For London-based Chinese high-society ‘It Girl’ Lu Hui money is no object and the prestigious Portland Hospital is the top choice for her to give birth in.
Lu Hui’s journey is followed in BBC documentary Five Star Babies , filmed at the London-based private maternity hospital where she has her first son Lucas following in the footsteps of the Spice Girl as well as other famous names like Kate Winslet and Jerry Hall.
After mums give birth they can order champagne for their suite or even enjoy lobster
The 24-year-old, who founded brand SUKI London, isn’t ashamed to admit she’s too scared to give birth naturally and has opted for an elected and costly C-section: “I’m too scared to push my baby out, that has to hurt.”
Married to a wealthy business tycoon who runs a shipping empire out of Hong Kong, she spends thousands of pounds ensuring her delivery goes without a hitch.
From extra scans and blood tests, to several appointments with her own private consultant Shazia Malik, Lu Hui’s stay at the Portland is more like a five-star holiday than giving birth to her first child as her bill tops out at £40,000.
After having her son Lucas, Lu Hui stays in the hospital for a further four nights while she recovers from her C-section.
Lu Hui says knowing Victoria Beckham gave birth there meant it was at the top of her list: “I was Googling which is the best hospital to have a baby and The Portland is the top one that popped out.
“I know Victoria Beckham has had a baby there, she is my icon.
“When I first met my consultant she said it would cost around £20,000 but after so many scans and blood tests it’s another £10,000, so total it is 30,000.”
CEO of the hospital and a Portland mother herself, Janene Madden, says of the whole experience: “What I can advocate about here is that it is like having a holiday.
“You get to use the nursery, your baby is only brought back for feeding time, so after two or three nights here you leave here feeling really fit and well and ready to face this challenge as a new mum. It’s how it should be.”
Boasting one client who spent half a million pounds on one birth, Janene says that the hospital is willing to give their clients anything they request : “We have princesses from the middle east who deliver here quite regularly. We have celebrities and individuals of very high net worth and they used to getting what they want.
“And if they want 10 additional rooms or 20 additional rooms we will provide it. As long as that woman or husband can pay for what they are requesting we will do our best to provide that.”
The mums are served lobster and champagne if they so wish all from the comfort of a private suite.
And for Lu Hui it is exactly this sort of service she likes, and when she’s asked what she would have done if she didn’t have the money to give birth at the Portland, she laughed: “Are you kidding me? I’d have died straight away!”
Adding later: “I am kidding, if I had no money or less money than I have now I would work really hard.”
The Mirror UK
