liesliefu, whoever gave you that advice at Annerley SHOULD BE SHOT! I would be ropeable if that had happened to me and my baby, AND although I wouldn't be able to do anything in a legal sense that person would have had a big piece of my mind. Hope everything is okay now with you and the bubs.
34 weeks and want to change hopsptial & OB, would like to hear some advice
- Thread starter dressuphk
- Start date
If the mother has a HKID the public hospital in her catchment area has to make room, so no issue with 'getting a spot'.
However, OP, if you do go the public route you will not know who your doctor is before delivery, and depending on how busy the hospital is at the time there may be little accommodation for your birth plan. If they are less busy there will be more resources to accommodate your particular requests, but you won't know until you get there. My secretary recently delivered in the public system and her birth plan, which was in her file, was set aside entirely during the delivery, neither the OB nor midwives even looked at it as the maternity ward was very busy at the time. Not trying to scare, but you should be aware of how things might go.
I must also say that I am very surprised that Dr. Mok said "no" to natural tearing, not at all how she handled the issue when i discussed it with her (although i am not Asian, i am tiny). She simply gave me the facts, pros and cons of each approach, asked my preference. The squatting issue is actual hospital policy and she may have just been communicating that to you. As others have noted, only a couple hospitals in HK accommodate that position for delivery. Not saying its right, it is just how it goes here.
Thanks mummy moo! All is fine now...she's got delays here and there, but thank god she is with us. On a side note...it tok me three full months to get my babies records from Matikda and I had to go all the way to the top cause they didn't want to release any of it, saying it was "in the system" still! Scary thinking about it inreptrospect...
If you want to avoid or minimize tearing, massaging the perineal area is a must! I wasn't very diligent about doing the perineal massages before birth, but my OB did massage it for me for most of the time I was in the late stages of labor (in the transition & pushing stages). Even though I ended up with a vacuum suction vaginal birth, I was able to avoid an episiotomy completely and I had only 1 single stitch from natural tearing (and I'm a very petite Asian). I was very adamant about not having an episiotomy and my OB was understanding of this. If your OB makes you feel uncomfortable on this subject, I would change doctors. But like others have mentioned, you have no choice in doctors at a public hospital.
If you decide to switch to public hospital, I think you can choose to go home after a 24hr observation period if you had a pretty straightforward uneventful birth (not 100% sure on this). That way, you can maximize the time spent with baby and not worry about having a private room or rooming in. You can have the option hire a midwife to do home visits once you get home to follow up with you and baby.
If you decide to switch to public hospital, I think you can choose to go home after a 24hr observation period if you had a pretty straightforward uneventful birth (not 100% sure on this). That way, you can maximize the time spent with baby and not worry about having a private room or rooming in. You can have the option hire a midwife to do home visits once you get home to follow up with you and baby.
Last edited:
Actually this is a good third option when considering public vs. private and I know several women who have been very happy delivering in the public system and leaving within a day (you have to sign some forms but they will let you leave without staying 3 days if you have had a normal/ uncomplicated delivery and going home with a private maternity nurse or other full time help, or part time visits from a midwife in their home for the first few weeks.