Ok so the situation here is basically a 'competition' between two hospitals: private and public
My experience with the public one has not been good... For those of you who don't know: we went there when I started bleeding early into my first pregnancy. I was admitted for 'observation'. Which basically entailed them taking my blood pressure when we arrived and telling me which bed was mine. I was sat there for 3 hours and not once did someone come over to check on me, check I was alive, hadn't left, haemorrhaged etc. Then all of a sudden I was taken into this room. They told me to lie on a bed, covered in a bedsheet, covered in several different bloodstains. She didn't use gloves when taking blood. When it was written in my notes that I am very phobic of needles she asked "Oh, why are you scared of hospitals" and then told me I was being silly. I was on the verge of a panic attack at not only the whole situation but the fact that she was parading the syringes around in front of me. I asked her to take the blood quickly but she insisted on doing the scan first and making me sweat it out further.
Then I got plonked back in my bed for another 3 hours with no contact. Finally we went to the desk and asked for the results of the bloodwork. They seemed surprised as it had been 'back for ages' (cheers for telling us). They hadn't even taken my hCG levels. They wanted to keep us in overnight (NO WAY as the toilets were swimming in water, urine and there was faeces all over the pan. Basically here they don't use loo roll they use a hose which means you have to wade through filthy water and hover over the seat. Not nice) and until we kicked up a huge fuss they wouldn't let us go. Although this was free treatment we later heard that they do get paid by hubby's employers for my stay so the longer they keep me in the more $$$ they get. They didnt' discharge me for 3 days but we were allowed to go home every night and be back for rounds each morning.
At no point did anyone actually tell me I'd miscarries. The next day I requested they measure my hCG levels and that night when I rang up and was told they were 7.1 I had to come online and find out for myself what that meant. Rounds t next morning the 'specialist' was telling me how happy she was with my bloods etc etc. Hubby had to actually stop her and say "I'm sorry, are you saying we're still pregnant?" And her reply was "oh no" and she carried on talking like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The plus side is, they are much much more experienced than the private hospital, god knows how many babies a day are born there but it's safe to say that pretty much everyone in the country goes to this one place. The down side is, all of the above
lol and they don't seem to have private rooms.
The private hospital (from others' experience - we have yet to see it ourselves) is cleaner, the staff are kinder and more 1 on 1, you have private rooms etc etc BUT you have to say. We will have to pay 1,500GBP (at current exchange rate) for a simple straightforward trouble-free birth and I don't know how much for C sections etc. The doctors there though are not as experienced as the public place so if anything does go wrong they will not have seen as many women with the same issues... Only 'rich' people use this hospital (we are classed as rich here I suppose). Most of the British and Australian wives who have babies here go to the private one although one of the two doctors there has a reputation for being very c-section happy if you get me. I suppose it raises more money for them and who am I to argue if he says I need one. But more women than not come out having 'needed' c-sections. I want to avoid this if at all possible and have a vaginal delivery.
I am torn now. All of a sudden the money is an issue (there are a fair few women here who have not had to pay to go to the private place but we will) and I am having a bit of a strop. Of course I want to be in the most experienced hands possible, especially if there are complications. but I also don't want to have my first child in a place that, frankly, has a less than acceptable cleanliness record (I have spoken to a few people, all of whom have commented on the state of the cleanliness or lack thereof).
I know it's a long way off but it's scaring me now. I can't imagine hovering over those awful loos at 6 months pregnant and in the early stages of labour, let alone having more bloodstained sheets or lack of gloves etc etc. I am just frightened and need calming down I guess.
What would you do?
A very worried Buddabun!
My experience with the public one has not been good... For those of you who don't know: we went there when I started bleeding early into my first pregnancy. I was admitted for 'observation'. Which basically entailed them taking my blood pressure when we arrived and telling me which bed was mine. I was sat there for 3 hours and not once did someone come over to check on me, check I was alive, hadn't left, haemorrhaged etc. Then all of a sudden I was taken into this room. They told me to lie on a bed, covered in a bedsheet, covered in several different bloodstains. She didn't use gloves when taking blood. When it was written in my notes that I am very phobic of needles she asked "Oh, why are you scared of hospitals" and then told me I was being silly. I was on the verge of a panic attack at not only the whole situation but the fact that she was parading the syringes around in front of me. I asked her to take the blood quickly but she insisted on doing the scan first and making me sweat it out further.
Then I got plonked back in my bed for another 3 hours with no contact. Finally we went to the desk and asked for the results of the bloodwork. They seemed surprised as it had been 'back for ages' (cheers for telling us). They hadn't even taken my hCG levels. They wanted to keep us in overnight (NO WAY as the toilets were swimming in water, urine and there was faeces all over the pan. Basically here they don't use loo roll they use a hose which means you have to wade through filthy water and hover over the seat. Not nice) and until we kicked up a huge fuss they wouldn't let us go. Although this was free treatment we later heard that they do get paid by hubby's employers for my stay so the longer they keep me in the more $$$ they get. They didnt' discharge me for 3 days but we were allowed to go home every night and be back for rounds each morning.
At no point did anyone actually tell me I'd miscarries. The next day I requested they measure my hCG levels and that night when I rang up and was told they were 7.1 I had to come online and find out for myself what that meant. Rounds t next morning the 'specialist' was telling me how happy she was with my bloods etc etc. Hubby had to actually stop her and say "I'm sorry, are you saying we're still pregnant?" And her reply was "oh no" and she carried on talking like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The plus side is, they are much much more experienced than the private hospital, god knows how many babies a day are born there but it's safe to say that pretty much everyone in the country goes to this one place. The down side is, all of the above
lol and they don't seem to have private rooms.The private hospital (from others' experience - we have yet to see it ourselves) is cleaner, the staff are kinder and more 1 on 1, you have private rooms etc etc BUT you have to say. We will have to pay 1,500GBP (at current exchange rate) for a simple straightforward trouble-free birth and I don't know how much for C sections etc. The doctors there though are not as experienced as the public place so if anything does go wrong they will not have seen as many women with the same issues... Only 'rich' people use this hospital (we are classed as rich here I suppose). Most of the British and Australian wives who have babies here go to the private one although one of the two doctors there has a reputation for being very c-section happy if you get me. I suppose it raises more money for them and who am I to argue if he says I need one. But more women than not come out having 'needed' c-sections. I want to avoid this if at all possible and have a vaginal delivery.
I am torn now. All of a sudden the money is an issue (there are a fair few women here who have not had to pay to go to the private place but we will) and I am having a bit of a strop. Of course I want to be in the most experienced hands possible, especially if there are complications. but I also don't want to have my first child in a place that, frankly, has a less than acceptable cleanliness record (I have spoken to a few people, all of whom have commented on the state of the cleanliness or lack thereof).
I know it's a long way off but it's scaring me now. I can't imagine hovering over those awful loos at 6 months pregnant and in the early stages of labour, let alone having more bloodstained sheets or lack of gloves etc etc. I am just frightened and need calming down I guess.
What would you do?
A very worried Buddabun!
) so hopefully it's not a problem for me.
that sounds horrendous! 
yack!
