Pregnant - public hospital and antenatal class

[kareena]

Hi Stephanie,

Sorry for poundng you with all these questions - but it's bcoz I have no one else to ask and I can't even go and see the hospitals or anything.... I really appreciate your help.

You mentioned that the nurses give the baby a bath the first few days - however if you wanna see how it's done or actually learn to do it yourself, getting their help, I suppose that would be possible too yeah?

Also, is there a separate prenatal ward and labour ward or are they both the same? You mentioned about other mothers next to you hearing u moan and groan, so i assume they weren't in labour yet? So you were in some general ward or something..? Wondering if there is some labour ward as I've heard of that... or no such thing... basically you go straight from prenatal ward to delivery suite... ??

Also, where was your husband when you were in the ward... coz if they allow him in as soon as u enter the delivery suite, then he shud be somewhere around yeah? But since u were in the hospital few days before that, ofcourse he cant be waiting around outside to be there as soon as u enter the delivery room... so how did that work?

One thing I'm uneasy about is there being no doctor with u while u were in labour, and esp during your delivery. You were totally alone while in labour and that really scares me! I NEED someone there as i've never been thru this in my life!!! I heard of this girl who delivered in Kwong Wah and she said her doctor was with her the entire time - in the labour ward and in the delivery room too even though there were a few idle moments... so atleast thats quite assuring; however, I know each person's experience is different and whether I deliver in KW or QE its not guaranteed that I'll have the same experience as either of u yeah... So basically I cant use that to help me make my decision yea??

Thanks Stephanie.

Oh and about the breastfeeding meetings - sounds quite good actually. I'm gonna try to make it for the meetings... I dont havta register or anything yea??

 

[stephchoy]

Hi Stephanie,

Sorry for poundng you with all these questions - but it's bcoz I have no one else to ask and I can't even go and see the hospitals or anything.... I really appreciate your help.

**Don't mention it. I'm glad to be of help.

You mentioned that the nurses give the baby a bath the first few days - however if you wanna see how it's done or actually learn to do it yourself, getting their help, I suppose that would be possible too yeah?

**Well, at the classes in the afternoon, they demonstrated a baby being washed. I didn't really ask to wash the babies being washed in the morning so don't know if they allow that. You could try asking if that's possible.

Also, is there a separate prenatal ward and labour ward or are they both the same? You mentioned about other mothers next to you hearing u moan and groan, so i assume they weren't in labour yet? So you were in some general ward or something..? Wondering if there is some labour ward as I've heard of that... or no such thing... basically you go straight from prenatal ward to delivery suite... ??

**i was in the maternity ward before I went into labour and then came back to the same ward afterwards as well. There is no separate prenatal ward. So the other mothers I mentioned were either those waiting to go into labour or those who had already delivered their babies. As I said, I was expecting to get into the delivery suite earlier. But not sure exactly when they wheel you into suite. You could check with the nurses on this.

Also, where was your husband when you were in the ward... coz if they allow him in as soon as u enter the delivery suite, then he shud be somewhere around yeah? But since u were in the hospital few days before that, ofcourse he cant be waiting around outside to be there as soon as u enter the delivery room... so how did that work?

**well, they usually take down your husband's mobile phone no. and will definitely contact him when you enter the delivery room. since we'd been waiting so long already, my husband mistakenly thought that i wouldn't be giving birth so soon and he went back to his parent's place which was 10 minutes walk away. by the time he rushed back, i was almost done and he had to fight his way into the delivery room. they let him in just as the baby was being cleaned. So i'd recommend your husband stick around the hospital and not go traipsing off like mine did!

One thing I'm uneasy about is there being no doctor with u while u were in labour, and esp during your delivery. You were totally alone while in labour and that really scares me! I NEED someone there as i've never been thru this in my life!!! I heard of this girl who delivered in Kwong Wah and she said her doctor was with her the entire time - in the labour ward and in the delivery room too even though there were a few idle moments... so atleast thats quite assuring; however, I know each person's experience is different and whether I deliver in KW or QE its not guaranteed that I'll have the same experience as either of u yeah... So basically I cant use that to help me make my decision yea??

sorry, i didn't make that clear. i wasn't alone. there were a few midwives there guiding me through the process and they are just as qualified as the doctors are.

Thanks Stephanie.

Oh and about the breastfeeding meetings - sounds quite good actually. I'm gonna try to make it for the meetings... I dont havta register or anything yea??

**nope, you don't have to register. just show up.

 

[nycschatzi]

My friends had excellent experiences with Annerly. I went there for a prenatal "topics" class and was similarly impressed. Congratulations on impending motherhood!

 

[hkgirl]

I gave birth at QE and got great treatment (except for the 7 tries it took to put in my intravenous tube). There was a lactation specialist for a personal consultation and I breastfed exclusively with the nurses help and contacting the LLL through e-mail for other advice. I was in for 2 nights (I wanted to leave early) and while the ward is huge with just curtains between each mom (and lots of crying babies) I think it was better than paying thousands of dollars at a private hospital. They took my daughter for baths after she was born and each morning. You can go for demonstations for bathing and other things. I heard that they are only in Cantonese, but you can watch and learn if you only speak English. The visiting hours are horrible, only 5-8pm each day, but it makes sense as you wouldn't want men walking around all the time when you are breastfeeding and in pajamas and it's also best to keep babies safest from being kidnapped. All the staff spoke English, but hardly any of the moms did, and they followed my birthplan during delivery exactly, even though some of it went against their regular policies (ie. I didn't want an episiotomy even though it was my first baby as I did kegels and perineal massage to prepare and avoid severe tearing). The delivery staff were very friendly and helpful. Only one nurse in the antenatal ward was very abrasive and after I told her to say things in a nicer way, her attitude improved a little.
You only had to bring baby diapers and a few other things to QE (they give you a list), but I know lots of public hospitals even make you bring your own plastic sheets to give birth on!!! I'm not sure if Kwong Wah is like that or not. I had all my prenatal check-ups at QE and while it's a little crazy with all these women lined up with pee in a cup (compared to the privacy in Canada), it's efficient and the waits seem to get shorter and shorter the further along you are.
Anyway, that's my experience and overall I was very happy with the care at QE and would recommend it to anyone.
P.S. I had to go in for a D&C at QE after the delivery (when my daughter was 6 weeks old). They put me in a private room all day and allowed my mom to stay and look after my daughter while I was in surgery. I really appreciated them allowing that as I don't think they usually do.

 

[Valencia]

I had my baby in Kwong Wah, which is high commended by local moms. I had been to Kwong Wah and QE before for other occasions other than childbirth. Personally, I don't like QE for their long queuing up time, tasteless and hard to chew food complained by my mom, and the doctor's attitude after my mom's death, and their very large wards. Kwong Wah, however, gave me a very pleasant experience for antenatal checkups and delivery. They are well known for their caring attitudes and good manners, and they support breastfeeding, though their nurses may be inexperienced and unable to help, since I had a blocked duct and ended up feeding formula.

I was given a bed soon after I had finished filling up the form. My only complaint was the female doctor who looked after me before childbirth was inexperienced and impatient, underestimated my pain from contractions and delivery time, thinking I was too nervous, and talking to a nurse in English about the woman lying next to me about her coming in too early without any sign of childbirth, since she's a mainlander and didn't understand English. After my child's birth, another more experienced doctor did only a few stitches to sew my wound and I was the only one in the ward who didn't ask for a single paracetamol and walked like an MTR. They had many kinds of free classes for you to attend, and one obligatory one to make sure you can take care of your baby before you leave the hospital. I was in a ward for 6 (they had smaller wards but you can't choose) and the other moms were very friendly and helpful, and I slept soundly every night. I liked their food and I didn't need anybody to bring me food except snacks and fruits. I stayed for 3 nights and the bill was less than $300. Fathers are welcome during delivery if they have attended an antenatal class.

In fact, I had an insurance package of $20000 for natural delivery and I still opted for public service since I was afraid my private gyn might be late for my delivery or not in good condition.

I think QE does have a good quality delivery service judging from other moms' review, but their very large wards and large no. of people are a definite shortcoming.

 

[JennyB]

antenatal classes

Did the following search for you and have found comments on this subject in other threads.

http://www.geobaby.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117340&highlight=antenatal+classes

In addition to the praise I have given Hulda in other threads, I would also add that she prides herself in staying well informed about procedures in public hospitals. When you're checking out the alternatives, ask them about procedures in public hospitals and see how comfortable they are with the subject.