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Busy pregnant executives bring midwife to the office
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor09.10.08
Midwives are providing highflying City women with pregnancy care at their desks, it was revealed today.
The 24-hour working culture means many female executives find it impossible to juggle hospital check-ups with meetings.
But a London midwife has now launched the first ante-natal service tailored for women who want to combine motherhood with a high-profile career.
Lexie Minter, 29, set up The Prenatal Company after identifying a gap in the market for a service for women in the workplace.
A typical consultation lasts from half an hour to an hour and is arranged to fit round the client's work schedule.
The cost of the service, which provides support throughout pregnancy, is £5,000.
This includes blood tests, work check-ups and advice on the best place to give birth and exercise tips during pregnancy.
Ms Minter trained as a nurse at The Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead and did her midwifery course at Chelsea and westminster-Hospital. The Fulham-based businesswoman said the bespoke service enables expectant mothers to continue working but also retain control of their pregnancy. she said: "GPs, physiotherapists and dentists have been in the City for years offering corporate care. But to date no midwifery care has been offered.
"This service is tailor-made for the demands of the City. it gives value for money with the minimum of hassle and time.
"High-flying City women quite rightly want more control over their lives and the opportunity to compete on a par with male colleagues."
Ms Minter's clients include sheryl Marjoram, who lives in stoke Newington and works for advertising company Ogilvy & Mather.
The 40-year-old executive came to Britain from Australia so was faced with a medical system that she did not fully understand and was without close family and friends. Ms Marjoram, currently 26 weeks' pregnant with her first child, said Ms winter has been "invaluable" in highlighting the best places to have her baby. she said: "Having Lexie at my side to guide me through the system has been wonderful. Having her there to answer my biggest worries and to reassure me like a friend or family member might has been invaluable.
"From helping me understand which exercises are best to helping me choose the perfect place to have my baby, Lexie has been there. she is never more than a phone call away and has made trips to both my office and home to ensure my pre-natal care never becomes a burden."
This comes just weeks after the standard revealed the crisis facing maternity care in London.
The Royal College of Midwives estimates 1,150 more midwives are needed to deal with the soaring birth rate in the capital.
There is also still not enough choice over where mothers give birth, with standards reported as "poor" in nearly three-quarters of London maternity wards by the Healthcare Commission.
Reader views (16)
I agree with the other comments that Independent Midwives such as myself have and do provide not only antenatal care but also labour care and postnatal care for far less money! I've seen women at home and at work, in the evenings or weekends to suit.
- Kathryn Weymouth Rm, Hampshire/Surrey UK
I was rather startled at the price! As Stephie pointed out, you can get complete Independent Midwifery services for around £3000 and you get someone you know to attend you in labour!
- Kerry, Tunbridge Wells, UK
Independent Midwives have been doing this for years, and in the comfort of the womans own home at a time to suit them.
They also attend the birth and care for their women up to 6 weeks post natally.
So this is nothing new.
- Marion Costinford, Rutland
Why have just antenatal care, for considerably less than this, typically £3000-£3500 you can have antenatal care, care during labour an birth and postnatal care from anyone of the independent midwives, including myself, there are in the UK. I have met clients at work before now, as have most of my colleagues. There is no real gap in the market.
- Stephie Shepherd, St Albans, UK
Doesn't it make you smile? Who would want the job anyway? At the call of an overindulged Aussie woman who hasn't the brains to get her head around the UK medical system. People are now having to buy relatives to help them through pregnancy - how embarrassing frankly. She is doing it for the money love and she will be out of there once the baby arrives - as fast as possible and onto the next sucker. And if you think ante-natal care is a burden well you are about to hit planet earth!! By the way where is the "perfect" place to have your baby?! I'm not too sure I have been to that hospital...
- Susan, london
The women who are using Lexie's business are not only freeing up appointments for people who can't afford to go private and therefore cutting down waiting time for GPs, but are also showing a level of commitment to their jobs I think is admirable. If they can afford it, good for them I say. It's also pretty narrow minded to suggest that all busy career women put their children 2nd to their jobs. At least they aren't sitting round on benefits expecting tax payers to pick up the bill for looking after their children. What happened to sisterhood? You lot read like a bunch of misogynist, bitter old hags! It's just health care made easy - why the big old fuss?
- Beth, Brixton, London
I don't see any reason why I should be ashamed of myself. I am a highly squeamish person and had to drop out of Biology GCSE at school because I would be on the verge of passing out in every lesson. That is not my fault, it is the way my brain is wired and I am not the only one. So I'm sorry but I am not someone who is suitable to work in abbatoir-like conditions. Put it another way: what if someone with, say, haemorrhoids, decided they were too busy to go to the doctor and asked a medical professional to attend at their desk? Do you think that would be acceptable? I for one do NOT! I think you are just seeing it from the sentimental view that babies are something cute. And although I must admit I wasn't thinking of it from the foetus's point of view when writing yesterday, I have now read Sue of Orpington's comments and also Shirley of London's and think they have equally valid points. So if anyone should be ashamed of themselves, Shauna Dorey, I think it's you!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
What price for peace of mind and for what will be the biggest investment you make for the future - £5k. Compare that with the costs of parking; rail fares, car maintenance; eye checks and glasses or contact lenses; dental work; wardrobe essentials for work and all those other things that people have to pay for in the work place?
- Ellie Zabbett, Kent, UK
Why are people getting up in arms about this?? Many offices like the large banks, offer a GP service at the offfice to save people having to take time to see GP's close to where they live....why is this or mobile dentists any different. Please leave working mothers alone..you cant win in this county. Working and having children doesn't mean you are a bad mother...working mothers are not to blame for the state of our country and I dont know many sity acreer women whose children have fone off the rails..comments like that from Sue and Ms Bradshaw are disgusting...they should be utterly ashamed of having a view like that, Sue the hatred in your tone and the language that you use is disgusting.I take it that you are cetainly not a well paid, well educated city woman??
- Nick, London
I think that Miss Minter has had a fantastic idea. Too often women are prejudiced against for taking time out of the working day for antenatal care. Miss Bradshaw of enfield should be ashamed of herself. Midwifery is a service which is lacking enough staff so for the staff to come too your office and provide a very needed service is fantastic. It would be nice if everybody could afford it but , as in life, this is not too be. Congrats Miss Minter and wishing you success with your company.
- Shauna Dorey, southampton, uk
How very sad that these women can't spare the time to actually visit their GP surgeries or hospitals. Just another example of how the children will take second best to City careers.
- Shirley, London
Equality in the work place?
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
It would be nice it this service was a bit cheaper as having to rush to work, then rush to an antenatal appointment, then rush back to work is enough to put anyones blood pressure up. Its not just high flyers who would appreciate this service, but good for Ms Minter to recognise the gap in the market.
- Smb, London, UK
This is thoroughly disgusting! It is bad enough when colleagues talk about their pregnanices in gruesome detail, but if they actually had a midwife session in the office... I honestly think I would throw up! I seriously don't think this sort of thing should be encouraged. Next thing you know they'll be bringing the kids in and breast feeding at the desk. These women are no better than animals in a farmyard! YUK!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
These selfish cows shouldn't be allowed to have children. No doubt when the child is born someone else will be responsible for looking after it. And they wonder why kids go off the rails, tut.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
The next step is for women to give birth at their desks!
- John, London
