maternity care? You can contact us by phone or email and we'll be happy to help.