 The Birth Company is a leading London Women's Pregnancy and Childbirth clinic, specializing in obstetrics from single scans to full specialist pregnancy care and general gynaecology care. The practice has the added benefit of having a highly qualified complementary therapy team. Counselling services are available. We have a state of the art GE Voluson 3D/4D ultrasound machine.
Our ethos is to enable expectant mothers to have a positive and reassuring pregnancy and childbirth experience. We are committed to promoting an environment of medical excellence and superior care, adopting a holistic approach vital during pregnancy and childbirth.
 |
Dr Donald Gibb specialises in fetal assessment performing ultrasound scans, including screening for fetal abnormalities. Dr Gibb looks after in patients at The Portland Hospital for Women and Children where he has full admitting privileges.
Dr Gibb is a full time private Obstetrician and is also Chairman of the Clinical Risk Management Committee at The Portland Hospital. |
Dr Gibb's philosophy is to offer Choice in Childbirth with high quality care. Clients have an informed choice of how to deliver and where to deliver. Dr Gibb provides antenatal care and ultrasound scans at The Birth Company Clinic at Harley Street.
Dr Gibb supervises births at The Portland Hospital for Women and Children, Great Portland Street, London. He also provides back up advice for women delivering at home and second opinion for those delivering in NHS hospitals.
Dr Gibb is a full time private Obstetrician. He does not have commitments in another hospital which could compromise his availability for his clients. Dr Gibb has two experienced colleagues with whom he collaborates and who provide cover for him during his rare absences.
Your first consultation which often includes an ultrasound scan will last for one hour. Dr Gibb will discuss your needs and how the care is organised. Follow up consultations last for 20-30 minutes. Your blood will be taken at 12 weeks or later if necessary for standard pregnancy blood tests. For information about scans please click here.
You will be given advice and a book about nutrition and exercise. You will be given a gestation calculator (disc) which permits you to plan the dates of your continuing pregnancy at a glance. You can disuss travel plans in the light of this. You will have the opportunity to ask questions. We will discuss antenatal classes with you.
 Dr Gibb will undertake the ultra-sound scans and antenatal consultations. The principal scans will be at 12, 22 and 37 weeks. You will be offered three photographs and a DVD recording of the scan. Non-scan consultations will be at 18, 26, 30, 32, 34 weeks and weekly (if it is your first baby) from 36 weeks. As Dr Gibb has the scanning facility in his consulting room a scan can be offered at any time. He will ask you if you want a high-tech or low-tech examination, this is your choice.
We are starting to offer increased midwifery input to our package for those who would like this option. This might be at 18 weeks for full booking and registration, at 28 weeks for a mid-pregnancy review and at 38 weeks to discuss various midwifery aspects including infant feeding. These checks will be by the same midwife who will also do the birth preparation class with Dr Gibb.
Your blood pressure, urine test and tummy assessment will be performed at each visit. We do not routinely weigh women but they can be weghed if so desired. You will also be encouraged to attend antenatal classes with the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), the Portland Hospital or various independent childbirth educators.
Dr Gibb organises an antenatal class for first time mothers and their partners at about 36 weeks gestaton in the clinic on a Saturday.This complements the other classes and personalises the preparation.
During the antenatal period contact can be made with Dr Gibb via his practice number, which is open Monday-Saturday for appointments. You will also be given his mobile phone number, which can be used in emergencies and out of hours. Dr Gibb prefers to receive text messages for non-urgent matters but you are welcome to telephone in an emergency
 Dr Gibb will expect to attend at the beginning of labour, during labour at intervals and certainly during the late stage of labour and the birth. There are some women who have particular needs because of a previous traumatic birth experience. If this results in a need for Dr Gibb to plan a continuous presence in labour, this will be discussed in advance. There would be a cost implication of this.
If Dr Gibb has any planned absence for more than one day you will be informed of this early in the pregnancy. A colleague will always be arranged to cover this event. Dr Gibb will visit you postnatally in the hospital and there will be one postnatal visit six weeks after delivery at Harley Street. He can also provide routine gynaecological care to the non-pregnant woman. This is usually for a well-woman check, cervical smears and family planning advice.
We will ask for your telephone contact numbers, particularly a mobile number. The only reason that Dr Gibb may not be able to attend a consultation will be because another patient is in labour and close to delivery. We will always try to inform you of this. We are very flexible about appointments. Please call us if a time does not suit and you want to change it. We provide early evening appointments, some early morning appointments and some Saturday appointments.
The Portland Hospital for Women and Children provides care for about 2000 women giving birth per year. The Portland Hospital has a special care baby unit with a paediatric resident medical officer. It has a resident obstetric medical officer and a resident anaesthetic consultant. The operating theatre is opened at very short notice. Higher risk women can be taken at The Portland Hospital including those expecting twins. The overall caesarean section rate at The Portland Hospital is about 46% but this reflects the practice of about 150 consultants. Many of these consultants spend much of their time in busy NHS practice.
Dr Gibb takes his philosophy of choice to The Portland as a full time private obstetrician. On one occasion he performed a waterbirth of twins there. There is no fixed water pool at The Portland Hospital but arrangements can be made to hire a portable one. Women who need the reassurance of full medical back up are better at The Portland Hospital. However The Portland Hospital does not offer maternal intensive care and occasional cases require to be transferred to an NHS Unit. There is a limited midwifery led service at The Portland.
Obstetrics care charges (please contact for specific costs)
The Birth Company is introducing a new price structure for full care during pregnancy for couples with babies born on or after 1st January 2006. These are structured as packages of care.
The package includes:
- Antenatal scans (8, 12, 22, 36 weeks)-
- Antenatal appointments (12,16, 22, 26, 30, 33, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 40+) and postnatal check.
There are fewer appointments if not first pregnancy.
- Antenatal Blood Tests
- 1 Complementary Therapy session
- 1 Antenatal Couples Class (first babies only)
- Delivery Fee (any mode of delivery)
- Mr Gibb's mobile telephone support
Not included:
- Hospital Fees (antenatal or delivery)
- Paediatrician Fees
- Anaesthetist Fees
Clients in other circumstances will be considered on an individual basis. Dr Gibb is happy to provide antenatal care for women planning to return home to another country to give birth. They are charged on an itemised basis.
Please note that hospital charges are invoiced separately by the hospital.
This also applies to the Anaethetist and Paediatric fees.
For more information about our services or our fees e-mail or call us.
*Please mention The Newborn Network when contacting.
BACK TO TOP OF THE PAGE 
|
