In-patient experience for baby in public system - how much time do you get to visit?
- Thread starter gzdad
- Start date
Please update us!So, the facts:
- You can breast feed your child from 10am to 8pm. Form 10am to 3pm you have to wait outside and you get called in when your child is hungry. From 3pm to 8pm is visiting hours, and you can sit with your child. Your husband can join you.
- They will feed your child EMB over night provided it is provided FROZEN in quantities large enough for a full feed. So if your child is taking 150ml a feed you have to provide 3 x 150ml full frozen bottles.
- While you breast feed they bring a funny curtain on wheels around to protect you from prying eyes. Which is a bit funny. They're very strict on this.
Other observations:
- The doctors and nurses at QM work as a team in the way they do not at Matilda. It means you get a more consistent message, and I had a lot more trust in the continuity of care.
- The prices for incidental things at QM are a lot less than Matilda, so the non-insurance stuff can work out at about half the price it seemed.
- The food from the canteen is OK - the BBQ stuff is the best.
- The Delice'd France in the main block has good WiFi and isn't too expensive
- The seats outside the ward are rubbish and it gets very cold
- The doctors at QM thought they'd rather over-egged it at Matilda, and substantially reduced the dosage of antibiotics and their strength.
In general, I'm incredibly glad we made the switch. I like the bossy doctors and nurses at QM - they are the professionals. I prefer it to the slightly inconsistent supplicancy at matilda. And the detail they take over the care - the quality of notes and monitoring etc. - is just miles better. We weren't paricularly impressed with the nurses at the Matilda PD ward - specially the night ones. Though, as just said, we're not experts so it may have just been sleep deprived grump that made us think that.
Anyone got any questions I can help answer?
Thanks again for your help earlier!
- You can breast feed your child from 10am to 8pm. Form 10am to 3pm you have to wait outside and you get called in when your child is hungry. From 3pm to 8pm is visiting hours, and you can sit with your child. Your husband can join you.
- They will feed your child EMB over night provided it is provided FROZEN in quantities large enough for a full feed. So if your child is taking 150ml a feed you have to provide 3 x 150ml full frozen bottles.
- While you breast feed they bring a funny curtain on wheels around to protect you from prying eyes. Which is a bit funny. They're very strict on this.
Other observations:
- The doctors and nurses at QM work as a team in the way they do not at Matilda. It means you get a more consistent message, and I had a lot more trust in the continuity of care.
- The prices for incidental things at QM are a lot less than Matilda, so the non-insurance stuff can work out at about half the price it seemed.
- The food from the canteen is OK - the BBQ stuff is the best.
- The Delice'd France in the main block has good WiFi and isn't too expensive
- The seats outside the ward are rubbish and it gets very cold
- The doctors at QM thought they'd rather over-egged it at Matilda, and substantially reduced the dosage of antibiotics and their strength.
In general, I'm incredibly glad we made the switch. I like the bossy doctors and nurses at QM - they are the professionals. I prefer it to the slightly inconsistent supplicancy at matilda. And the detail they take over the care - the quality of notes and monitoring etc. - is just miles better. We weren't paricularly impressed with the nurses at the Matilda PD ward - specially the night ones. Though, as just said, we're not experts so it may have just been sleep deprived grump that made us think that.
Anyone got any questions I can help answer?
Thanks again for your help earlier!
nicolejoy
Registered User
Glad you are having a good experience there - sounds similar to my experience a few yrs ago! My understanding re the breastmilk is - if you only can provide 100mL of breastmilk for a 150mL feed, for example, they will feed the baby the breastmilk first, and then top up with formula, is that still the case? I know the visiting hrs are probably the worst part, but I hope it's "forcing" you to rest a bit more so you're not so sleep deprived...
All the best!
All the best!