Episode 1 Five Star Babies: Inside the Portland Hospital

Bring the baby to you. OK.

Parenthood - the great leveller.

But if there's a way to make one of life's most basic rituals

a little bit easier,

there will always be someone willing to pay for it.

The Portland in Central London

is Britain's only private maternity hospital.

The Portland can provide speedy access to the best care possible.

That comes at a price.

To follow in the footsteps of mothers like the Duchess of York

and Victoria Beckham starts at around £10,000.

Whenever I've heard friends of mine say,

"Our baby was born in The Portland," I've always been like, "Ooh!"

With so many luxury services on offer, from 24-hour fine dining

to silver handcrafted baby mementos, it's easy to spend much more.

In my time at The Portland, I've seen somebody spend over £500,000.

Looking after every need of the wealthy clientele

is a small army of consultants,

chefs, midwives and cleaners.

They're very demanding, I must say.

You know, sometimes you think, "My God, what planet do they come from?"

But can they make one of life's most intimate and painful moments

feel like a stay in a five-star hotel?

What do you think it would be like having a baby

if you didn't have money?

Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?

I would have died straight away.

Four times a year, The Portland Hospital opens its doors to

prospective parents, hoping to entice them

into buying the ultimate luxury childbirth experience.

If you come and take a seat in the waiting room,

the midwife will be with you shortly. Thank you very much.

Inside this building are 36 private rooms,

where parents pay for cutting-edge medical care in lavish surroundings.

So this is one of our suites.

It's got a bedroom and a sitting room.

On offer, everything a mother could desire - for a price.

In this corridor we have our midwives

and we have our lactation nurse.

And then in this corridor along here we've got imaging, so we've got

a sonographer, we have a dietician, and we've got a photography company.

From your own personal newborn photographer

to the ultimate baby souvenirs...

What's the most popular? Is it silver?

Silver is very popular, but some people prefer the classic bronze.

..the hospital sells the dream of the perfect opulent birth.

The Portland receives patients from all over the world

and from all walks of life.

You know, we have princesses from the Middle East

who deliver here quite regularly.

We have celebrities,

individuals of very high net worth.

So I'm just going to take you round to show you one of our...

They are women that are used to getting what they want, but,

you know, we're a hospital that's trying to deliver what they want.

If they want to have 10 additional rooms, 20 additional rooms,

we'll provide it.

As long as that woman, or her husband, can pay

for what they're requesting, then we'll do our best to deliver.

I heard the food here is really good.

Did they say anything about the midwives being absolutely fantastic?

He said all of that was great,

but he said everyone really comments on the food.

I have to say, the food is very good.

We have the luxury that we can pretty much get most things.

We can get foie gras. We can get lobsters.

We can get oysters, if people want them.

We have a fantastic champagne selection here as well.

Not every hospital stocks Dom Perignon and things like that.

We're really focused on our food quality, the look,

the presentation, modelling it on the top hotels,

The Dorchester and others, because we want to deliver that five-star

service for patients that are used to receiving a five-star service.

But we've got to fundamentally remember that we're a hospital.

So we are a hotel, but primarily we're a hospital.

Essential to the Portland experience is pampering

the mother at every stage of childbirth.

At most hospitals, mothers have to look after their babies,

even when recovering from labour.

But here, newborns can be cared for by the staff.

On the first floor is one of the

biggest selling points of the hospital...

the nursery.

Good morning. Good morning, gentlemen.

Not only is Janene the CEO, she's also a Portland mother.

Hello, how are you?

Two of her three children have been delivered here.

What I can advocate about here is it is like having a holiday.

You know, when you deliver at The Portland,

you get to use the nursery.

Your baby is only brought back for feeding time.

So you absolutely, after two to three nights, leave here really fit

and well and ready to face the challenges of being a new mum.

That's how it should be.

This is the privilege of being CEO, being able to come and see the

little ones, and, you know, it can't help but make you smile for the day.

It's a really nice feeling,

although I'm not into crying babies any longer.

-INTERVIEWER:

-No broodiness, though?

No broodiness, no, not after three. I'm over.

I'm over having kids.

When I had my now seven-year-old,

he was a complete screamer,

and I remember him screaming his head off, and in walked Pat.

Pat picked him up with her confident hands...

I said, "You have to behave", and he just looked at me, "OK."

-And he went quiet.

-"OK, then, that's what I'll do. I'll behave."

There's only one fault with this hospital.

We don't allow Pat to go home with the new mums.

Thank you very much, ladies.

Some people have said to me - and I'm sure they don't mean it -

"Do you know who I am?"

And I've always had to say no, because I don't.

I don't recognise many people.

I don't get star-struck.

I'm baby-struck.

Originally from a small town near Glasgow,

Pat has looked after nearly 8,000 babies over the past 20 years.

Each new mother gives instructions detailing

how they wish their offspring to be cared for.

This one here says, "One formula and then back to Mum."

So we change the baby's nappy, wind the baby,

try and settle the baby until the next feed.

-INTERVIEWER:

-Did you have anything like that

-when you had your children?

-No.

I wanted my children with me all the time, but we're going back 40-odd

years, you know, when I had my first child, and that's the way it was.

I'll just go underneath to check her nappy before she goes back.

All right, baby.

No, she's fine.

In the NHS, most new mothers leave within 24 hours of giving birth.

Here, they can stay for much longer.

The cheapest room still costs £1,200 per night.

During their stay,

babies are tagged to ensure they're returned to the right parent.

Baby Skyler belongs to new mum Anna.

She was born on Tuesday, so two days ago,

and I was very, very, very nervous, but all the staff were amazing.

They just reassured me, held my hand, and it was almost like being

with family, people that I'd known, so it all went really, really well.

Come on, sweetheart.

There we go.

She's my first, so it's even more special.

I wanted a little girl, so I got everything.

She's my dream come true.

Anna lives with her husband, Julian,

a millionaire property developer in the home counties.

-INTERVIEWER:

-When did you guys meet?

We met from Facebook through somebody

who basically introduced us to each other,

and we went out on a blind date and that was it.

That was three years ago.

This one here was when me and Anna went to Dubai.

Very loved up.

Basically, I'd been married before and I was desperate to meet

somebody, and I met Anna and it was amazing.

So it was love at first sight.

I had three children and she was amazing with children.

That's what I wanted.

So this is my office.

There's a picture of my three children.

And this is the kitchen.

The dogs, I think, are out at the moment at the groomers.

This is Jamie's room.

As you can see, she absolutely loves teddy bears.

And then we've got mine and Anna's bedroom.

These are pictures of my lovely wife.

Ex having the baby, but she's no different now.

-INTERVIEWER:

-How's recovery going?

Yeah, recovery is going OK.

I think, for every woman, they like to look their best,

the majority of women.

If you feel good, then you act out well.

But then my first priority would be being a mother,

so I wouldn't necessarily be like, "Oh, you know,

"I have to look good over being a mother".

Julian's first child was born on the NHS,

but since then, only the Portland experience would do.

He's paid for Anna to stay another two nights before going home

to face the onslaught of motherhood.

Hi, gorgeous.

Hi, Daddy.

Hi, gorgeous.

Come on, you need to eat.

-Was she good last night?

-Yeah.

She was in the nursery from 10:00 or 11:00

until I went to see her at 6:00 and give her a cuddle, and then

I came back for an hour's lie-down and they brought her to me at 7:00.

There we go.

She's amazing. She had a baby two days ago.

She's amazing. She looks like she hasn't had a baby.

She's amazing.

The fees at The Portland don't include a dedicated doctor.

Patients who opt for the basic £8,000 consultant-led package

choose their own doctor, which can double the cost.

The consultant will guarantee to be available before,

during and after the birth.

Dr Penny's credentials have made her

particularly popular amongst the clientele.

-INTERVIEWER:

-Are you a countess?

I am a countess. Oh, God.

I don't often use that at work.

Yes, I'm married to the Earl of Bradford.

At the Royal College of Obstetricians,

I have been described as too posh to pull.

-INTERVIEWER LAUGHS

-Very funny.

-Which is so not true, but anyway.

-INTERVIEWER:

-Too posh to pull!

"You know her. She's too posh to pull."

I hope that's not too cold.

Lovely little head down here.

Dr Penny carries out all of her patients' check-ups personally.

Oh, she's moving now.

The mother can spend as much time with her consultant as she wants.

One of the reasons that I like working at The Portland is because

it allows me to practise the medicine that I was trained to do.

That's her little knee there.

'I don't have time constraints,

'I don't have financial constraints, and it allows me to see'

the same patient for the whole journey,

which I can't do in the NHS.

She may still move,

but I don't mind if she is bottom first until 36 weeks.

That continuity of care is not only beneficial for the patient,

but it's actually really satisfying for the doctor.

To be honest, it's what we thought we would be doing

when we trained as doctors.

Nearly 1,600 women a year pay for the Portland experience.

It's one of the top private maternity hospitals in Europe.

Hui was a high-society it girl in China

before she moved to London five years ago.

She's a regular on the London fashion scene,

and has just started her own clothing label.

She's married to a business tycoon

who runs his shipping empire out of Hong Kong.

With her husband working abroad,

Hui has taken up residence in West London.

She's been left to decide where to have their first baby.

-INTERVIEWER:

-Tell me, why did you want to have a baby at The Portland?

-INTERVIEWER:

-Do you know of anyone else that's had babies there?

Yes. Victoria Beckham.

She's my icon.

And is it expensive for you?

But after I've done so many blood tests, the scan, everything,

it's just like another 10K.

So it's, like, in total it's 30.

But if you have the...

Should I say that? If you have some money...?

No, no, no, I cannot say that.

-INTERVIEWER:

-Which one is your favourite?

That's why I choose here.

One of the attractions of the hospital is that a mother

doesn't have to deliver her baby naturally if she doesn't want to.

Like Victoria Beckham, Hui is having her baby by Caesarean section.

If you choose to come to the Portland,

you really can choose your mode of delivery, and I think the nice

thing about the Portland is that we don't question that judgment.

We give the women the information that they need,

and then we allow a woman to make that choice.

And once she's made that choice, we support her all the way through.

For the past two months, Hui has been having weekly appointments

with Dr Shazia, the consultant she's hired to deliver her baby.

Her Caesarean is taking place tomorrow.

So I'm really excited, because, you know,

tomorrow I'm going to meet your little one as well.

-Yes.

-It's a very big day, isn't it?

'Sometimes I will get people purely because the midwives told them,'

"Miss Malik does a very nice scar."

-TINY HEARTBEAT

-It's a nice normal rate.

But I think the main reason is that they want to know that,

if something goes wrong, they're going to be delivered

by somebody actually who knows all about them.

We just need to go through what the operation involves and the risks.

-Yeah.

-That's important. OK?

-Yeah, yeah.

It is classified as major abdominal surgery,

which means there are risks associated with it.

-OK? So the most important risks are infections.

-Yeah.

The other risks are excessive bleeding, or haemorrhage.

-Oh.

-OK?

Damage to the womb, the bladder, the bowel, OK,

and other pelvic organs.

Luckily, they're not big risks, they're mostly less than 1%,

but they are there, so you need be aware.

-Last thing, I know you have the instructions.

-Yes.

Nothing to eat from midnight.

-But I would recommend that you try and get some sleep.

-Yes.

-Because from tomorrow your life is going to be different.

-I'm sure.

-My kids are five and seven and I still don't sleep.

-Yeah.

-So get some rest tonight.

-Yeah.

-OK?

-Thank you.

For Portland mums and dads, the fear of parenthood can be eased

by free parenting tutorials from Pat.

I like to get all the dads involved in changing nappies.

We had a prince in and I said to him,

you know, "You're a dad. You're changing the nappy,"

and he said, "No, we don't do that."

And I said, "No, you do, because you're in my domain now,"

and he did, and he loved it.

She delivers old-fashioned care.

Health care has become very much about giving women choices,

and sometimes as a mum we want to be told how to do things.

So we're going to give Skyler a nice top and tail.

That's face and bottom.

This afternoon, Pat is helping Anna and Julian

prepare to take baby Skyler home.

So where did you get a name like Skyler? That is pretty!

-He chose it.

-Did you see it in a book or just...?

I think I just saw it on Breaking Bad. It was a programme.

-Oh, Breaking Bad.

-Breaking Bad. It's a series.

There's not a man I know that doesn't watch Breaking Bad.

Yeah, exactly.

Well, there's a good thing for a girl.

She likes clothes on.

Oh, she's sick a little bit.

That's all right. She's trying to lose weight, aren't you?

Not yet. Doesn't matter about your weight at the moment, Skyler.

I tell you what she has got, which is wonderful -

-lovely flat ears.

-Yeah.

She can wear really good earrings when she's older.

-I know.

-She's so tiny.

Don't they make you emotional? They're so beautiful.

Can you see how nice that is?

-Now you can see, so you're not...

-Yeah, yeah.

She's just so tiny. I just want her to gain weight.

Listen, she wants to be little. Girls like being small.

Look how thin you are.

Is your milk coming in?

Well, I took a pill this morning for it to stop.

Oh.

I just think because she's so tiny

I just want her to be well, that's all.

-You know, it's hormones.

-Yeah.

-You feel fluey and cry...

-Yeah, I do.

-You see how she goes to sleep?

-She's fast asleep.

They just love this.

-She's fast asleep.

-Yeah.

I need to take you home with me, Pat.

Well, I'll come with you with my husband and kids.

We'd all have to come.

-Thank you very much.

-Have you ordered your dinner?

I'm going to do it now. Thank you so much.

The Portland was started over 30 years ago

by the Queen's gynaecologist.

Today it's owned by the world's largest private health care company,

HCA, which has an annual turnover of £25 billion.

The staff is under constant pressure

to deliver the ultimate luxury hotel experience.

Roselyn, you've got delivery two to clean, four is a light clean,

and you've got three up here, so just start in these two rooms,

please, and obviously the on-call. Here you are.

26 years ago, Roselyn moved to London from Barbados.

She's one of 21 full-time cleaners.

PHONE RINGS

Hello. Good morning. Roselyn speaking.

It's in progress.

The babies aren't the only ones whose movements are monitored.

Roselyn's boss tracks her progress while she cleans.

They know everything what I'm doing, how long I'm staying here.

-INTERVIEWER:

-What happens if you stay too long?

-You get tell off.

-SHE LAUGHS

It's 7:00am. This morning, Hui will become a Portland mother.

Hi, good morning, ma'am. Welcome to The Portland.

-OK. What's the name, please? Can I just confirm?

-Hui, H-U-I.

-OK.

If you'd like to take a seat a second, I'll just confirm the room,

and then we'll come and collect to you to take you upstairs shortly.

OK.

Even got a special way to do the toilet paper.

So, we just fold it to make it look a bit decent.

I was going to say it's special!

Like this. You see that I won't put that there

because it's dirty.

The patient come and see that, they won't like it.

It seems like there's not very much to complain about.

I know.

Very excited.

Very, very.

Oh.

-Here we go.

-Oh.

-This is standard room, right?

-It is, yeah.

-And that is extra bed?

-Mm-hm.

Hui's mother will also be staying in the room to help.

Hui's husband has jetted in from China for the birth.

Hey!

-I'm Annabelle.

-Nice to see you.

I'm your midwife looking after you today.

-Oh, thank you so much.

-OK. Nice to meet you.

Who is coming down with you to theatre?

My mum and also my husband.

It's only one person.

OK, I have to think about.

Only one person.

Oh, my God. Which one? My mummy or my husband?

I think maybe my husband...

because he's my love.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a singer...

..cos I love singing.

So, what are your dreams now?

Hmm.

I'd like to win the lottery.

That would be a nice dream.

I wouldn't, at the same time, because if I win the lottery,

I just come off work, cos in that home, you're sitting down,

you get bored, eh?

If I do five days, I do two days to get out the house.

That would be some exercise as well for the bones.

Half of all births that take place at the hospital are Caesareans.

Most are conducted in the three operating theatres in the basement.

Hui's Caesarean will be carried out by her consultant Dr Shazia.

-Good morning.

-How are you?

-Hi. This is my mummy.

-Oh, OK. Hello.

Nice to meet you, I'm Shazia.

That's my...

SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

Yes, I'm the doctor. Yes. Come and have a seat.

Have a seat.

It's a big day for the whole family.

Yeah.

She said you are very pretty.

SHE LAUGHS

Thank you. Yes, but I hope I'm a good surgeon.

That's far more important than my looks.

OK, all right. I will see you in the theatre.

-Yeah.

-All right.

-Thank you so much.

Take care, see you later. Bye-bye.

-Love you!

-And you.

DR SHAZIA LAUGHS

Oh, I'm nervous.

Hui has chosen her husband to join her for the birth.

We're doing an elective Caesarean section. Any particular concerns?

In terms of surgical considerations, I've got no major concerns, yeah.

In that case, we'll prep and start.

Dr Shazia has been a consultant at The Portland

for the past three years, but half of her practice

is still through the NHS.

So, Hui, this noise that I'm making is nothing for you

to worry about, OK?

'The difference is that in the NHS, you will always have somebody'

who is competent to do your procedure, but they may not

be a consultant, or they may not be somebody that you know.

Just to be clear, do you have any pain?

I don't want to talk.

You don't want to talk? That's OK.

'But a Caesarean section is the same procedure,'

wherever you have it.

So, what we'll do in a minute or two, when your baby gently comes

into the world, we'll just lower the screen so you can see the baby.

'It's the same level of staffing, the same level of skill,

'in terms of the surgeon,'

so there's absolutely no difference at all.

Screen down.

Very, very gently coming into the world.

BABY CRIES

He's climbing out.

Congratulations.

Congratulations. Very, very well done.

BABY CRIES

Dr Shazia has delivered Hui a boy weighing nearly 8lbs.

Hui's requested for baby Lucas to be cleaned off

and wearing a nappy before he's brought to her.

TRANSLATION:

Really good.

'It's such a profound moment, isn't it, the start of a new life?'

And for someone to trust you, and to feel happy that

you are part of that process, is really something very special.

All comfy, then?

Got Lucas? Well done.

-And Daddy is a natural!

-Yes.

Isn't he?

I love it when the daddies are cooing over the baby.

LAUGHTER

It's wonderful, because as a mummy you're going to coo anyway,

aren't you? Yeah.

Hui and her mother have paid to stay in their private room

for the next few nights.

Her husband is soon to return to his business empire in Hong Kong.

It's the morning after the birth.

Hui is on the first floor, recovering,

as are 12 other mothers and their newborn offspring.

Meeting their needs takes a team of 434 employees.

In the NHS, breakfast can cost as little as 90 pence,

but here there's a team of 13 preparing any dish

the mothers desire.

Breakfast.

One of the busiest times of the day.

Sonia was headhunted from The Dorchester Hotel to ensure

the guests' breakfast needs are met, promptly.

-There's no...

-PHONE RINGS

Sorry.

Good morning, dining, Sonia speaking, how may I assist you?

You certainly can.

What would you like to have this morning?

Grapefruit juice and a whole banana.

Fantastic. That should reach you in the next ten, 15 minutes.

Thank you. Bye-bye.

We don't keep them waiting.

I mean, if you think about it, you become impatient,

especially if you have a baby crying on the other side of the bed.

It's not a hospital, especially for the patients, for myself as well.

I treat it like it was a hotel.

Hello, good morning, madam. How are you feeling today?

Here's your breakfast.

Hotel services?

The expectations are higher from us,

because a patient doesn't really understand much what a doctor does.

They just follow the instructions.

Whereas for us, they stay in the best hotels in the world.

Of course they have high expectations from us.

Originally from Uruguay, Geraldine is a banker married to

a partner in an accounting firm.

She gave birth to baby Sofia three days ago.

Friends of ours had babies here and had highly recommended it,

and so far very good. Very, very good.

Everything is low-fat, everything is low-fat.

Low-calorie everything.

I suppose you need to start losing the pounds right after.

Especially, you know, there's people coming to visit you,

and you want to showcase, you know, yourself as well.

There's lots of pictures taken.

You want to remember, you know, you came out of the labour ward

and you're looking like a film star.

But, yeah, I think I'd probably be the same myself.

I had all the cake already, so it's now time to go back

to normal, healthy food.

And as a first-time mother, how are you feeling?

Happy and nervous.

What makes you nervous?

Leaving the hospital, being on my own with her.

But I'm sure we'll manage.

After paying for four days' recovery,

Anna is preparing to go home with baby Skyler.

But no Portland mother leaves hospital without receiving

a goodie bag.

Sometimes a mum will give a gift in return.

-Thank you so much.

-Oh, that's so kind of you.

Thank you so much. Just a little something for you, don't be silly.

It was lovely seeing you both.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you, Pat.

Thanks so much, and look after your grandchildren, and God bless.

-I will do. Bye.

-Thanks a lot.

I'm going to go and sort out the accounts.

-I'll meet you downstairs. Is that all right?

-Yes.

-Thanks.

It's like being in a hotel.

-Five-star hotel.

-Yeah.

Expensive, but amazing.

-Ours was about £13,000, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

-For the four days.

Thank you so much.

-Thank you very much.

-Take care.

-Thanks.

Right. Last bits.

It's like a club, really, isn't it?

Yeah, it is a club. And also, I think it sounds quite special.

Whenever I've heard friends of mine say,

"Our baby was born in The Portland",

I've always been like, "Ooh!"

So, it's nice now that I can say, when Skyler is older,

"Oh, where was she born?" "She was born in The Portland".

-It's like a club.

-Yeah.

-Call us if you need anything.

-We will.

Yeah? Bye-bye.

Gorgeous baby.

Would I pay again? Yeah, I would.

I wouldn't have another child, but I'd pay it again.

Thank you.

Yeah, no, I wouldn't say it was value,

-but it was a lovely way to have a child.

-Yeah.

Upstairs, another customer is hoping to become part of The Portland club.

Kimberly and her management consultant husband Ibrahim

have hired Dr Penny to deliver their first child.

Kimberly wants to give birth naturally.

For Dr Penny, this means dropping everything to treat her.

So, lunch plans and fireworks this evening,

but everybody knows it's always fluid with me.

In fact, nobody will come to my house in Shropshire

for Easter any more, because I've left them

to make their own lunch on two occasions, 12 of them.

So, nobody responds to that invitation from me any more.

It's fine, it's fine.

If you come here, you are paying for my time.

So, you're paying to have one person from the beginning

of your pregnancy until you've delivered the baby,

so that's what happens.

How are you doing?

The edge has gone.

We could maybe let you have a little snooze,

if you want to, before two-ish.

Because I expect you to be about 10cm by then,

and then, depending on how low her head is,

we can wait for another hour, or we can start pushing.

OK.

I'll just go with the flow.

Very good. That's why you've done so well, cos you've gone with the flow.

See you later.

She is a yoga teacher, so her husband said she's not

spoken for four hours, but she's been focusing on the contractions.

So, she's doing beautifully. Beautifully.

And actually, at the moment, very smoothly for a first baby.

While births can run smoothly, when complications do occur,

it's the promise of the hospital's cutting-edge medical care

that attracts some patients to come here.

A quarter of their clientele even travel from abroad.

Richard is the head of risk management

at an international firm in Saudi Arabia.

He met his Brazilian wife Leodiceia online.

After a whirlwind romance, they were married eight years ago.

Leodiceia had a complicated pregnancy with her first baby,

Lara, so they've temporarily uprooted their luxury lifestyle

to give birth at The Portland.

If you look at the overall cost,

I mean, you probably end up paying about £4,000 a month

for a temporary apartment, so that's for at least three months.

Paying for a school term, that's another £5,000.

And even if you look at The Portland Hospital, I mean,

the cost there is probably about £8,000 for a consultant delivery,

and that covers one night.

So, if you stay a couple of extra nights, that's over £10,000,

and then you've got the cost of the doctors as well.

So, frankly, it mounts up very quickly.

But equally, if you look at it, what's the cost of a child?

You're going to pay hundreds of thousands over the lifetime

of a child, so it just means you're starting spending at the start.

But that's fine. We need the right support for the family.

Five years ago, Leodiceia had Lara by Caesarean section,

but she's also had a miscarriage.

I lost the baby five months pregnant.

When I got to the hospital, I was in brutal pain,

and I thought I would die there,

and from what I've been researching, Caesarean has higher risk

than natural birth, but you have the myth that

it will have less pain.

That's also not true.

I had a Caesarean before and was very painful, the recovery.

I think there's more benefits in the natural birth,

and I'd like to have this chance of trying, you know?

Leodiceia has developed gestational diabetes,

making it dangerous for the baby to go full term.

The baby needs to be born tomorrow, so a Caesarean has been scheduled.

But Leodiceia desperately wants the midwives

to help her to give birth naturally.

You've got your plan.

If you go into labour, baby's going to come,

we're going to have a good old shot at having a vaginal birth,

-and if not we're going to have a C-section.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

And do you know what?

Tomorrow, one way or the other,

you're going to have the baby in your arms.

Oh, darling.

OK.

-Sorry.

-Don't apologise.

You've having a baby tomorrow. That's a good thing.

Kimberly is also hoping to deliver her baby naturally.

She's still moving beautifully?

-I think so.

-OK, OK.

If everything is ready, then we'll get on

-with the second stage of pushing.

-OK.

Dr Penny has been trying to make it happen for over ten hours.

There is a small possibility that things could change

and we might be looking at delivering an alternative route,

but I don't think so at the moment.

We probably should crack on a bit, do you think?

-Mmm.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK.

OK, one more breath in, and push down to your bottom.

Brilliant. Harder, harder, harder, harder, harder, harder.

And stop.

Kim's been fully dilated and pushing for about an hour and ten minutes,

and whilst the baby's head is coming down slowly,

it is not as much progress as we would like.

So, what we're going to do is go round to the theatre and

see if, with the help of a ventouse suction cup,

we can deliver the baby.

If not, we may have to do a Caesarean,

but we're going to try our best.

Are you concerned?

No, not at the moment, no.

I think the myth of "too posh to push" is really overegged.

There are, in fact, very few women who are too posh to push.

Most women want to have a normal vaginal delivery and go home.

However, for some people, that's never going to be.

Thank you.

-Hello, there.

-Hello.

I think we probably are going to have to do a Caesarean,

but I'm just going to do a trial with the ventouse.

A well mum comes into hospital expecting to have a well baby

and a healthy baby.

That's the perfect outcome.

But, unfortunately, that's not always the outcome.

Medical advances now mean it's four times less likely

for a baby to die during childbirth than it was 40 years ago.

A fact Pat knows only too well.

Well, when I was growing up, I always wanted to be a mum.

That's all I ever wanted to be.

She was very much wanted.

My husband and I really wanted her, but I was very ill.

I started having fits, so I had an emergency Caesarean, and she was

only two and a half pounds, and we're talking a long time ago,

and she never survived.

And then, I desperately, desperately wanted to have a baby

and within a year, I'd had my first son.

But my husband and I, we never forget her.

We talk about her often.

It's just sad because, today...

..she could have survived it that way.

After a final attempt at a natural delivery,

Kimberly's baby isn't any closer to being born.

Dr Penny is going to have to perform an emergency operation.

When a baby is in danger during birth,

there is little difference between the medical care

in a private hospital and the NHS.

You know, in the last couple of years, you know,

we have had a death of a child.

You know, I'm a mum, and a large number of my staff are parents,

and, you know, we all feel it,

and I can't even describe how devastating it is

when you know that something's happened upstairs.

But I guess, you know, you put yourself on a pedestal,

like we do at The Portland, and, you know...

..that means when something does go wrong,

you've got a longer way to fall.

Oh, my goodness, look at you.

Isn't she gorgeous?

Hello.

We ended up doing a Caesarean section,

and she had her little hand pointing up,

her little hand like that.

She's 3.6 kilos.

I'm just going to write the notes and then we'll come and see her.

She's coming out in a second.

Kimberly had a healthy baby girl called Isla.

She will be staying for the next few days

until she recovers from the operation.

I don't think you ever operate on somebody without taking

a deep breath, and you never know exactly

what you're going to find when you start operating on somebody.

So, yes, we all think that childbirth is very straightforward,

and of course, you'll go home with a beautiful baby,

and that's what we're all trying to do,

but we're really trying to keep Mum safe and baby safe.

So, it's not always straightforward.

Hui has now been recuperating in hospital for the past four days.

While the consultants are hired in by the patients,

the hospital has a team of 50 full-time midwives.

They all used to work in the NHS.

Doreen has been here for 15 years.

When I was growing up I always wanted to be a nurse,

because at home, where I come from, Zimbabwe,

nurses were regarded in high esteem.

I think every little girl wanted just to be a nurse.

When I first came here, I knew it was a private hospital.

I knew it was for the wealthy, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Midwives here must deal with patients

used to being waited on hand and foot.

The nursery are ready if you want to go down.

OK. Yes, please.

Do you want me to bring him down,

or do you want to go down as well and watch?

Er, yeah, you can bring him down. I couldn't get up.

-OK.

-Yes.

They are very demanding, I must say. They are very demanding,

I think because of the kind of money they spend.

So you're sure you don't want to try and walk down,

or I'll just bring him?

-Bring him, please.

-OK.

-Yeah.

I think that's the way of life they have, getting what they can,

having everything done for them.

That's their lifestyle.

I just couldn't sleep at all, like, during the nights,

because my baby would wake up,

but, you know, like, from the second day,

I started, like, sending my baby to the nursery.

They expect things to be done on the spot.

If they want the baby changed, they want it there and then.

I mean, I don't mind,

because you don't have, like, 100 patients you have to look after.

But sometimes you feel you are a servant,

because they will ask you for things,

which you know this lady can actually be able to do it herself.

Like, a glass is next to her,

and she'll ask you to come and pick it up and hand it to her.

You know, things like that.

But, you know, that's the lifestyle of the person, so we have to do it.

We just have to do it.

Come in.

Here's Lucas back.

My baby. Are you coming back?

Baby!

-We are going home.

-Yes.

-Thank you so much.

Do you want me to hand him to you, or he's OK in the cot?

Yeah, he's OK in the cot.

Brilliant. OK.

Well, this is the best experience ever.

I start to realise, yeah, I'm a mum right now.

Not a girl any more.

I mean after...

BABY CRIES

Oh, honey, honey. Shh!

You see? Oh.

Oh, oh. Shhh!

BABY WAILS

Mummy, he needs a cuddle.

Mama, you're so pretty. Oh!

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

With Hui's husband heading back to Hong Kong,

she and her mother and her nanny are finally going home.

After her four-night stay, and significant room service charges,

Hui's final bill has risen to just under £40,000.

What do you think it would be like having a baby

if you didn't have any money?

Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?

I would have died straight away. No, I'm kidding. No.

If you have no money,

or, like, less money than I have right now, then...

..I think you have, like, work really, really, really hard.

Oh, yes, you're hungry!

Oh, she loves her milk.

Anna has been home for two weeks.

Baby Skyler has settled into her new home.

Are you hungry, baby?

As has her maternity nurse.

There we go. You're all done.

Oh, that was delicious, Ma.

This is my maternity nurse Amanda.

Hi.

And she's been with me since Skyler came home two weeks ago,

and she has gotten Skyler into a routine,

a feeding routine, a sleeping routine,

and I've watched over everything that she's taught me.

So it's been really, really, really good,

and Amanda is with me for another two weeks.

Another two weeks.

So, have you looked after Portland mums before?

I've looked after many, many Portland mummies

and many Portland babies before,

and obviously lots of celebs, which is lovely as well.

But, to be honest, every mummy is just a mummy,

and they come home from The Portland and I'll be at the door

waiting for them when they come home, because that's what they want.

BABY SNEEZES

Oh, dear. Oh, dear. Oh, bless you!

You're going to be smiling soon.

I'm very lucky, because I actually get,

99% of the time, I get baby's first smile, but I never ever tell mums.

So if the baby smiles at me and Mum is in another room,

the next day I'll say to Mum and Dad,

"Baby is really on the cusp of smiling.

"It won't be long until they smile",

knowing that, you know, I've already had the first smile,

but just so that they can have the first smile,

because it's obviously a very special moment,

and you wouldn't ever want to take that from a mummy and daddy.

We wouldn't want to take that away, would we?

No, we wouldn't.

Leodiceia has moved her family halfway across the world

to have her baby at The Portland.

They've paid for the consultant-led package, and chosen Dr Karen,

who's trying to give her the natural birth she desires.

You OK?

I'm a little nervous.

Any questions or anything? You OK?

When will be more painful, the beginning...?

-We don't want you to have any pain.

-Oh?

That's why you're having the epidural first. See you in a bit.

Emotionally, it's obviously not been so easy for her,

because it's been this dilemma

about whether to go for a Caesarean section,

or to try a normal delivery.

And then, because she has gestational diabetes,

it's not easy just to sit and wait, with the risk of stillbirth.

Even if she ends up having a Caesarean section,

if she's tried to have a normal delivery,

she'll feel that her birth journey has been more satisfying.

Every choice they make adds a cost to the bill.

Having an epidural to relieve any pain will add another £995.

-I'm Chris Evan, the consultant anaesthetist on today.

-OK.

OK, so, the epidural.

The idea is we site a needle between the bones of your back,

and then we can inject some local anaesthetic

and opiate mixture down there.

Sometimes epidurals can be difficult to put in.

Occasionally, we have to take them out and do them again,

and that may be about one in 20 epidurals.

Well, that wasn't the desired effect of the information that I gave you.

Just remember, we have to tell you all the things that can happen.

All of those numbers are very rare.

Having the money doesn't make having a baby pain-free.

I think you still have to go through some pain.

Chin down on your chest.

Somewhere, somehow, you have to feel some of that pain.

Ah...

You're doing well.

-Oh!

-Well done.

I think most of them really get shocked.

That's just the local anaesthetic in the skin now, OK?

-Finished?

-No, no.

The local, the first bit, the stingy bit is done.

And then they say, "But I wasn't expecting it to be like this".

Oh, oh!

Sometimes you wonder, you think,

"My God, what planet did they come from?"

You know, because it's painful, anyway, having a baby.

Just relax against the pillow. All right?

With Leodiceia wanting to try to give birth naturally,

Dr Karen is going to break her waters to induce labour,

so a Caesarean won't become necessary.

You did really well.

OK. Ready? You OK?

I'm just going to push back.

Sorry.

OK, so that's gone there.

Dr Karen is one of the hospital's newest consultants.

She still spends most of her time in the NHS.

In the NHS you have to oversee maybe 30 patients,

and you normally will see the woman every three or four hours,

if she's in labour, or maybe sooner if there's any sort of concerns.

But it just means you're just quickly, you know,

popping in and out from room to room.

I'll give you an hour or so,

then we'll think about gently starting a little bit of the drip.

You're doing very well.

But it's nice to be able to have one-to-one care.

You can develop a relationship with the woman,

so you can give her more emotional support.

It's a luxury, in a sense, that I have,

that I'm able just to concentrate on one.

Pat is working the night shift.

Come on, darling. You're OK.

Pat, another little cherub for you.

Tonight, she'll be looking after nine newborns,

plus any more that might be born before her shift ends at 8:00am.

She's here for the night. She's a bottle-feeder.

Oh, God!

You're a big chunk.

Do you think it's strange that,

you know, the mum gets one-on-one care,

but quite often the babies have to share you amongst them?

Oh, no, because as long as the baby is fed when it wants to be,

and changed, and given a cuddle, the babies are fine.

They don't care who looks after them, as long as someone does.

While Pat takes care of feeding the newborns,

for everyone else, the kitchen is always open

for silver service dining.

Did you want anything, Richard?

Soup, a chicken biryani and a lemon cheesecake.

Hello, sir.

This is your dinner tonight.

Do you think that having money can make having a baby easier?

Yes.

Because having a baby, if you've no money,

is extremely stressful, to make sure that you've got everything you want,

the heating you want, the roof over your head.

These people here don't have any of them concerns.

Do you think that's fair?

This world is not a fair place.

You have to deal with what you're given.

Where I come from, in Scotland,

babies slept in the bottom drawer of the dressing table.

That was OK.

It was clean and the bedding was clean and the baby was looked after

and it was breast-fed and it was loved, and they turn out very well.

Leodiceia has now been at the hospital for eight hours.

How are you feeling? And how are we doing with the contractions?

Now they're more regular than they were before.

It's nice to see you smiling.

-The smiling is good. It's a good change.

-Yeah.

I've got three children, all delivered on the NHS.

The first delivery I did was not a great experience.

You're stretching beautifully, actually. Really good.

It felt very much like a conveyor belt experience.

I was supposed to go on the labour ward,

but as I got to the labour ward they said,

"Sorry, it's now shut," because they'd filled up the last bed,

so I then went to the ward, laboured by myself with no support.

It was quite a lonely, isolating experience, you know.

I will always make sure that women don't have that same experience,

regardless of where I work, in the NHS or the private sector.

Leodiceia is now fully dilated,

which basically means that now there's an opportunity

for the baby to come naturally, which is what she wants.

So, in a very short period of time, we'll have a baby in our hands.

That's it. Quick breath when you need it.

And another good push. That's it. Come on.

Keep going, keep going. Don't stop.

Don't let go of it. Don't let go.

Keep going, keep going, keep going. Keep pushing.

It's coming round the curve.

And another cough.

That's it. Another one like that.

And that's it. Well done.

And here comes your baby's head. He's out.

-Really? He's out?

-Yes!

Give me a good push. Oh, lovely cord.

So this baby is a strong baby.

Considering it's had the cord around its neck,

it's behaved so beautifully.

OK. Now, look at your baby.

Look at that!

Hello!

There we go!

Finally, a healthy girl is brought into the world, weighing 7.5 pounds.

There you go.

Oh, it's so special. I'm so happy for her.

It's been absolutely brilliant.

She's weeing on you, is she?

It's not been a straightforward birth journey for her.

She very much wanted a normal delivery,

and she's managed to achieve that.

So, what are your plans?

Well, it's early.

It's about 1:30am in the morning, so I'll assess her again now,

and then I'll go home and have a rest.

Leodiceia has decided that she wants to spend the first night

with baby Lindsey by her bedside.

Nothing has happened to you.

You've peed yourself. All right?

Thank you. Honestly.

All that nonsense.

Which means Pat has one less baby to look after.

I've got to go and see to him now,

so you're going to have to be a good chap.

OK?

Good boy.

SEVERAL BABIES CRY AT ONCE

Just a minute!

Hui's husband is away, working in Hong Kong,

so her mum is staying on to help, along with the nanny.

It's very good to have a nanny in your home, like, living in,

because you don't need to worry about cleaning things.

You don't need to do the dishes.

You don't need to cook as well, which is a good thing,

and the nanny will take care of me and also my baby.

BABY CRIES

Hui may be facing the challenges of motherhood,

but that's not what's on her mind.

Women always think a lot,

especially I think it's because I just had a baby.

So when he went back to Hong Kong to do some business,

I'm worried that someone going to, like, you know,

take my husband from me, take away from me.

I think it's because I had a C-section,

and then, you know, my belly is still very big.

I'm not very confident at the moment.

I've asked lots of boy.

They want their wife to be back in normal, I mean, like as normal,

you know, the same size and the same style, things like that.

Not like very big, right?

Can you imagine if your wife, like, you know,

has very big stretch marks, or, like a belly, or fat?

No. So I don't want to be like that.

That's why I have to go back to work, and then...

Oh, my God. Honey, sorry.

Despite the availability of the nursery,

Leodiceia has kept her baby with her all night.

I'm feeling very satisfied,

because she came the way I wanted.

Her sister will visit her soon.

I'm looking forward to see her face.

Are you excited?

-Come on, Daddy!

-Come on. This way.

Unfortunately, life...

We all know we have five-star hotels and we have very basic hotels.

There will always be people in society that can afford

the type of care that we deliver,

and they're very, very lucky to be able to afford

the type of care we deliver.

I see some really excessive money that's spent here.

However, we've got to remember that that keeps the world going round.

Where's our baby?

SHE SQUEALS EXCITEDLY

It's still a new baby, and, you know, that new baby,

for that couple that's spent all of that money, will be the same...

You know, they'll feel the same for that baby

as another couple that don't spend that sort of money.

-Here's your little sister.

-Ohhh!

Four weeks after giving birth,

Leodiceia and family return to their life in Saudi Arabia.

Hui quickly went back to work on her fashion label.

Baby Lucas is now on his second nanny.