Growth/Dev Checks and Vaccinations

M

Monty

Registered User
Hi all,

I'm fast approaching the end of my first pregnancy and having a bit of a last minute panic. I'm hoping some of the more experienced mummies can offer some advice.

I am delivering my baby privately (Canossa Hospital) and was told by my OB that we would need a paediatrician to check the baby prior to discharge. This is fine. What I'm wondering is how have other mums gone about having their babies regularly checked once discharged?

I've heard about using a private paediatrician for everything (growth/development/vaccinations). I've heard about using well baby clinics. I've also heard about using a private midwife with a doctor for vaccinations. Then there is the government clinics. I'm just not sure which approach to take.

In Australia, you have your nurse from the maternal and child health centre who conducts the weight and development checks. You see your doctor (GP) for vaccinations only. Paediatricians are only used in serious cases. Seems to me that in Hong Kong, paediatricians are used routinely.

How have other new mums in HK gone about keeping up with their babies growth checks and vaccinations? I like the idea of using a nurse/midwife for growth checks and a GP for vaccinations. Is this possible?

Thank you in advance for the advice!
 
Hi Monty, I think it's probably up to your preference which route you prefer.

I gave birth at Matilda, and I wanted my paediatrician to be there when I delivered. So he performed the APGAR, BCG, Hep B, Jaundice treatment etc at the hospital. Matilda monitored the weight and height of the baby until discharge, upon which, a booklet with the records as well as vaccination schedule was given to us. Matilda has a well baby clinic which we did not use. We saw our paediatrician a week after discharge, and 2 months, 4 months after birth for growth check and vaccination. We didn't think about going to a GP ... we actually don't have a family GP, except for company doctors, which aren't very good in my opinion. They are not cheap as well and the waiting is always long.
 
I delivered in a public hospital and went to one government clinic and will never go back. Waiting for two hours with my baby was not my thing so I ended up finding a paediatrician for vaccinations etc and joined the Annerley mom and baby group. I went once a week and the midwives weighed the baby and answered my million questions. I also had a chance to meet with other moms with babies around the same age. Now that my son is older I am not so worried about weight so have him weighed when we go in for vaccinations.

I should mention that I do have friends who use the government clinic and don't mind them at all so I may have just had a bad experience.
 
The Canossa has a really good Well Baby Clinic, and we signed up there. Both the Paediatricians, Alfred Tam and Dannie Ting are great and they're at the Canossa daily. The Drs will do a quick check-up before a vaccination. Also, you can go in as often as you like to check baby's weight, or if you have any other questions. We signed up for the first 6-months.
 
I'm actually at the other end - I never will go back to the private system here. I delivered at Canossa and used a private paediatrician initially with my first, but found that the clinic (MCHC Tang Chi Ngong in Wanchai) and public hospital (Queen Mary) actually were more patient and attentive to our child. I delivered my second overseas, but now that I know better what to expect, we only go to the MCHC and request specific vaccinations from a private clinic. I actually think very highly of the public health system here and should your child develop any unusual ailments or complications, only the public system is equipped to take care of them, so you absolutely do want to make sure that you register your child at the MCHC, which can refer you to the public hospital as as public patient. My son was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia at 10 weeks and he was operated on by the top paediatric surgeon (Chan Kwong Leung) in less than 24 hours at Queen Mary - I don't they can move even that fast at the private hospital - with charges totalling only HK$450! The only shots that you may elect for your baby that they don't administer at the MCHC is rotavirus, varicella (chicken pox) and HiB, which you can get separately at a GP - just call ahead if you want to make sure that they have the vaccinations you want.
 
I have seen both private and public doctors, GPs and Paeds for my baby`s check ups and vaccinations.
-Private for most vaccinations so far (we moved here when he was 9 weeks old so he`d already had some in China) because the gov`t system doesn`t do the 5-in-1 or the 6-in-1($500 and $600).
-both for well baby checks depending on my own convenience. I have been to 3 private paeds and all but 1 didn`t spend as much time as I would have hoped, and none of them really got into the nitty gritty, like asking you in-depth questions about how and what you feed the baby, etc.
-once I had a well baby check up at the gov`t clinic and despite being annoyed at the curt nurse`s bedside manner who would have made insecure new moms feel very inadequate, I found it very thorough and systematic, what you would more expect. I would have gone for my son`s 9 monther there but they don`t really do them, so I went private.

For me, the main problem is finding a good, consistent and accessible private paediatrician in this area. But I generally won`t take my baby to the gov`t hospital for an illness just because it`s not convenient for me to go there and wait in the crowded clinic (plus we have insurance:)
 
I don't have a paed for my baby - although our GP is also a paed, so she's kinda 2 in 1. My husband and I went to her even before we were expecting. There are a LOT of GPs over here who are also qualified paediatricians. I generally find that here, the doctors often are the most rushed, and I do think that the MCHC go more into the "nitty gritty" and really, I'm happy taking my daughter there. Although I do get the extra vaccines at the private GP...

If she's really sick though, I take her to our GP - we have insurance and don't pay a thing... I think that the medical care at the public hospitals is as good or better than the private - although the comfort level is much less. The difference in price is staggering though!! If my daughter needed an operation, I'd probably look at the price of private, see how much our insurance would cover, and if we'd be massively out of pocket, I'd still go private.
 
Hi Monty

Yes it is a bit different to Australia in that you see a peadiatrician more regularly. I gave birth at Matilida last December and the peadiatrician I chose works with my GP. After the birth I took my son to the clinic in central for check ups and vaccinations. My peadiatrician is Dr Ken Chan, his details are: Doctor Lauren Bramley & Partners || Family Practice

I also attended the Annerley Mother and Baby groups which where my son was weighed and checked, these are good for asking lots of questions not only with the midwives but the other mothers in the group.
Annerley - maternity and early childhood professionals in Hong Kong
 
I should clarify. I had a good experience for birth etc at Queen Mary and my son was in the Special Care unit after and they did a great job. If he was really sick I would go through the public system but for the regular appointments I really wanted someone who knew me and my son and who I could ask all of my million questions to. And I really found the nurses at the government clinic (the day I went) uncaring and rushed...as a new mom I needed more hand holding.
 
We paid for a package (for 5 visits) and an annerley midwife (always the same person and you get to meet them before the birth) would come to our house and have a cup of tea and a chat about any of my concerns - they would also weigh the baby if I wanted them to.

Really recommend it they are all lovely.
 
I gave birth at Prince of Wales and had all subsequent checkups through the Mother & Child Heath Centre.

I found the public health system really thorough, I never had any concern about the level of care or attention to detail, everything seemed to be double-checked.

Yes, the experience of waiting at the MCHC on some days was noisy, busy and very much "take a number". Definitely take a book - (although we did one private visit and the process seemed to take just as long.) Hubby took our newborn once as I was back at work and he also made the comment about their thoroughness.

When in with the nurses I found them all to be very kind and attentive. If you have any questions I suggest make a list before you go as it can get a little overwhelming in there and it is so easy to forget.

I cannot compare with Private for the whole process but can certainly reassure you that the Public system, is efficient and for me a pleasant experience.

Quick note, upon return to NZ we discovered that although it seemed as though our DD had had a significant amount of vaccinations here, she was actually behind based on the NZ system.

Dependent on your future plans you may want to investigate the vaccinations of your final home destination and see how they line up with HK. You can always do top-ups privately, or simply leave to when (and if ) you relocate.

Best of luck
 
Are there any Well Baby Clinics around Central (as I work in Central)?
I like the idea of having thorough checkups - if I go to the nearest MCHC, will it be ok I don't know how to speak Cantonese?
 
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