Warning about Public Hospital 20 wk Scan!

[Shenzhennifer]

I managed to get a booking with my former obgyn at union who did my son's big scan. He is really lovely and supposedly fit me into his busy schedule bc I told the nurse the problem and how many weeks I am. She said the dr does them before 24 wks and I will be 23 and 5 days at that time. I will still think about whether to go or not, for some expert advice and experience, rather than from some random hk public midwife who may have just passed her assessment last week ( she keep telling me defensively that she passed the assessment and was qualified to Carr out such u/s).

As for my VBAC, really nervous now. I'm ok with the idea of being taken care of midwives and nurses throughout labour if I had a normal situation, but this is different. I just felt like every time I talked to public DRs (3 times) about having a VBAC, they were almost too supportive, like it would be automatically pushed onto me, but not necessarily with experienced and skilled back up medical workers, just whomever will be on duty then.
When I talked to my private doc here who I have seen a few times( he is out of Adventist) he sounded so confident and told me he would never let my labour escalate to a dangerous situation. I called TWAH yesterday and that doctor is booked up until the following month after my due date. Of course.

I just feel unsettled now that I don't really seem to have any options. Yes, I can get another scan from a wicked doctor, and I am sure the baby is fine, but that doesn't change how I now feel about the hospital, system, and how my personal labour might go.

Melodramatic, maybe, but I feel justified: this is my body, my baby and my family, and they are all serious enough for me to be dramatic.

 

[carang]

if anything, i've found the public hospitals to be overly cautious. at the first sign of any trouble they do what they think is medically necessary. if they think that a c-section is better for you and the baby, then they'll suggest you do that...strongly.

good luck with your decision. as for melodramatic, yes... but many pregnant women are... that doesn't matter. what matters is your comfort with your situation. if you are not comfortable with it and can afford alternate care, then that is probably best for you.

 

[TheQuasimother]

Glad to hear that you have an alternative.
Essentially with pregnancy and it's hormones, do whatever gives you a peace of mind.
Takes the edge out of the entire process.

 

[Liquorice]

Shenzhennifer, are you certain that you will just have whatever doctor is on duty? This is what I assumed (and what bothered me) about my delivery, but in fact as I am having a cesarian I will know who is doing the delivery (the surgeon and anesthetist) and I will get the chance to meet with them a week before, go over my history and ask them whatever questions I want etc. I did not know that this was the case until I was about 24 or 25 weeks when they set up the appointment for me. Maybe it will be similar for you with a VBAC. And if it isn't, then maybe you could try insisting that you meet with whoever is going to be doing it / on duty that day. Or insisting that a doctor is present. If you kick up enough of a fuss it might work.

 

[carang]

not, it won't be similar... you can meet your doctor for the c-section because they have scheduled it. they KNOW who the doctor is working that day. for a vaginal birth, there's no way to know when she'll go into labour, so they cannot arrange for her to meet the doctor who will be on call that day.

 

[Liquorice]

Of course. Good point.

 

[sunrays]

If it is any consolation, I had a VBAC at Matilda and it was the midwives who were there for me with the Dr turning up at the last minute. I had my first at QM and I agree that at any sign of trouble they will take you for a c-section, they are much more cautious than the private hospitals. I too was very worried about the whole VBAC thing and was totally confused about trying for natural or just going for a c-section. In the end it went very smoothly with him arriving 20 mins before his scheduled c-section time!! Put your mind at rest, spend the money and see a private Dr to ease any concerns you have.

All the best

 

[pipinhk]

I really feel for you having expected one thing and gettig another but I do agree with some of the comments on here about over reacting about not having a Dr perform a scan. In the UK you very rarely see an ObGyn during pregnancy, scans are performed by radiologists and babies are delivered by midwives. Babies don't see peds after they're born unless there's something wrong and they need specialist care, they just go to the local family doctor like everyone else in the family. There seems to be a huge over emphasis on specialist care here

 

[lesliefu]

Just an idea. Why don't you look into being a private patient at the Queen Mary? At least you'll get the same OBGYN and better care? Or try to find an OBGYN who can get into a private hospital. I remember there are many cases of mums who move to HK mid pregnancies and have managed to find a bed at a private hospital.

just wanted to say that from experience even if you go through private at QM it does not guarantee you 100% that the doctor you see will deliver for you...the thing is they are busy with patients at tsan yuk too and if it so happens your doctor is there, they will not be obliged to come back...unless you have a confirmed c-section...if not, and they are busy, then they will "communicate with the doctor in charge" about your condition - my doctor at QM did that to me when I was at 34wks - she told me she would be on holiday on my due date! i went private at QM and i couldn't even guarantee whom my doctor was! granted doctors need holidays too - but knowing my history (won't dwell on that here) she should have told me way in advance so that i could mentally prepare myself...i switched doctors and hospitals (went to private) instead and got "private" services - ie. i knew the doctor whom delivered for me! hey - the price of delivering private and public at QM is SO SO big! can't charge me an arm and a leg for something that i could have got for less than $1000!

 

[Shenzhennifer]

I had my fetal anomaly scan redone this past week with my former private doctor at Union. It was awesome. He went over every cm of my baby's body and didn't stop till he could show me every finger, knuckle and toe. It was about 30 min, cost $1600 and worth every cent. His equipment was far superior-we could even see the blood flow when he pressed a certain button- and he told me about 90% more about my baby than the defensive midwife at PMH.
He also gave me frank answers to my VBAC questions and told me some information I hadn't known that changes things a bit. I have decided not to submit my surgery notes from my previous c-section and request a planned c-section at PMH. I think it's best, unfortunately, to have another, and I have come to terms with that.
Thanks for sharing your opinions and insights, everyone.