Anyone given birth at Queen Mary?

H

Hubba Bubba

Registered User
Just changed jobs and found out I was pregant a week after signing the contract - oops! My company medical no longer covers maternity and no insurer will cover the delivery costs under a new policy because I am already pregnant. Seems our only choice it to give birth at Queen Mary. Can anyone share their experience of their pre-natal program and the actual experience. Any tips I should be aware of, questions I should ask, things to watch out for, what the cost is, by when do I need to register, etc? Seems most threads talk about comparing the privates but I need to know about the piblic system!
 
hey hubba bubba!
congratualtions!

if you do a search using queen mary, i'm sure you'll find a load of information...i know in the past, i've probably contributed to about 10 or so different threads regarding QMH.

i'll be there too, feb-march of next year!
 
Yeah, and have a look in the pregnancy section of this forum where there are some recent and active threads.

Re costs, these are changing all the time, because the public system are strapped for cash, so they are gradually charging for more things, such as Downs screening which used to be free. So the most recent posts will be more accurate on costs. As of 7wks ago when I gave birth at QMH, my bill was only $150! ($100 per additional night stayed at the hospital.)

Congratulations too!
 
Hello,

I'm moving to HK in December and I aslo have to go to the QMH to give birth in February/March as i'm not insured for that part. I heard that man are not allowed to be with you when you give birth. Does anyone know if that's true or not?
 
Men are allowed to attend births at Queen Mary (both vaginal and c-section), but there is conflicting info as to when they are allowed. Some people say that the man has to show proof that he has attended antenatal classes in order to be allowed in, while others say this requirement is silly and that they will demand to be present. I did take a tour of QMH recently, but didn't ask about this as we are taking antenatal classes. Your best bet is to call QMH directly and ask : 2855-3838 (although, based on my experiences in HK, answers tend to vary from person to person within the same organization!)
 
when i delivered there 18 months ago,my hubby was not allowed in for delivery because it was an "emergency c-section" but generally they are allowed as far as i know.
 
I had my first (and only!) baby in QMH. It was fine. My husband was with me the entire time, though that was a vaginal birth, I'm not sure about c-section. I've heard people say be bossy and firm to get what you want, if they try to tell you not to do a particular thing, like keep hubby out of the ward while you're in labour.

I felt very well taken care of at QMH. My negatives would be:

- Poor breastfeeding support. If you want to breastfeed, get your info before you go and make sure you have some good contacts you can call for support, like the La Leche League.

- Routine episiotomies. They love to cut!

- Little flexibility in terms of birthing positions. They are only trained to deliver in one position - the half lying/half sitting position.

Hope that helps. I would happily have another baby there. I'm from Oz.
 
Ok, just re-read your questions, I didn't really answer them!

Here's how to register etc:

- Look up the number for Tsan Yuk hospital which is the associated hospital through which QMH does all their antenatal stuff. Tell them you want to book in to their ante natal program. That will start the process.

- The cost is pretty much free throughout the whole 9 months, with few charges for things like ultrasound, and the hospital stay but it's only about $300-$500 in total.

- Antenatal classes are good, we found them really helpful as first time parents. The English is reasonable and you can ask questions etc.

- Be prepared to be a 'number'. Just accept that from the beginning and it will be easier. You aren't going to get a lot of nice personal service, you will feel like you're on a conveyor belt, you won't get to know your doctor like people who go private.

- There is a LOT of waiting around in the antenatal appointments. Accept that and show up 15 mins early for each one to maximise your chance of getting top of the list and less waiting time. But often an appointment can take 2 hours in the public system because of all the waiting.

- Be proactive in asking questions. They don't really have a tendency to disclose things, so ask, ask, ask.

- The food in the hospital is not that nice, if you're used to Western food. But that's a small point! And who really feels like eating a four course meal after they've given birth anyway.

- Bedside manner and language problems are another issue. It's hard to just 'chat' with a nurse or doctor when they are restricted by language, so you tend to have a few frustrations of communication. Another reason to perservere and be proactive in asking your questions as they won't volunteer.

HTH again!
 
Hi Ladies,

I have been going through the Tsan Yuk Hospital in preparation for a Queen Mary Delivery and I have just finished all my antenatal physio exercise classes. Each session is $60 HKD each except the first lession which is $100 HKD.There is a total of 5 sessions:

1. Antenatal Exercises
2. Relaxation & Mental Strategies
3. Brith Ball in Labour
4. Comfort Measures (Hubby must attend)
5. Pushing Technique (Hubby must attend)

Your husband must attend the 4th and 5th classes in order to be present at the birth according to the Physio ladies at the Tsan Yuk. I have heard that you can get away with just being strong willed and demanding hubby to be present on the day but if you want to go by the rules, you first ask the doctor to have a reference to the Physio exercises and attend every class.

I actually missed the 4th class however I don't recommend you missing any (especially 4 and 5) as I then had to find a private physio to complete the class and get a reference letter. These guys cost $250 per hour.

Overall, they are good classes and worthwhile doing.

Happy preparations

China Doll
 
I don't think it's true that the husband must attend the classes. I didn't have to be demanding in the slightest to get mine to attend the birth of our baby. I am sure they just say that to encourage men to attend the classes, which is no bad thing.

However regarding birthing balls, I have heard you do need a certificate, which one doctor told me is their way of cutting down on the number of large balls potentially rolling around the crowded labour ward! Once you are in the labour suite (as opposed to the general ward), there is plenty of space for the ball (unless you have complications and a room full of people), so I can't see them stopping you using it there, even if you don't have a certificate.

I used my ball to lean against while kneeling on the floor - they were kind enough to find me a yoga mat for the floor. I didn't find it comfortable to sit on the ball once I hit advanced labour - too much pressure on the perineum.

HKaussie, I believe they are getting much more flexible regarding birthing positions. I have a friend who gave birth in squatting position in 2003 and I think they have continued to become more flexible since then. I was there recently and stated on my birth plan that I did not want to give birth lying down, and nobody challenged me about that. I ended up actually giving birth lying down just because I happened to be lying down when they baby's head made an unexpected appearance and I was incapable of moving! But I do believe they would have let me give birth in other positions. I suggest that you could ask, "Can we try to do it my way first, and if there are any problems we can change to lying on the bed?" And state your intentions clearly on your birth plan - all the staff studied mine intently and were very respectful of my wishes as far as possible.
 
They are definatley more relaxed now regarding husbands attending the birth.
I skipped the public antenatal classes and did a private class with Annerley Midwives.
Annerley provided me with a letter stating that I had done the classes (including being signed off on the birth ball) which was then included in my medical file at Tsan Yuk.
I discussed my birth plan with the doctor at Tsan Yuk and they were very open to all my requests.
The only dispute that seemed to arise is if an emergency c-section needs to be performed your husband cannot attend. (Planned c-sections are fine).

Write out a birth plan and give it to your doctor and he/she will discuss all your concerns (Dr Hon has been my doctor and he has been great).
 
Why Queen Mary?

why are some of you attending another hospital but booked in to deliver in Queen Mary. I'm new to HK and not sure how it works. Is Queen Mary known to be better for maternity? Or is it simply that your other hospitals do not have maternity wards?

Thanks,

Hubba Bubba said:
Just changed jobs and found out I was pregant a week after signing the contract - oops! My company medical no longer covers maternity and no insurer will cover the delivery costs under a new policy because I am already pregnant. Seems our only choice it to give birth at Queen Mary. Can anyone share their experience of their pre-natal program and the actual experience. Any tips I should be aware of, questions I should ask, things to watch out for, what the cost is, by when do I need to register, etc? Seems most threads talk about comparing the privates but I need to know about the piblic system!
Click to expand...
 
no tutor...

if you want to deliver at QMH, you need to register at Tsan Yuk Hospital for ante-natal visits etc.

Tsan Yuk used to be for delivery too, but in the past few years they have changed their focus to pre-birth and other women's issues.
 
Hi, I'm just 8 weeks pregnant. I'm going to use the public system for antenatal and the birth, but can anyone tell me when I'm supposed to sign up at Tsan Yuk? Thanks in advance for any info.
 
I called Tsan Yuk soon after I found out that I was pregnant (around 8 weeks). I think I was then booked for registration the following week, but my first antenatal visit to the clinic wasn't until about 11 weeks. Of course, this is only if you want to utilize Tsan Yuk (or the other public maternity clinics) for your entire pregnancy. Some people register at Tsan Yuk much later in their pregnancies if they are seeing a private doctor. Your best bet is to call Tsan Yuk directly- they will ask you how far along you are and tell you which day to go for registration.
 
No problem, Polly. I've always had private insurance in all the countries I've lived, so I was worried about going public for what is probably the scariest health issue of my life. However, I am pleasantly surprised with my experiences at Tsan Yuk so far (I'm at 28 weeks now). The staff, in general, are extremely friendly and willing to please. The doctors are ok, but a bit of a hit or miss- very conservative and non-commital. If you pin them down, they eventually make a phone call, etc. to get an answer. However, the nurses/ midwives are fantastic (sometimes they can answer a question quicker than a doctor) and make me feel self-assured. I also recommend the antenatal exercise classes (like physio classes). I almost went to Annerly Midwives, but couldn't book the group classes b/c of my husband's work schedule. However, I've been going to Tsan Yuk's education classes (free) and exercise classes (small fee) and b/w the two of them, I think I'm getting most of the info I would have gotten at Annerly Midwives for HK$2200 less. However, I've had an easy pregnancy and that might make the experience a bit more pleasant than other peoples... Good luck!
 
I've seen quite a few really encouraging posts about Tsan Yuk and Queen Mary, which makes me feel really confident about what's ahead. Just knowing what to expect, both good and bad, makes such a big difference. Thanks again Alibali.
 
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