I recently gave birth to a baby girl at the adventist hospital, and would like to share my story with anyone considering giving birth there. If you can, book another hospital, as there is a chance that you could be separated from your baby during your stay. Due to overcrowding, if they run our of rooms on the maternity floor, they will put you in the surgical ward on a different floor. This means that you will be on the 5th floor, while your baby is in the nursery on the 2nd floor. Hospital policy means that babies are not allowed off the 2nd floor for security reasons. If, like me, you have to have a c-section, you basically won't see your baby for the first 24 hours, since you can't get out of bed, and your baby can't come up to your room. Those first 24 hours was the longest day of my life, and I could not stop crying. What really made me angry was that at the time of booking, they did NOT mention that there was a possibility I might be separated from my baby. If I had known then, I would not have booked at the adventist and I would have chosen a different hospital.
Avoid Adventist hospital
- Thread starter pookey
- Start date
I almost had the same experience in last Aug. Luckily I finally booked Matilda as advised by my OG. He asked me to consider the risk of overbooking there as Adventist accepts overbooking. There was an incident happened before that ppl ended up got transferred to Queen Mary (public hospital) due to run out of rooms!
I had my baby at Matilda and although for the first night we couldn't stay on the maternity ward we stayed on a ward a couple of floors below. However they did let my baby stay with us and we still had midwives come down to see us.I wonder why Adventist wouldn't allow the same thing...would the security be very different at Matilda?
Chinchilla
Registered User
When a hospital says that it isn't allowed for security reasons it isn't talking about a danger to either mother or baby but rather a danger of the mother skipping out with the baby without paying.
After all the baby is safest with the mother in her room when the mother can keep an eye on her for all security (and infection control) reasons.
I noticed that many of these rules about babies needing to stay in the nursery and not being allowed in the mother's room started when the number of mainland mothers having babies here increased.
If a Hong Kong mother left the hospital without paying it might be a hassle for the hospital to get their money but they probably would in the end. But if a mainland mother ran away to China how would the hospital get its money?
After all the baby is safest with the mother in her room when the mother can keep an eye on her for all security (and infection control) reasons.
I noticed that many of these rules about babies needing to stay in the nursery and not being allowed in the mother's room started when the number of mainland mothers having babies here increased.
If a Hong Kong mother left the hospital without paying it might be a hassle for the hospital to get their money but they probably would in the end. But if a mainland mother ran away to China how would the hospital get its money?
Hi
I had a emergency c-section in Matilda 3 months ago and I was in the ICU on another floor for 48 hours. During this 48 hours they still bring my baby to see me 1st thing after I came out of the operating threatre and the midwife came and visit me every 3 hours with the baby for his feed.
If anyone wants the baby to be with you Matilda is the best hospital.
I had a emergency c-section in Matilda 3 months ago and I was in the ICU on another floor for 48 hours. During this 48 hours they still bring my baby to see me 1st thing after I came out of the operating threatre and the midwife came and visit me every 3 hours with the baby for his feed.
If anyone wants the baby to be with you Matilda is the best hospital.
babymommy2
Registered User
That is really awlful. the sucessful Bf rates there must be bad. What a tough start to BF if the baby is getting bottles for 24 hours, and mom can even see the baby. If you were on the maternity ward would your baby be with you or in a nursery? What is the usual practise in hong kong?
carang
Registered User
i had a c-section at QMH under general anesthesia (where you are completely asleep), and I, too, wasn't able to seem my baby for 24 hrs as she was upstairs in the special care ward. when they finally brought her down about 30 hours after she was born, i was able to successfully start breastfeeding without any trouble at all. (remember, it's colustrum in the first few days anyway.) she was bf exclusively for the first 6 months.
then again, it was my second baby, so i knew what i was doing.
then again, it was my second baby, so i knew what i was doing.
The usual practice for public hospital in HK is that, your baby can stay with you right after you give birth naturally. However, I visited few of my friends who gave birth in private hospital and found that their babies stayed in a centralised nursing room at all times. Mothers were only given 4 times a day (set schedule!) to breastfeed in a room together. Other than that, if they want to visit their baby they can only see the babies through the window by presenting a card (with a number), then the nurse will put the baby trolley by the window for visiting. I went to Baptist hospital in KLN last time & I found that there were a lot of babies (at least 80) in a cetralised nursing room! I wonder how the mother starts the BF to the babies by only given 4 times a day!!!???
I stayed in Matilda & I found the arrangement was perfectly well! They have enough resources to take care your baby , check your status and one-to-one teaching on BF / lactation.