Yeah, save your PILs 50-60k and go public. At least you'll be able to do more what you want, AND have unlimited access to her afterwards, for me, a match point.
As you know, my experience at PMH was far from the horrors I expected. Pre and post care(in hospital) were great, 90% of staff were great, and if you don't mind crying babies all around you for a day or two, I really don't see the downside for a natural delivery there.
I've been to TWAH quite a few times, and my husband stayed there for surgery for a few days. Their 5 bedrooms are more cramped than the public wards(by half), the single rooms are ok(there is more than one i thought), but not luxurious in any way, but right next to the nursery. The food is indeed vegetarian, is expensive and tastes disgusting(pmh waaaay better). The staff I came across was ok, not great, not terrible, but the public servants did speak more English for sure. The doctors are blood suckers(but I think that of most privates I have experienced here) and will charge your for unnecessary things.
It's a heck of a lot of money to spend for something that you are unsure of, regardless of who is footing the bill.
Oh, and you wondered where all the money went there. I'd have a look at the cars in the parking lot. The money clearly goes in the docs pockets
Whatever you decide, just know that it's only for a couple of days and that the end result is a healthy baby. You will most likely get over everything else when you bring home your little girl.
Y'know, actually none of what I'm concerned about has anything to do with how comfortable the hospital is. I don't care how hard the beds are or how yucky/good the food is because in my mind, all those things can be overcome. (And in labor with my first, I couldn't eat at all I was so nauseous so food didn't have much importance to me--afterward, my husband brought me food that was yummy). I do, however, care about the amount of true respect that's shown to me as the one in labor and my husband. I do care that my wishes are followed (barring true medical emergencies--and of course we've adjusted for those in our birth plan). Because, giving birth to me, isn't "just another medical procedure." I think I could give birth in a barn on a stack of hay (like my ancestors were doing, ha!) But, it's definitely more of a philosophy about what birth is for me.
Yes, of course, everyone's goal is a healthy outcome for mother and child but from my own experience, I believe that the best way to ensure that for me and my child is to do things the way I've prepared to do them. It works. I've experienced it. I do have the advantage of this being my second birth so I'm not just dealing with theoretical concepts here. The evidence is there.
So, I don't care about crying babies or things like that--but in order for me to make it through childbirth the way that it needs to be done, I do need certain non-negotiables--maybe totally fine for other people to compromise--but to me, these are extremely important--just as important as rooming-in or breastfeeding are to some people, honestly. These non-negotiables (and I'll repeat again--everything changes in a true emergency--but often true emergencies can be avoided by not messing with the birth process in the first place) are:
-My husband is with me for the entire labor and birth--not only is he my birth coach, he is my advocate--I refuse to be left in the hands of doctors whom I don't know (and they may be the best in the world) without someone to speak on my behalf while I'm in labor. He is my security and my sense of calm and just as much a part of this baby-making and birthing process as I am.
-I will not be strapped down to a bed and tethered to a fetal heart monitor or IV (which my doctor admitted to me the other day--when the heart monitor shows that the baby is doing well it means the baby is well but if it shows any signs of distress the statistics show that the heart monitor is usually wrong 50% of the time--those are some sad odds, I'm afraid for a machine that many doctors put their full faith in).
-I will not be forced to give birth in a position that is not conducive to actually birthing a child (lying on your back) but is instead convenient for hospital staff. It's not rocket science to "catch a baby" when the woman is in an upright position. I mean, heck, my husband, who is not a medical professional "caught" my son when he was born--there isn't much too it. So, basically, the staff needs to adjust to what works for me--not the other way around--especially when the position they prefer is known to increase my incidence of complications--why do something that is unhealthy for mom and baby just because it's "traditional" (actually, giving birth upright has a far longer history around the world) and convenient for hospital staff (because they can sit on their nice little stool and don't have to actually move out of their comfort zone--I mean, heck, if I'm the one going through the discomfort of childbirth, the least they can do is be "inconvenienced" a bit)
-I will not be bullied or manipulated into inducing or augmenting labor just because a doctor pulls out the "fetal distress" card (which has a 50% chance of being wrong anyway). I will not be pushed to take medication--instead I need staff that respect and stand by me in my decision.
-I will not be put under stress because of arbitrary time limits. I realize that HK is a busy place and that maybe someone is waiting for my bed but, they'll just have to wait. Birth is something that should NEVER be rushed (and I'll repeat for the third time, except in case of true emergencies but again, sometimes it's hard to tell which came first--the intervention or the emergency--there is clear clinical evidence showing that interventions increase the risk of emergencies). It is absolutely counter-productive to the physiological requirements of labor (relaxation so that the body can dilate and open up etc.) to put a proverbial stopwatch in front of a woman's face while she's in labor.
So, for this reason, I honestly plan to arrive at the hospital as the baby is emerging from my body. There's not much they can do at that point except allow the baby to be born and then manage any bleeding I might have. I guess it will be win-win then
