Our antenatal classes are delivered by expert midwives from the Kensington Wing Midwifery Led Care team and a breastfeeding specialist midwife. Classes can be booked individually or as a package of 5 classes. We recommend that you attend all 5 classes to gain the full depth of knowledge, in preparation for your baby’s arrival. It is advised that the first class is attended by the mother only.

Price:
1 class: £85
5 classes: £400

Location: The Kensington Wing, Floor 3, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, SW10 9NH.

Time: 5:45pm – 7:45pm (ending time can vary)

Upcoming dates: Mondays

Class schedule

Class One: Mother’s Body in Pregnancy and Beyond

• Your body during pregnancy
• Your body after baby
• Self-care

This class is recommended for mothers only as you will have a chance to talk about the most intimate parts of your body.

Class Two: Labour Part One

• Signs of labour and when to come into hospital
• Stages of labour and what to expect
• Positions for labour

This class is open to mothers and birthing partners.

Class Three: Labour Part Two

• Home vs. hospital methods of pain relief
• Self-help method
• Birth partner involvement

This class is open to mothers and birthing partners.

Class Four: Other Outcomes

• Possible complications
• Induction of labour/Caesarean section

This class is open to mothers and birthing partners. Now that you have completed your pregnancy classes your midwife will talk you through writing your birth preference. We will give you a template to do complete for your to share with your consultant.

Class Five: Baby Feeding And Care

• Your baby’s body and how to care for them
• Breastfeeding
• Bottle feeding
• Breast pumping
• Safe Sleeping

Book antenatal classes

We are very pleased to be able to provide antenatal scans for Kensington Wing patients across our private patient facilities at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Patients should be aware that some Kensington Wing Consultant Obstetricians routinely undertake scanning for their patients. Additional scans on top of Kensington Wing packages are listed below and are available to all patients who may wish to have a scan at the Kensington Wing.

All private antenatal ultrasound scans for our patients are performed either by consultants who are accredited subspecialists in Maternal and Fetal Medicine or by sonographers who are trained to perform these types of scans.

Please note that current prices for scans (effective 1st November 2022) are as follows:

To book a scan please contact the team.

T: 020 3315 8616

E: chelwest.kensington@nhs.net

Clinic times

Monday 5:30pm-8pm

Wednesday 2pm-5pm

Thursday 5:30pm-8pm

Saturday 9am-1pm

A Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) is a DNA-based test for three chromosomal disorders: Down’s syndrome (trisomy 21) Edward’s syndrome (trisomy 18) Patau syndrome (trisomy 13). When you are pregnant, your blood contains fragments of your baby’s DNA which can be tested for these conditions.

The test analyses this DNA in a sample of your blood to assess the risk of these conditions. Conventional screening offered on the NHS will detect approximately 70-80% of affected pregnancies. The Kensington Wing has a specialist screening midwife who will support you throughout the test and results.

Tests are available for patients booked both on the NHS and privately for £400 (price effective 1st November 2022) on The Kensington Wing. A test can be carried out as early as 10 weeks in pregnancy with results available within five working days.

Book a NIPT

We are able to provide fetal monitoring throughout your pregnancy. We will check the baby's heart rate and rhythm of heartbeats, and other functions. Fetal monitoring can be carried out during pregnancy or labour.

Book an investigation

Your midwife or doctor will explain why they are carrying out blood tests. They are commonly carried out at the booking appointment and around 28 weeks to determine blood group, rhesus status, whether you have infections or illnesses such as hepatitis, HIV, syphilis or to determine immunity to rubella, to test for blood conditions such as anaemia, sickle cell anaemia or thalassaemia, track iron levels during pregnancy and signs of gestational diabetes.

Book comprehensive blood tests

On the first Monday of every month, we host a water birth workshop between 1pm and 2pm.

Price: £85

Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Location: The Kensington Wing, Floor 3, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, SW10 9NH.

Book your place at a water birth workshop

Our midwives are trained to support parents who are expecting alongside their pregnancy care. For more specialised support in the form of counselling and therapies, patients can access information and guidance from the following organisations:

For expectant women:

The NHS: Mental health problems and pregnancy

Mind: Postnatal depression and perinatal mental health

PANDAS Foundation gives support to people coping with Pre and Postnatal Mental Illnesses, as well as their families, friends and carers.

Tommy’s: Getting help and support with mental health

Royal College of Psychiatrists: Mental health in pregnancy

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gyaecologists: Patient Information

SANDS: The stillbirth and neonatal death charity

For pregnancy partners and dads:

National Childbirth Trust: Postnatal depression in dads: 10 things you should know

Fathers Reaching Out

Depression as a new dad

Dads Matter UK

Father’s network

For nutrition guidance, we advise that you speak with your doctor first and qualified nutritionists who specialise in pregnancy nutrition. Here are some useful resources:

The NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy

Tommy’s: Nutrition in pregnancy

WHO: Nutrition and pregnancy

British Nutrition Foundation: nutrition for Pregnancy

We have partnered with Smart Cells to offer cord blood collection services at The Kensington Wing. The umbilical cord is a rich source of valuable cells. The placenta is collected after birth, banked and used in the future to manage over 85 diseases and conditions. Trained phlebotomists can collect the precious cord blood sample from your baby’s umbilical cord in a completely safe and non-invasive way, to ensure that your child has a potential lifeline if they ever need it. Find out more.

After the birth of your baby, a team of professionals including midwives, maternity support workers, physiotherapists and specialist consultants (obstetricians and paediatricians) will be available to provide you with the care and support that you and your baby need.

Your baby’s routine postnatal check will be carried out by one of our experienced neonatal consultants, who will always be happy to answer any questions you might have.

The midwives you have come to know on your journey through pregnancy will be on hand, together with maternity support workers, to provide essential advice and tips, from help with bathing and changing your baby to feeding support. The team will also be there to support you in developing a close mother-baby relationship.

They will be available 24 hours a day to ensure that both you and your baby are comfortable, and to provide any guidance you may need.

Our care does not stop when you leave hospital. We offer an exclusive community postnatal package, providing you with continuity of care at times that suit you. This includes a dedicated visit at home from a midwife within 48 hours after you leave hospital. Please note this is subject to meeting catchment area criteria.

Community Postnatal Package

We offer a bespoke community postnatal package to accompany you during the first months postpartum. This package will include up to five midwife visits to support you as you transition into parenthood. The following visits are included as a minimum:

• A visit 24 hours after leaving The Kensington Wing
• A visit around day five, when we will do your baby’s heel prick test and weigh the baby
• Two flexible visits, as required, between days 10–14 as you and your baby transition to continued care from your local health visitor

During all your visits, the midwife will:

• Check your baby’s weight
• Offer important breastfeeding or bottle-feeding support for those first few days and weeks at home
• Offer flexibility with the timing of your postnatal visits, so they can fit in seamlessly with your routine
• Provide midwife visits to provide you with the benefits of continuity of care. We are able to take as much time at your appointment as needed to support you in your transition back into life at home with your new baby.

Should you not wish to continue your community postnatal care privately we can refer you back to the NHS postnatal community service.

Book your postnatal community midwife visits

Congratulations on the arrival of your new little one! As your baby reaches 6-8 weeks old, and following a lot of growing, it’s time to repeat the newborn physical examination.

This newborn examination is an important assessment of your baby’s health and development and by attending you are ensuring your baby receives the best possible care and support. It offers a second chance to assess for any problems or concerns that may have not been apparent at the initial check. It is also a great opportunity for you to speak to an expert about any other questions you may have regarding feeding, sleeping or vaccinations, and anything else baby related.

During this assessment, the consultant paediatrician will perform a comprehensive head-to-toe examination including checking skin, eyes, breathing, heart rate, oxygen saturations, hips and genitalia along with an age-appropriate developmental assessment. If a problem is identified during the examination, the paediatrician will discuss this with you and provide any necessary advice or referrals.

If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to speak to your paediatrician, midwife or doctor.

Every patient experiences pregnancy differently, so we provide a 1 to 1 physiotherapy assessment with a women’s health physiotherapist who will see you after the birth to give you advice on personalised exercises. You are likely to experience aches and pains during and after pregnancy. Your pelvic floor muscles, bladder and bowels may alter. Your body will also need time to recover following a C-section.

After giving birth on the NHS you can choose to pay and upgrade to an amenity room for a small fee, giving you all the peace and quiet you need to aid in your recovery.

For the ultimate luxury experience you can pay to upgrade to the Kensington Wing, post delivery, in which you will have access to the following:

• Private room with en-suite bathroom facilities
• Flatscreen TV with Freeview
• Wireless internet access
• Daily newspaper
• Meals created by our chef exclusively for our Kensington Wing patients

Rest assured, you will continue to receive your care through our dedicated NHS teams throughout your stay.

To find out more, or to make a reservation, please call 020 3315 8616.