Home test says postive; not sure what to do next

A

anoninhk

Registered User
I feel so stupid for even asking this, but I took a home pregnancy test (well, seven, actually) 2 days ago, which gave me a positive result; what do I do next?

The reason I'm not asking any friends or colleagues (some of whom are mothers) is because I am very, very superstitious, and I don't want to jinx anything by telling anyone outside my immediate family that I might be pregnant.

I called my mum (in the UK) asking for advice and she told me to just go about my usual routine for a couple of weeks before doing anything. But I am so anxious to get a confirmation by a professional!

Do I visit a regular GP or should I go see a gyno right away? Or should I just listen to my mum?

Sorry for being such an idiot!

(PS. I'm in HK)
 
I went to a GP first to have my pregnancy confirmed, then I booked an appointment with a gyno. The GP will give you a letter to confirm the pregnancy and you can use this when booking hospitals etc.

Congratulations!
 
Also, in the UK it is quite different because you would usually go to GP who would refer you to nearest child birthing hospital for antenatal care etc, but if you plan on booking in to a private hospital here, then I would go to a gyno as soon as possible as a lot of the beds are booking up very quickly or so it seems. If you plan on going public system then there is really no rush!
 
Many thanks, Amy! Most, if not all, of my colleagues went private so I guess that means it's the best route to go?
I'm off to see my GP! Fingers crossed!

Thanks again!
 
anoninhk said:
Most, if not all, of my colleagues went private so I guess that means it's the best route to go?
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Going private is really nice, kind of like flying Business Class.

Private is only the "best" if you have insurance paid for
or
You dont do a cost/benefit analysis.

Once you bring cost into the equation, many people will question the sanity of paying around 30,000 HKD per day to have a baby when you can do it for almost nothing at the Govt hospitals.

We went with private for our 3 kids.
 
The best time to see a gyn is around 6-8 weeks - I think around 8 weeks, you can see the heart beat. if you are only 4 weeks, all you can do really is get blood work done to confirm. If you do want to go private (esp if you have insurance), best to get to a gyn ASAP so you can book a bed in a private hospital.

IF you want to go public, you can either go to your nearest MCHC and take a pregnancy test there, or go to your GP to get a letter confirming pregnancy, and then register with your nearest public hospital. The first appointment there is usually later - more like 10-13 weeks. You'll go once a month until about 7 months along, then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks or so, then every week after that. You won't get so many ultrasounds though, so many people get extra prenatal appointments as well.
 
anoninhk said:
Many thanks, Amy! Most, if not all, of my colleagues went private so I guess that means it's the best route to go?
I'm off to see my GP! Fingers crossed!

Thanks again!
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You can actually do a mixture of both private and public here as Nicolejoy said so I went private for all of my antenatal checks and then delivered in a public hospital. My insurance didn't cover private hospital fees and I couldn't justify the costs for three days in hospital! Also, for any major complications they will send you to a public hospital to deliver anyway as the private hospitals do not have NICU facilities.
 
I woudl go to a gynae and get a private hospital booked. you can then do your research on which way you want to go - private or public and then pay deposit when the hospital confirms. this is the year of dragon and hospital beds are getting booked out very very fast. All the best !
 
I dont agree with waiting..if you want to go private you may not have the option to do so if you wait till 8 weeks to confirm the pregnancy with your GP. I confirmed pregnancy at 5 weeks 6 days with my OB and was too late for a spot at Matilda. Unfortunately Hong Kong is not the place to muck around.
 
Please dont judge the health of the Hong Kong maternity marketplace by the status at Matilda.
Due to its reputation, prices as well as address, Matilda has become (for lack of a better word) a status symbol where the top payers all want to be.

There are plenty of other alternatives. Relax, see your doctor and make some good and informed choices; dont get caught up in the hype.
 
We were turned down at a number of hospitals at nine weeks to deliver in the Year of the Rabbit. From what I have read, the situation is unlikely to be better in the Year of the Dragon.
 
Thanks for the great advice, all! I am quite flexible, and can go either private or public. I had to go into the ER at a public hospital once, and all the docs and nurses there were fab, so I have complete faith in them. If I get the go ahead from my doctor, I might even go back to the UK for delivery, since I was planning to pop back home in the summer anyway (for a wedding, not the Olympic games! :)).
 
i went public all the way with both my pregnancies, and it was fine. I spent $350 total for each baby - all anti natal check ups and birth included. You wont get the posh room or much of a say in the delivery (although I hear private hospitals often push for a c-section, where-as government ones will only do it if it is necessary), but as long as the baby is born healthy i don't think that really matters.
 
I don't think it's right to say that the private hospitals push for c-sections, but I think it is fair to say that certain Obstetricians do if there's even the slightest complication. However, some (Lucy Lord and Grace Cheung for example) are actively pro-normal deliveries and have pretty high "normal delivery" stats- around 75% I think.

Also, your ability to get into certain private hospitals will depend on which Obs you choose. Some people seem to be getting turned away with certain Obs whilst others get in with other doctors 3/4 wks later.

As HC said, there is more than one private hospital in HK.
 
howardcoombs said:
Please dont judge the health of the Hong Kong maternity marketplace by the status at Matilda.
Due to its reputation, prices as well as address, Matilda has become (for lack of a better word) a status symbol where the top payers all want to be.

There are plenty of other alternatives. Relax, see your doctor and make some good and informed choices; dont get caught up in the hype.
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Matlida is fantastic...unbelievably so and well worth its reputation. But that is sadly beside the point. Do believe the hype..all hospitals, private/public, are very difficult to get into. Even with public you may face having to deliver off the maternity ward due to the pressure on the system. I would not be 'relaxed' about my maternity care and delivery options in Hong Kong..!!!! No way!
 
NicoleKwong said:
Missprincepessa- are you serious? 5 weeks +6 days and you don't get a spot? How early do you need to find a hpspital?
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VERY serious!! If you want private and want to get a confirmation of a place well before 30 weeks, i would suggest booking an OB appointment before 5 weeks. It sucks. Yes.
 
anoninhk said:
Thanks for the great advice, all! I am quite flexible, and can go either private or public. I had to go into the ER at a public hospital once, and all the docs and nurses there were fab, so I have complete faith in them. If I get the go ahead from my doctor, I might even go back to the UK for delivery, since I was planning to pop back home in the summer anyway (for a wedding, not the Olympic games! :)).
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If you're carrying one baby and you've had an uncomplicated pregnancy then you can fly up to 36 weeks of pregnancy. However, airlines are sometimes unwilling to carry women who are more than 28 weeks pregnant because of the risk of premature labour. So please be aware of this ; )
 
missprincepessa said:
Even with public you may face having to deliver off the maternity ward due to the pressure on the system.
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I have never heard of that happening!! Do you know someone who had to deliver in the maternity ward, or is it just a rumour that you heard?? I really doubt that would happen...
 
If such a thing was happening, it would be all over the tabloid press and more hatemongering against the mainland mothers would be occurring. As this has not happened, I would suspect its just a rumour with no basis in fact.

I'll stick with my original advice : Relax, dont panic, find a decent doctor and follow good advice.
 
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