More advice about Hospitals

[staceycolyer]

Hi again! Well, I am now 7 and a half weeks along. My first OBGYN appointment is only next week, later than I expected it to be because of hospitals getting booked up quickly. I was told that I would be given forms to fill in at my first appointment to choose a hospital. I am still really worried about not getting into the hospital I wanted to. We are intending to go to a private hospital, and had initially thought of Matilda. However, if we can't get into Matilda then I am not sure at all about which hospital to choose. Can anyone recommend private hospitals, or give any further advice about hospital bookings as late as 8 weeks. (although I did hear that most hospitals will only take a booking at 9 weeks, so maybe I won't be too late...fingers crossed!)

Thanks in advance for all info and advice.

 

[Dink]

Hi there - I am sure you will be absolutely fine and get the hospital of your choice. I don't think the Matilda takes bookings til 9 weeks anyway, so that's perfect timing for you. Others can share their experiences with the private hospitals (I'm going public, which is also okay), but if you're worrying about it you can always call a couple and take a look around - this is what I did when I was deciding where to go, then you can ask all the questions you want and get some reassurance that the place suits your needs. You will be fine, relax and enjoy it ;-)

 

[LeahH]

A month ago I was booked into Matilda at 9 weeks and was confirmed immediately (last time around I was waitlisted for ages, but all was ok in the end). My Obgyn delivers there regularly which I understand is a factor. I would highly recommend Matilda - it was a wonderful experience giving birth there.

 

[aussiegal]

I loved the Matilda and have booked in again for my next delivery. Months after checking out from there I used to fantasise about going back just for a night to be taken care of!

Another hospital that gets a good rap on that side of HK is the Adventist.

But I've heard the food at the Matilda is way better:haha:

 

[happyvalleygirl]

LeahH - How long were you waitlisted at Matilda? My OBY sent my forms at 8 weeks and I am placed on the waitlist. Did you sign up at any other hospital in the meantime? Did you receive your deposit back (if any paid)?

:thanks

 

[MLBW]

By the time I got to booking a room it was 8 weeks and I was told that the hospital I wanted had no empty spots. So, we decided that I would go back to my home country to give birth which required quite a bit of effort and planning but in the end was the best experience I could have hoped for.

Isn't it true that in HK to give birth in one of the private hospitals you have to have paid the amount in full before you give birth? Because the hospitals require bookings for your due date does that also put pressure on your doctor to make sure you go into labor on that day--in other words--to always use induction if you don't go into labor before your due date?

I'm interested to know how the private (and public) hospitals deal with women who don't go into labor until after their due date? What is the protocol. In my home country the general rule is that you are given a week after that and if not they try to convince you to be induced for the safety of the baby.

 

[rachelgurr]

Hi MLBW

I gave birth at the Baptist hospital in Kowloon Tong. My doctor was willing to let me go 2 weeks overdue, there was no pressure to be induced - but in the end I was only 2 days over. Maybe this depends upon your doctor but I'm not sure.

The Baptist is a private hospital, and we just had to pay a deposit (of $6,000) to secure our place. Again I'm not sure if this changes from hospital to hospital. I would definitely recommend visiting the hospital to help make up your mind - I found that it was very reassuring to know what to expect and to ask questions ;-)

I had a great experience at the Baptist, the staff were fantastic and I definitely wouldn't think twice about going there again. Hope this helps

Staceycolyer good luck and I hope you get the bed you want xx

 

[LeahH]

We didn't have to pay any sort of deposit upon booking at the Matilda. Last time around I was waitlisted for a few months (bit nerve wracking) and had a confirmed booking at Adventist to fall back on (again, no deposit required).

 

[MLBW]

Hi MLBW

I gave birth at the Baptist hospital in Kowloon Tong. My doctor was willing to let me go 2 weeks overdue, there was no pressure to be induced - but in the end I was only 2 days over. Maybe this depends upon your doctor but I'm not sure.

The Baptist is a private hospital, and we just had to pay a deposit (of $6,000) to secure our place. Again I'm not sure if this changes from hospital to hospital. I would definitely recommend visiting the hospital to help make up your mind - I found that it was very reassuring to know what to expect and to ask questions ;-)

I had a great experience at the Baptist, the staff were fantastic and I definitely wouldn't think twice about going there again. Hope this helps

Staceycolyer good luck and I hope you get the bed you want xx

So, you paid a $6,000 deposit. What about the balance? Did you pay it off over time?

What was the Baptist like? Was continual fetal monitoring and an IV drip inserted a requirement? Did you have induction or augmentation (where they give pitocin or another drug to "speed up" contractions)?

The reason why I ask is that I gave birth to my son completely naturally--not an ounce of pain killer. Also, my husband and mother both attended the birth and were able to take an active role--they were my "coaches"--my husband helped "catch" my son and cut his umbilical cord. In my birth plan, I said that I wanted to be free of the continual fetal monitoring so that I could move about and also I chose to keep hydrated by drinking water. The hospital's policy was that I for every hour I needed to have the CFM device on for 15 minutes--and that was a compromise I could live with. Is this sort of thing possible at the Baptist?

I also was in labor for 43 hours (painful, 10-minutes apart or less contractions) and was in hard labor for 6 hours and very hard labor for 50 minutes before my son was born. How is the Baptist for time constraints in the event that a woman's labor is long (not talking about distress here--just a long healthy labor).

I am really curious to know how it really plays out here.

 

[MLBW]

We didn't have to pay any sort of deposit upon booking at the Matilda. Last time around I was waitlisted for a few months (bit nerve wracking) and had a confirmed booking at Adventist to fall back on (again, no deposit required).

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am just curious about how the payment actually takes place. When do you have to have your doctor and hospital fees paid? Pre-birth, post-birth? What is the time limit? I have really been wanting to know this.

Part (a huge part) of the reason why we chose to give birth in my home country is that the payment options were varied. We didn't have to give any down payment and interest-free financing was available. Also, the hospital we gave birth at runs a midwifery program staffed by nurse midwives so we didn't have to pay a doctor's fee and their fee was a lot less--and they were EXCELLENT!

In addition, as the hospital is run by a Catholic charity, we submitted our financial data and received a 20% discount on the price of hospital fees in relation to our income.