Delivery in London: private or public? St, Mary's hospital reviews?

Hello!
Does anybody have experience with the Maternity services at the St. Mary hospital in London? Their private wing, Lindo, came highly recommended.
Any suggestions whether go private o public and which hospitals or birth centres? Prices of course are an issue but at this stage we are considering everything!
Thanks!!!

Ive heard good things about St Mary's and Portland Street. 

I don't think either are as plush as a US delivery suite but are both highly rated.

Thanks!

My children were both born in Kingston, in a normal NHS hospital.  Both experiences were great. IMHO, paying extra for private is not worth it unless money is no object.

Good to know!

The Lindo wing is about on par with any standard hospital in the US. It's nothing special or out of the ordinary -- the care is the same, so unless you desperately need to give birth in a suite with room for your staff and publicist instead of a regular private room, it's not really worth it.

I looked at it myself, but it wasn't as nice as the hospital I went to in the US, and our family is all abroad so the extra space was wasted on us.

Can I give out a bit more advice?  Don't buy a new expensive pushchair for your first one.  Many people do this, of course wanting the best for your baby.  The thing is that the first pushchair you buy needs to allow the baby to lie flat, which adds weight and complexity to the design.  After a few months, your baby hardly ever wants to lie flat and you'll want the simplest and lightest pushchair you can find.  Especially if you live in London and take public transport.

Spend all your money on the second chair, not the first. 

The Lindo wing is about on par with any standard hospital in the US. It's nothing special or out of the ordinary -- the care is the same, so unless you desperately need to give birth in a suite with room for your staff and publicist instead of a regular private room, it's not really worth it.

I looked at it myself, but it wasn't as nice as the hospital I went to in the US, and our family is all abroad so the extra space was wasted on us.

  don't have a publicist yet and my staff won't be following me so i guess i'll skip the suite
can i ask where did you deliver?

Can I give out a bit more advice?  Don't buy a new expensive pushchair for your first one.  Many people do this, of course wanting the best for your baby.  The thing is that the first pushchair you buy needs to allow the baby to lie flat, which adds weight and complexity to the design.  After a few months, your baby hardly ever wants to lie flat and you'll want the simplest and lightest pushchair you can find.  Especially if you live in London and take public transport.

Spend all your money on the second chair, not the first.

Any baby advice is welcome! Thanks! Do you have any particular brand you would recommend?

don't have a publicist yet and my staff won't be following me so i guess i'll skip the suite
can i ask where did you deliver?

Have you considered a homebirth? Always an option!

(Every time I say this I know I sound like a crazy person)

I did... but it's my first baby and I think I would feel more comfortable in a hospital (just in case the most horrible things would happen of course... I am a little terrified!) but I've heard only good experiences of home births so maybe I could give it a little more thought. Do you have any centre/midwife to reccomend?

don't have a publicist yet and my staff won't be following me so i guess i'll skip the suite
can i ask where did you deliver?

The first time was in the US, the second was here. I had complications so it limited my choices in that I wasn't eligible to be on the midwife-led birthing centre at the same hospital. Which is a pity, because it was lovely.

Any baby advice is welcome! Thanks! Do you have any particular brand you would recommend?

No, it's been long enough that I don't keep track of brands any more.  For any purchase, you can look on which.co.uk, that's the British version of Consumer Reports.  It's free for the first month , then you can cancel if you like.

I would highly recommend that you join the NCT, it's a non profit that supports new parents.  They have meetings where you will meet local people at the same stage as you.  My wife met up with those same people for years. 

They also have second hand sales where you can buy items that have hardly been used at yard sale prices. 

HTH

The first time was in the US, the second was here. I had complications so it limited my choices in that I wasn't eligible to be on the midwife-led birthing centre at the same hospital. Which is a pity, because it was lovely.

Im sorry for the complications. Thanks for the links anyway!

No, it's been long enough that I don't keep track of brands any more.  For any purchase, you can look on which.co.uk, that's the British version of Consumer Reports.  It's free for the first month , then you can cancel if you like.

I would highly recommend that you join the NCT, it's a non profit that supports new parents.  They have meetings where you will meet local people at the same stage as you.  My wife met up with those same people for years. 

They also have second hand sales where you can buy items that have hardly been used at yard sale prices. 

HTH

Great, thanks!