More advice about Hospitals

S

staceycolyer

Registered User
Hi again! Well, I am now 7 and a half weeks along. My first OBGYN appointment is only next week, later than I expected it to be because of hospitals getting booked up quickly. I was told that I would be given forms to fill in at my first appointment to choose a hospital. I am still really worried about not getting into the hospital I wanted to. We are intending to go to a private hospital, and had initially thought of Matilda. However, if we can't get into Matilda then I am not sure at all about which hospital to choose. Can anyone recommend private hospitals, or give any further advice about hospital bookings as late as 8 weeks. (although I did hear that most hospitals will only take a booking at 9 weeks, so maybe I won't be too late...fingers crossed!)

Thanks in advance for all info and advice.
 
Hi there - I am sure you will be absolutely fine and get the hospital of your choice. I don't think the Matilda takes bookings til 9 weeks anyway, so that's perfect timing for you. Others can share their experiences with the private hospitals (I'm going public, which is also okay), but if you're worrying about it you can always call a couple and take a look around - this is what I did when I was deciding where to go, then you can ask all the questions you want and get some reassurance that the place suits your needs. You will be fine, relax and enjoy it ;-)
 
A month ago I was booked into Matilda at 9 weeks and was confirmed immediately (last time around I was waitlisted for ages, but all was ok in the end). My Obgyn delivers there regularly which I understand is a factor. I would highly recommend Matilda - it was a wonderful experience giving birth there.
 
I loved the Matilda and have booked in again for my next delivery. Months after checking out from there I used to fantasise about going back just for a night to be taken care of!

Another hospital that gets a good rap on that side of HK is the Adventist.

But I've heard the food at the Matilda is way better:haha:
 
LeahH - How long were you waitlisted at Matilda? My OBY sent my forms at 8 weeks and I am placed on the waitlist. Did you sign up at any other hospital in the meantime? Did you receive your deposit back (if any paid)?

:thanks
 
By the time I got to booking a room it was 8 weeks and I was told that the hospital I wanted had no empty spots. So, we decided that I would go back to my home country to give birth which required quite a bit of effort and planning but in the end was the best experience I could have hoped for.

Isn't it true that in HK to give birth in one of the private hospitals you have to have paid the amount in full before you give birth? Because the hospitals require bookings for your due date does that also put pressure on your doctor to make sure you go into labor on that day--in other words--to always use induction if you don't go into labor before your due date?

I'm interested to know how the private (and public) hospitals deal with women who don't go into labor until after their due date? What is the protocol. In my home country the general rule is that you are given a week after that and if not they try to convince you to be induced for the safety of the baby.
 
Hi MLBW

I gave birth at the Baptist hospital in Kowloon Tong. My doctor was willing to let me go 2 weeks overdue, there was no pressure to be induced - but in the end I was only 2 days over. Maybe this depends upon your doctor but I'm not sure.

The Baptist is a private hospital, and we just had to pay a deposit (of $6,000) to secure our place. Again I'm not sure if this changes from hospital to hospital. I would definitely recommend visiting the hospital to help make up your mind - I found that it was very reassuring to know what to expect and to ask questions ;-)

I had a great experience at the Baptist, the staff were fantastic and I definitely wouldn't think twice about going there again. Hope this helps

Staceycolyer good luck and I hope you get the bed you want xx
 
We didn't have to pay any sort of deposit upon booking at the Matilda. Last time around I was waitlisted for a few months (bit nerve wracking) and had a confirmed booking at Adventist to fall back on (again, no deposit required).
 
rachelgurr said:
Hi MLBW

I gave birth at the Baptist hospital in Kowloon Tong. My doctor was willing to let me go 2 weeks overdue, there was no pressure to be induced - but in the end I was only 2 days over. Maybe this depends upon your doctor but I'm not sure.

The Baptist is a private hospital, and we just had to pay a deposit (of $6,000) to secure our place. Again I'm not sure if this changes from hospital to hospital. I would definitely recommend visiting the hospital to help make up your mind - I found that it was very reassuring to know what to expect and to ask questions ;-)

I had a great experience at the Baptist, the staff were fantastic and I definitely wouldn't think twice about going there again. Hope this helps

Staceycolyer good luck and I hope you get the bed you want xx
Click to expand...

So, you paid a $6,000 deposit. What about the balance? Did you pay it off over time?

What was the Baptist like? Was continual fetal monitoring and an IV drip inserted a requirement? Did you have induction or augmentation (where they give pitocin or another drug to "speed up" contractions)?

The reason why I ask is that I gave birth to my son completely naturally--not an ounce of pain killer. Also, my husband and mother both attended the birth and were able to take an active role--they were my "coaches"--my husband helped "catch" my son and cut his umbilical cord. In my birth plan, I said that I wanted to be free of the continual fetal monitoring so that I could move about and also I chose to keep hydrated by drinking water. The hospital's policy was that I for every hour I needed to have the CFM device on for 15 minutes--and that was a compromise I could live with. Is this sort of thing possible at the Baptist?

I also was in labor for 43 hours (painful, 10-minutes apart or less contractions) and was in hard labor for 6 hours and very hard labor for 50 minutes before my son was born. How is the Baptist for time constraints in the event that a woman's labor is long (not talking about distress here--just a long healthy labor).

I am really curious to know how it really plays out here.
 
LeahH said:
We didn't have to pay any sort of deposit upon booking at the Matilda. Last time around I was waitlisted for a few months (bit nerve wracking) and had a confirmed booking at Adventist to fall back on (again, no deposit required).
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your experience. I am just curious about how the payment actually takes place. When do you have to have your doctor and hospital fees paid? Pre-birth, post-birth? What is the time limit? I have really been wanting to know this.

Part (a huge part) of the reason why we chose to give birth in my home country is that the payment options were varied. We didn't have to give any down payment and interest-free financing was available. Also, the hospital we gave birth at runs a midwifery program staffed by nurse midwives so we didn't have to pay a doctor's fee and their fee was a lot less--and they were EXCELLENT!

In addition, as the hospital is run by a Catholic charity, we submitted our financial data and received a 20% discount on the price of hospital fees in relation to our income.
 
hmmmm, now I think about it the lack of deposit may be because of our insurance. We ended up paying maybe $5,000 in extras on departure, but the main bill was settled after the birth by the insurance company. Perhaps if they are aware you have full cover, they don't require a deposit.

Kudos to you MLBW for the totally natural birth!!
 
Hi Leah--Yes, that sounds like it was probably because you had maternity insurance that covered your costs. I'm having another discussion on a thread here at this Forum about maternity insurance. Basically, what we've found--and it seems to be confirmed that unless one has access through group insurance through their employer (or spouse's employer) in HK it is pretty unaffordable to buy individual insurance that offers maternity coverage--the main insurance companies we've consulted with charge a premium that is at or above the actual costs of paying out of pocket for maternity care--that's an annual premium with restrictions as well. My husband works for a small, local, family business in HK and so therefore we don't have access to the type of insurance that many foreigners enjoy. So in our case, giving birth in a private hospital (that would condone natural childbirth more likely than a public hospital) seems to still be a no-go. Too bad--guess if we have another it will be back to my home country again for me. :0(
 
MLBW - Another poster on this forum, Matty, has had 2 drug-free natural births in public hospitals in HK. One at QMH and the other at POW I am sure if you search through a few threads you will find her postings about the experiences she had - - both very positive from what i understand.
Or PM her with more specific questions about fetal monitoring etc
 
aussie mum said:
MLBW - Another poster on this forum, Matty, has had 2 drug-free natural births in public hospitals in HK. One at QMH and the other at POW I am sure if you search through a few threads you will find her postings about the experiences she had - - both very positive from what i understand.
Or PM her with more specific questions about fetal monitoring etc
Click to expand...

Thanks Aussie Mum,

Not only did I have a drug-free birth. I had a husband-coached childbirth so that is what my aim is. It is very important to me that my husband and mother (or whoever else I deem appropriate) be allowed to attend and take a somewhat active part in the birth. As I had a very long birth, my concern is that I would be given undue pressure to either augment labor with pitocin or in another way compromise my wishes. Even in my home country which views natural labor in a pretty favorable light, I still had to fight a little bit of opposition to get what I wanted and was convicted was best for me and my child. Thank you again and I will contact the person you mentioned.
 
Hi MLBW,

Yes, both of my births in HK were very positive experiences.
I Hypnobirthed both times, and had hubby very involved an with me the whole time.
The hospitals (QMH and POW) basically let us do our thing until it was time to push, then the midwife stepped in to help.

I've replied to your PM in more detail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top