Celebrity Mums versus the NHS

Once again, a celebrity mum has voiced her disgust at the care she has received in the hands of the NHS for her post natal care. Myleene Klass gave birth in a private maternity wing at the Paddington Hospital and then was discharged to the care of the NHS for her post-natal care. Why? Surely, if she was able to pay for private care in the Lindo Wing, why not carry on and pay for her post natal care as well?

Myleene describes feeling outraged at her care from the NHS because no-one came to visit for 6 days – this I find hard to believe even in these over-stretched times of NHS care. Perhaps someone did call and Myleene and partner did not hear the door bell for what ever reason. Midwives are required by law (NMC 2004) to visit women post-natally for up to six weeks in the post-natal period which is the time after the delivery of the baby and placenta. Most NHS Trusts have robust guidelines and policies that make it very clear that all women are visited after their discharge from hospital the next day. Perhaps the Lindo Wing did not ensure that the discharge details were made available to the appropriate midwife?

In this article Myleene said that she used a pseudonym whilst in labour because “she just wanted to be treated like everyone else”. What exactly does she mean by this? Where I practice, we look after a fair number of ‘celebrities’ but you know what? They are treated like everyone else and they don’t use a false name or pay for their care which is superb and most of all safe, efficient and ensures continuity of care.

Poor Myleene – you know, the majority of women who have had a baby feel weepy, sleep deprived, out of control, tired and irritable, but most of them just get on with it and have a life of sheer drudgery with no glamorous modelling careers to take their minds off it either.

So come on. Stop pretending that you care about what other women are going through and stop using your very normal pregnancy and post natal period to advertise your new range of baby clothes and modelling career.

Compared to the majority of women you are in a very privileged position. NB – especially compared to women in the third world and developing countries where 1 in 7 women die in childbirth (here the rate is I in 280.000). Please do not exploit this privileged position to slag off the NHS system which provides a very high standard of care at all times against all odds.