Holiday coverage - hoping someone who works in a hospital can add their 2 cents

[buliej]

Note - I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place...

I'm due to deliver on 6 Jan - smack in the middle of the Dec/Jan holidays. I have this somewhat irrational fear that I'm going to be cared for by the hung over "B" team or people who would rather be elsewhere. I've talked to my OB (who, by the way, will be on holiday but I've known this since day 1), and he assured me that this is not the case - but I can't shake this feeling that I am giving birth at the worse possible time. Oh - can you tell - I am a worrier...

Can someone who knows a bit about how holiday scheduling works at hospitals or has been at births in hospitals during holiday times share their experience - I'm going private in Melbourne (FPH).

[Nai]

I've PM'd you as I had the same team but with other OB's

[teresa]

lol dont fear! you will find most nurses, midwives and doctors dont turn up to work after they have been partying all night. in fact i find there is nothing worse then going out the night before an early shift and drinking, then having to get up early for a 7am shift start!! you are in fact giving birth at the best time of the year as everyone is usually on a nice natural high over the holidays!!!

[M D]

I gave birth to my DD 4 days before Christmas but because of her jaundice we were there until boxing day. I found the nurse/midwives to be great. Actually I got more attention because there was hardly anyone there and the nurses/midwives had more time to just chat. I got some great advise from these chats. Although I would have loved to be home for Christmas I had a very enjoyable time in hospital.

[*Ang*]

DD was born on 23rd Dec and even tho I was there over Xmas it was actually a great time to be in hospital. The wards were pretty quiet, the staff were all happy and cheery and it had a generally nice feeling. No way could I complain either about my level of care, it was spot on.

Actually I got more attention because there was hardly anyone there and the nurses/midwives had more time to just chat. I got some great advise from these chats.

Exactly!

[buliej]

wow - thanks everyone - it sounds like a worry I can tick off my list....whittles the worry list down to just under 1000 worries

[butterfly_warrior]

I'm another who had a really positive stuck in hospital over Christmas experience. I was due mid-january, but my son had other ideas and arrived early on the 19th of December.

Part of it was down to being a prem - but when my OB had two of us in delivery suites pushing at the same time, she was with us.

When I insisted that I was NOT leaving hospital for Christmas without my son, they ended up keeping me in as a patient the entire 10 days that Sam was in there.

Everything was quiet. We had fantastic attention in SCN - for the first few days I was the only parent in the hospital attached to the three babies in SCN so I had a lot of attention in there. I got to know all the SCN nurses really well - one of them even brought me flowers on Christmas Eve.

I didn't get to know the ward nurses that well - but they knew if they couldn't find me to go to SCN. They got used to leaving meds for me with a little note.

In all, for the entire 10 days I was in there, I never ever once saw any doctor or nurse that looked like they'd been out partying. They all gave fabulous attention to me and Sam.

BW

[Laranna]

Well DD was born on New Years Day at 1:31 in the morning! I was the only one on the entire maternity ward and I had 2 lovely midwives. I felt bad about having to call my ob in right smack bang on New Years but he was great about it! It was quiet - well the hospital was, I was not! LOL...I stayed in for 3 nights and I asked to go home as it was too quiet. There was only one day where they were busy and I didn't see a midwife/nurse all day but most of the time, they were quite chatty as they didn't have to hurry off to the next patient.

[kungfubecca]

DD was born eater sunday, and it felt no different to any other day, despite there being a huge easter festival here.
I think they avoid scheduling any elective c sects around those times and are more likley to delay inductions so that the wards don't have too many people on them, just the walk ins iykwim