We have provided an indication of the the cost of a private birth, and the cost of other services for private maternity care.
Private maternity care is quite expensive. For example, a first birth at the Portland Hospital in London costs £2,880 for a normal delivery and £3,790 for an elective caesarean for the first 24 hours of care, including the delivery. Additional nights in a standard room cost around £1000. You also have to allow for the fees charged by your private consultant obstetrician, which might be £3,000 to £4,000. So, in total, a private birth at a hospital such as the Portland could cost £7,500 to £10,000. There will be some saving if you opt for a "Midwife led Delivery Service" or "Midwife Led Care". In this instance, you will still have a named obstetrician, but he or she will see you less often, and the birth may be supported by an on-call Consultant Obstetrician.
The private maternity facilities offered by some units within the NHS are a less expensive option to consider. For example, the
Lansdell Suite at St Thomas’ Hospital in London offers private maternity care within a major London teaching hospital.
A private 3D or 4D ultrasound scan will last around one hour and cost around £200 to £300. You will usually get a video or DVD of the moving images.
A private nuchal translucency scan will cost around £100 to £150.
A private CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) test will cost around £400.
A package of care including ante-natal and post-natal care and two private midwives at the birth will cost you around £4,000 to £5,000.
Maternity nurses specialise in the care of newborn babies and are often ex-midwives. Typical costs are in the range £700 to £1,000 per week.
Night nannies may be booked for several nights per week. Typical costs are in the range £70 to £90 per night, depending where you live.
