A huge issue with QMH

L

LeahH

Registered User
This may not be relevant for many people viewing here, I strongly suspect that only a domestic helper would ever be put into this position. However, I feel the need to post as I am SO FURIOUS!!

My helper went into labour around 4am on Tuesday morning and went from my house to QMH in an ambulance with my other helper, her sister in law. On arriving at the hospital the ward staff would not let my other helper, her relative and birth partner, into the delivery room! Appallingly, she was forced to give birth alone. No explanation was given, simply that she was not allowed to go in.

Her English is not brilliant and I can only imagine what a distressing situation it must have been for her to be on her own (and for my other helper to be shut out and worrying for her). Thank goodness it was her second and not her first, at least she had some idea of what was to come.

I will absolutely be taking this further with the hospital but thought I would post here just in case anyone else has a helper due to give birth at QM.

As I said above, I am totally sure that a local person or expat would not have been treated similarly. Unfortunately my husband and I were out of the country otherwise we would have been up there at 4am myself to force the issue.

It never ceases to amaze me the level of discrimination domestic helpers have to endure here, but this really takes the cake.
 
actually, they probaby would have. ONLY fathers are allowed into the delivery room. even my mother would not have been allowed.

it has very little to do with the fact that they were helpers or that they were not "of hong kong".
 
take it easy, LeahH. It is not due to discrimination. It is just the system of the public hospital. Obviously your helper's case was an emergency, then in this case, no family can get into the delivery room, especially now when H1N1 is getting serious these days. Only when you have made an appointment with the hospital and the delivery is right on schedule, then the husband can get in to accompany the whole process.

I had my first baby delivered at QMH. Even though we made an appointment (so my hubby was supposed to stay with me in the delivery room), but the little monster wanted to come out and see us few days earlier, so eventually my hubby had to stay outside and wait. I was nervous, but I was quite pleased with everybody who helped me including the doctor, the nurses and the anesthetist. my wound recovered very quickly. You know what, the nurse called me few days after I returned home to see how I was doing with everything including taking care of my baby and the recovery of my wound, etc. I was soooo pleased and thankful.
 
ps> i'm actually quite surprised that your helper didn't ask at one of her many pre-natal appts if her sister could accompany her.
 
I thought I've already read a thread on here a while back that husbands weren't allowered to join their partners in the delivery room now to minimize the spread of swine flu to the baby or something like that? I rememeber the person who posted the thread said she was really upset b/c it was her first baby & her husband could't be there for her.
 
Odd as other people I know (expats) have had more than one person in the delivery room in the public system here.

Maybe they were pushy, or less easy to push around....

As I read a thread on H1N1 on this site some time ago I contacted the hospital to ensure that a 'birth partner' would be allowed in the delivery room and got a yes. I didn't say it was for my helper and they did NOT say it had to be your husband ... With regard to H1N1, they said it was not currently a consideration.

How on earth can you have an appointment for a natural labour and be 'right on schedule'?? Is natural labour an emergency, she went by ambulance as it was the middle of a typhoon and there were no taxis.

I am not saying their medical care was substandard, simply that this is an unacceptable ''policy'' that conflicts with the experience in the public system that other people have had.

Also, she has had issues of this nature from the outset - from doctors assuming she wanted a termination (she's happily married), that she was hiding the pregnancy from her employers etc. etc.

In any case, it's surely a basic human right to have a support person (husband, family or doula) with you during birth unless there is truly a medical emergency that prevents it.
 
Yeah, I was just talking to my mother today about how I think this rule about who is allowed to accompany you and at what time and for how long is really horrible. But, the truth is, yeah...it's the same for everyone, unfortunately. The system here is pretty backwards compared with the rest of the modern world. Maybe someday it will change. I hope so.
 
only the husband is allowed in and it's the same for everyone....not discrimation! Actually my friend is delivering at United Christian hospital any time soon and they say due to HINI not even the husband is allowed into the delivery room! Go figure!
 
"Odd as other people I know (expats) have had more than one person in the delivery room in the public system here."

I have never heard any such incident where anyone besides the husband is allowed in the delivery room. The rules are same for everyone helper, local or expat. Moreover you have to notify the hospital in advance who will be there with you during delivery, they asked me about it days before I was to give birth.
 
I gave birth at QMH in April this year, (there was no issue of H1N1, not sure if things changed by now) and you are allowed to have someone else other than your husband in the delivery room, that being said, only one person is allowed.

However, we need to notify the hospital in advance who will be accompanying us. It's in black and white. My husband's name was written in some antenatal checkup book during an early checkup.

The hospital is very clear that in emergency c-secs, husbands/partners who were supposed to accompany wives in normal delivery would NOT be allowed in the surgery room.

Hope this info helps! =)
 
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i had delivery in QE last year by c-section, husbands are not allowed in. they told me that from the very beginning. odd , when i was pushed into the operation room, i was thinking about my dog. how scared he must have felt everytime i brought him to the vet. i was cold and shivering, but very happy when i heard my baby 's crying for the first time.
 
kyojee said:
I gave birth at QMH in April this year, (there was no issue of H1N1, not sure if things changed by now) and you are allowed to have someone else other than your husband in the delivery room, that being said, only one person is allowed.

However, we need to notify the hospital in advance who will be accompanying us. It's in black and white. My husband's name was written in some antenatal checkup book during an early checkup.

The hospital is very clear that in emergency c-secs, husbands/partners who were supposed to accompany wives in normal delivery would NOT be allowed in the surgery room.

Hope this info helps! =)
Click to expand...

Yeah, that ;)

I gave birth in October last year and they were very clear that you can only have ONE person in - but if your husband for some reason was unable to attend, we needed to let them know which relative/friend would be accompanying us. I did think though that as long as you let them know at the beginning of labour, and you weren't allowed to switch half way through...

I do think that your helper wasn't treated right and I would be taking it up with the hospital too!!
 
Sorry what I meant was anyone along with the husband. Its either a husband or close relative. Can't be a bunch of people and like everyone said it has to be on paper who its going to be.
 
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