Positive Experience at Public Hospitals

[VAH]

I wanted to write about my good experiences so far with the public system in Hong Kong. When I found out I was pregnant in january I was new to HK and had no clue about medical care.
It soon became apparent our insurance would not cover all costs but after reading bout people's experiences on Geobaby I became extremely nervous about having the baby in a Public Hospital. Therefore we split our care publicly and privately and at 28 weeks I registered ( reluctentyl) with the Tsan Yuk Hosptial.
I have found the midwives there very friendly and kind. I have not had to wait for hours on end for my appointments and all the tests I have had there so far have been done with great care and consideration.
I have also been really happy with my private OBGYN Dr Dawkins and the care there has been fantastic for myself a young first time mum. I still have several weeks to go but no longer feel worried about delivering at the Queen mary Hosptial and hope that other people at the beginning of their pregnancy who are unsure what to do don't get totally put of. I understand that people have had bad experiences but I wanted people to know that its not all bad! Had I been having the baby in the UK I would not be having any kind of private care and I feel very lucky to have had that opportunity here.
Fingers crossed I haven't spoken too soon!
:baby:

 

[carang]

when you pack your bag for the hospital, please remember two things...
1) ear plugs!
2) eyepatch for sleeping!

i was in for a total of 4 times covering almost 5 weeks... these are two things i couldn't live without!

oh yeah and if your hubby luvs you at all he will bring you food for lunch and dinner....it was beyond horrible...

ps. if you take a box of dry cereal, a bowl and a spoon, they will provide milk in the mornings... i also had hubby bring me bananas for my cereal.

 

[JennyB]

I found the lunch and dinner to be fine, but could not stomach the salty congee for breakfast! So bringing cereal is a good idea. It's also good to separate your luggage into small bags: one bag for stuff you want in the delivery room, another bag for things you will not need until the postnatal ward. One big bag won't fit into the lockers.

If you give birth on a clear day there is a fantastic view over the sea from QMH!

I gave birth there last month to my second baby - and also used Dawkins for antenatal checkups incidentally. I found them more receptive to "unorthodox" requests than last time. Perhaps they are getting more used to crazy foreigners making odd requests! They even provided a yoga mat since I expressed an interest in labouring in different positions. I asked for my baby to be passed to me immediately after the birth both times - last time they said no, they had procedures to follow first, whereas this time there was no problem.

Last but not least, the bill was only $150! I only stayed one night - it would be $250 if you stay two nights. I have also heard people who have given birth in UK NHS hospitals compare their HK public hospital experience favourably. Nurses are friendlier here, and they don't have the chronic shortage of beds.

 

[DRW]

Hi,

Me too given birth at Queen Mary for my baby last year. It was OK. And I did all my checkups at Tsan Yuk and MCHC. I found the doctors and nurses were nice. But you have a lot of patient for waiting your number got called.

This is my good memory in there:

- The nurses is very efficient (I was arrived at 3 am in the morning) and you gonna have few doctors check you up. But they will not entertain you so much if you only just have a few openings.

- If you are not eating meat, you can tell the nurses when you check in (but my hubby brought me a lot of food for my lunch and dinner) unfortunately the pains just too much I couldn't enjoyed any of them.

- They really help for breastfeeding mother, really encourage you to do it. That's what I loved about them.

- The baby care unit is really excellent.

I got the sea view when I was given birth to my boy, but was soo busy to hold my 'push' apprently the docs said I was in 4 opening and not allowed to push. But can felt the baby head moved down, so after 19 mins in the labour room my boy came out and just realised that I got the sea view room, hehehe.

I think you just need to be positive thinking and hope that everything will be OK. For me public hospital here far more better than the one in my original country and the staff give you a good attention from labour until your baby born.

:burnout:

 

[carang]

i'm glad that there are positive experiences, it gives me hope after the horrorsstories i've experienced, not just heard!

 

[geiboyi]

Yes, it is reassuring, as I'll be going through it again soon enough. I'm glad to hear some things (like moving around in labour) are changing - I spent 16 hours on my back, not even 'allowed' to turn onto my side (of course now I know better and wioll not let myself be bullied so much...). The seaview is fantastic, I could practically see my house (on an island) from the window .

About the food - not only is it vile, but really, what am I expected to do with a bowl of congee at 6 in the morning? The cereal is a great idea. Apparently the staff will microwave stuff for you if you ask (although I wouldn't have dared - everyone seemed to be busy enough without dealing with special meal requests). Think next time I will order pizza for meals.

 

[VAH]

I had heard the food wasn't too good! I will keep that in mind! Thank you for all your other advice.

 

[elaine]

What do I need to pack into the bag for delivery room vs the one for post natal? Just want to make sure I don't miss anything.... thanks.

 

[cristletips]

I didnt need anything in the delivery room. I stayed in the gowns they provided.

the breakfast was pretty undesirable, but that's if you don't like congee. I brought my own instant oatmeal packs which were great.

And I sure loved the fruit they brought! I kept asking for seconds, I couldnt get enough of the oranges and apples.

Don't forget your own towel too for when you take a shower, or else you might be using a hand towel.

If I give birth in the public hosptial again, I'd stay more than the 2 days. Even though I couldnt wait to get home, it is great that they look after your baby and let you catch up on sleep. I should have listened to my mom on that bit of advice!

 

[elaine]

Thanks. I'll definitely bring instant cereal for breakfast.