Hubby and I made sure I got my private cover for when we have a baby.
I'm not UTD yet but reading alot about hospitals, assuming i'll have a successful preg soon and have been told you need to book your hospital asap to secure a spot.
I've been reading up on the hospitals near me via google and I read a post from a woman saying intervention at private hospitals can be 50% or more and epesiotimies 30% is this true?
I would like some advice from ladies out there who have had experience with public or private and what the pros and cons are.
I am going to be a first time mum, I don't want intervention or a c/s unless bubs is at risk.
I basically want a natural drug free Vaginal birth.
I don't want to feel pressured into doing things I don't want to do. I want to be able to labour the way I feel comfortable etc, not stuck on a bed with my legs in the air.
Can anyone recommend good private or public hospitals in the Sth east subs of Melb?
My closest are Casey, Dandenong, Sth East Private, Jessie Mcpherson, St John of God.
Can you please tell me why you chose the hospital you chose, public or private?
And when you're in the moment do you get to say no if they want to intervene?
Thanks everyone
xox
I chose private first time as I wasn't happy with one of the public hospitals and what they put SIL through and the second was too far away. I had private health insurance and we decided to us it so I ended up at Mitcham private I ended up having an emergency c sect at 34 weeks as I went into pre term labour, my waters broke and DD was breech. I was more than happy with the care we had afterwards DD was in SCN for the weeks and had lots of check ups with a pead and a pead ortho surgeon for hip dysplasia.
With DD2 we went back to Mitcham, again I went into pre term labour at 35 weeks but was closley monitored for two weeks beofer going to into labour the only intervention I had was having my waters broken, DD2 was born naturally after a very short labour ( about 3 hours). I had gestational diabeties with the second pregnancy and I was given the choice of having a c section at anytime after I first went into labour at 35 weeks but my ob and the midwives supported my decision to let nature take its course unless I went past 38 weeks and DD seemed to big.
I am going back to Mitcham again for no 3 and my ob is happy for me to have a natural birth.
I've had a baby in both, yet for my third it still makes the decision hard. My first daughter was public at the GCH - we did have phi at the time but my dr sent the request through to GCH and told us we didn't need to worry about a referal to an ob because I was low risk. We didn't know much about any of the other hospitals in the area, so we just went with the flow. I read lots, researched lots, did everything I felt I could have done to prepare not only my mind but also my body. BB was a wealth of knowledge. I did my birthplans etc and stipulated I wanted no drugs, no intervention, active labor etc. It was a fabulous delivery, more than I could have ever dreamed of... I absolutely loved it. The midwives really didn't do much, they just sat back chatting allowing me to follow my instincts, helping me with shower for pain relief etc. And when the time came and the baby started crowning they came over to assist, but they encouraged me to grab my baby from between my legs as she came out (I was on all fours) and offered to hold a mirror so I could see. They were wonderful and I was on a brilliant high! Aftercare was ridiculous, I didn't even get checked, saw a middy only a couple of times and that was when I buzzed for one. I buzzed for help with bf'ing and one came in turned off the buzzer, told me she'd be back to help me and never came back. I really struggled with bf'ing I was very close to giving up as I struggled for weeks. I had my baby 9am one morning, was out the next. I didn't realise till my second baby, but they never checked my bleeding and the first day I went through three packs of pads and had to ask hubby to get me more. I didn't even use one pack of pads my first day in hospital with my second and they were so concerned about my bleeding they checked me half hourly because they said it was heavily (it was just like a period for me, nothing compared to my first - yet I still needed a d&c). My body also was suffering from shock after my first, I was told because it happened so quickly) I couldn't walk by myself until the evening, yet it was so hard to get a mw that I had to keep trying to get to the bathroom myself, everytime I stood up I'd go woozy any my legs would just give in (not to mention the shakes), so I'd try and make it to the toilet by myself with blood all over my pants because I was bleeding so heavily in front of everyone and a couple of times ending up on the floor! My husband wasn't allowed to stay with us either, he was only allowed to be there during visiting hours.
Second baby I had her at st. Vincents. I had another really good birth but it was much different to the first. It was again a very quick one and the ob didn't get there till she was almost out. I really talked with the ob alot with the type of birth I wanted, did the birth plan thing and everything else I did with dd1. The labor itself was very different to my first (contrax didn't hurt like I remembered they did - resembled period pain the second time) but the labor in hospital I felt was very instructed. I wasn't left to follow my own body instincts like my first, they kept making me get up on the bed to have to baby checked, I wasn't allowed to get in the bath, I wanted to get on my knees but they'd only let me birth on my back which I genuinely felt was much harder. They told me they don't have as much control of things any other way but when on back. I had a troubled third stage which took more than 30mins of my 2hr delivery, but they were very thourough. Aftercare was amazing, I had so much help with everything! Breastfeeding I was constantly offered help, my babywas checked by a pediatrician daily, my husband and dd1 could stay all day even over night if we wanted, whenever I buzzed a mw came straight in. I stayed 5 days in total and feel the aftercare could not have been better to be honest!
Now I'm expecting my third, I'm trying to decide where to deliver this time. I feel there are downsides to both and wished there was a best of both worlds.
I guess you can't really take my poor public hospital aftercare experience, because there might be public hospitals with wonderful aftercare! But they are my honest experiences.
Best of luck with yours. (I hope my post wasn't too all over the place, I'm on my iPhone and I find it painful to type posts on)
Hi Catherine,
I'm on my iPhone too, they are a bit of a pain to type on!
Thanks for your post it was very informative, guess I'll have to do alot of research and get advice from ppl with personal experiences at specific hospitals! It's scary, I don't Want my birth experience ruined because I can't do what feels natural for me! It concerns me I will be made to give birth flat on my back, just don't think it would be right for me!
Hope all goes well with number 3
xo
I had DD in a public hospital (not a large hospital) and it was a wonderful experience, pre and post natal!! Midwives very helpful.... from my research and understanding, you have much less intervention in publics. I had a drug free birth and the hospital was very baby friendly. I also had a birth plan to give to midwives so they knew my wishes. (don't offer me drugs etc).
My DH is a registered nurse and has worked in both public and private. The thing is that many nurses have worked in both so you still get the same quality of care. Most public hospitals actually have better more upgraded equipment than private hosps as they have government funding too remember that.
Again, it depends on the hospital too. Good luck with your decision.
I will birth #2 again in the same public hospital and even though I'll have private health cover with bub #2, I will still go to a public hospital. I don't want an OB
Private vs Public (Interventions etc)
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