personal experience from QEH

T

TNJ

Registered User
Hi everyone,

I would just like to share my personal experience from queen Elizabeth hospital.

Not much more than a week ago I delivered my beautiful little girl here in QEH. I was induced and felt very comforted by a ward filled with fantastic nurses. After a while I was sent to the delivery room where I was told my daughter was back to back (so as you can imagine I was in agony!) I had 2 epidurals because the first one was in the wrong position but as soon as it was set in the right place - it was happy sailing.

When I was dilated and ready to push the midwives were so encouraging and I was very impressed! However an hour later (on the dot) the doctors came in and decided I had "prolonged second stage of labour" from the word go on my first baby I had exactly 60 mins to push her out?! I felt so disappointed with the drs. They said I needed a ventouse delivery with an episiotomy which I tried my best to refuse as my daughter was coping fine!!! I felt forced into the idea and I strongly regret letting them perform this procedure. 10 days later here I am back in hospital with a gapped wound and possibly some placenta left in my uterus.

I saw the same dr that delivered my little girl and he showed little sympathy and took a sarcastic tone with me.

Overall - fantastic, kind, caring nurses and midwives let down by arsehole inconsiderate doctors! Would I give birth here again? No way!
 
Congratulations!

Thank you for sharing. Sorry you've had such a terrible time with the docs - I am led to believe that that's the way they operate at the public hospitals.

I have just started at QEH - with a disappointingly brief 12-wk scan. Am currently in the obs team but am going to try to get into the midwife team for a bit more personal/personable care.
 
It was such a good experience up until delivery!! All my antenatal appointments were ok, I found the drs brief but they tell you what you need to know. It can feel cold I know but try to be reassured if they arnt panicking over a pregnancy there's probably nothing wrong so you can just chill!

I hope you have a better experience than I did, just remember to really stick to your guns when you finally do go in to deliver. The midwives are excellent and you would not expect that kind of service in a public hospital they are 10/10!!!!!

They have a lot of drs that studied abroad and have British/Aussie accents... These are the guys I found to be really rubbish! These guys were the ones telling me "we need to do this now, you need to sign the consent form" which I felt was very rude and inconsiderate!

Don't let my experience effect yours though because hopefully yours will be smoothe sailing and you can have a good delivery!
 
I delivered in QMH and can relate to a lot of your experience, but just want to add that two things do make a difference:
a) which doctors you actually get - some are much more "anal", others are more "go with the flow, see what the patient wants". And;
b) how insistent you are - because they cannot "force" those things. So if you can be really insistent, too bad Doctor!!

In my first delivery at QMH, they let me push for nearly 1.5 hrs and even though it was long, I was making progress so they were happy to let me continue. With my 2nd, I had a team in there because they knew in advance that she would need NICU. So there was the pediatrician, a bunch of people - I don't even know who they all were... with that situation, they only let me try for 10 min and then asked me to use the vacuum - I think more for their convenience than anything else. I did let them but in some ways wish I hadn't because I realised after it was for their convenience rather than what was best for me/baby.

Luck of the draw! I think it's good to be aware of all these issues in advance and that way you can be prepared either to accept them or to challenge them - whichever works better for you... too bad if you're someone like me who has high ideals but is non-confrontational, it can be a bad combination ;)
 
I'm sorry you ladies had that kind of experience :( This is getting me even more worried for my delivery because I have a feeling it will go the same way for me. The antenatal check ups with the midwife are great but recently, I had to deal with the drs. When I went in for an emergency check up, the drs wanted me to sign papers to allow them to do all those procedures. I wasn't sure if I needed them, let alone if I was going to deliver that day. She was really pushy too! I refused, but she said I would have to sign it next time when I actually come for delivery. Is that true? Am I obligated to sign that paper for episiotomy, vacuum and forcep at the triage step? That's so early to be be even discussing it. If I'm insistent enough can I go into the labour room without signing?
 
Argh! Getting worried now and I have so long to go!! I am looking at options - perhaps Singapore or the UK.

At my 12wk scan the sonographer asked me to sign a piece of paper. I tried to read it but she wouldn't allow me to finish and was pushing me to sign (consenting for her to scan me). Surely she should have said "please read and sign" rather than just "sign". I managed to read what I hope was the most important bit but never read it all and was not given a copy.

Going by my initial treatment I don't have much hope for any good/kind treatment in this journey.

Good luck, munchies. Let us know how it goes.
 
They did the same thing to me with the consent form, I refused the first time because I was so taken back by how bloody rude they were! A midwife later kindly asked me to sign and said its better to do it now rather than later. I honestly take my hat off to the midwives, they were so kind to me.

The only let down of QEH is the drs lack of compassion towards patients.. My delivery was an awful experience and it's left me on bedrest for 2 more weeks so I've missed out a total of 3 weeks of being a proper mum!

Munchies don't be worried about your delivery, my daughter was back to back in labour and the drs were just wanting her out quick, I'm just upset they wouldn't let me push and wrote this thread to let off some steam! Stick to
Your guns and the midwives will support you - they are fantastic!!!! And give you massages so hats off, haha!

As for getting reassurance throughout your pregnancy I really recommend annerely. I went there after having my girl and they were fantastic! I was seen by Olivia and she was so lovely and kind and took interest and time to check me over and my daughter. They are well worth the money and they make you feel so much better!!!!
 
I think that you need to be educated but still open minded about the public hospitals here. For me, epidural was not an issue (I mean I didn't specifically want/need drug free delivery) so I kind of had the attitude of "get me out of pain and fine, I'll go along with what you are asking". In some ways, some things I wish I had been more insistent about.

I didn't sign for the epidural or episiotomy (in my first labour only) until RIGHT before they did it. I also bargained with them - for example I didn't want a catheter at all, but they were quite insistent, saying that the pressure of my bladder was getting in the way of the baby descending - so I said "fine as long as your take it out the MINUTE that the baby is out". They kept their word with that. Also with the epidural, they like to turn it off for the pushing stage. In my first labour, I had awful back pain and couldn't feel the contractions anyway, so turning it off didn't help me at all (the theory is if you can feel the contractions, you will push more "naturally" and have a shorter pushing stage. Didn't work for me because of my back labour). In my 2nd delivery, I said "Absolutely not, that was baloney last time" and we ended up bargaining and turned it down but not off completely.

TNJ - my first daughter was face up too, and they let me push for 1.5 hrs - but that was at QMH. I never felt rushed at all through that time, although I was wishing for it to be over!!

It's not awful but you definitely will have a better experience if you are prepared both physically and mentally - and if you have your husband on your side, knowing what you want and backing you up when you are weak and exhausted. The doctors are there to serve you, not the other way around. If it is a true emergency, they will do what they need to do. Apart from that situation, your wish is their command (even if they don't make you feel that way ;) ).
 
Thank you for all the responses!

Jollygood - I originally started with a dr but was switched to a midwife once they didn't see any major problems. It's really worth asking for. The midwives really care about you and your baby. My first dr tried to rush me out the door after a few minutes bc it was close to her lunch break! The midwife let me voice my concerns and waited patiently until I was done. Good luck on making the switch. I guess see how it goes before making the leap to go abroad. I don't to scare you off!

TNJ - Aww, that's awful that they could turn such a beautiful experience into bad one. I'm glad you did write something. Maybe if enough ladies stick to their guns, the drs. won't have as many opportunities to boss us around. We should have the right to speak up and decide what happens to our body. In the end, we have to live with the consequence, not them.

I'm glad I didn't sign the paper ... yet :( I kept getting confused as to why I had to sign so early, even when I wasn't going into labour. She said it will speed up my process for the real day... all I could think of was "speed my process? for what? an episiotomy and forcep so that you can wrench my baby out from inside of me?" The drs and attendants were actually quite brisk and rude throughout the whole process, especially when it came to speaking to me. I didn't get much explanation as to what they were doing to me. The midwives, however, were so nice and made every effort to speak to me and check up on me. They are really amazing. I've been to Annerley also. Really excellent service. Just wish I could bring them in with me at the hospital!

Thanks for the encouragement, I'll talk things over at my next midwife appt. Now just enjoy the time you have with your beautiful baby girl and know that everything was worth it for her. Congratulations on job well done!!!

Nicole - I like the idea that you refused it up to the last minute and bargained. You did manage to be persistent enough with the bargaining! Now I'm hoping to do that too. I've been doing my research for quite some time on the procedures that may occur. So although I can accept emergency situations, I'm not prepared to accept procedures drs decide to do bc they want to go have an early coffee break. Thanks for sharing your experience also, it does really help!
 
You'll be fine honestly just don't let them boss ya around!!!

Let us know how you get on, how many more weeks until d-day??
 
Nicolejoy - back to back labour... My goodness what a painful experience! I went in for a "drug free" labour ended up high as a kite telling the dr I wish me could have the babies!!!! :,)
 
Just wanted to chime in and say that I had a similar experience at United Christian Hospital - great midwives largely, doctors with terrible attitude. In fact, although I saw the doctor only for a few minutes each time, I felt it was worth paying for private the second time around. Unfortunately, I ended up in public the second time too, but fortunately, I had a c-sec and the doctor was very nice.

My experience has been that it's the younger doctors who are rude, the older experienced one who did my c-sec was really nice.

I'm shocked about rushing women into signing consent forms. In my case, I was always given plenty of time to read the consent form, and the doc still went through it with me after that, asking if I had questions etc. Only for the episistiomy form, which I was asked to sign while checking into the maternity ward, I sensed the midwife pushing me for a 'yes' but I had also read enough on these forums to know that I could say no if I wanted.
 
Men* could have babies! Not me! Haha!

Charade I completely agree with you I mean birth is a thing we do once or a few times in life and because the drs do it everyday I guess it's just another day at the office for them! Sad but true!
 
Hey guys just wanted to update this thread,

I've had my appointment at QEH this morning and I am so dissappointed with the drs here at QE. In fact I am that angry that I am going to write an official complaint with my DH this evening.

The delivery itself was horrid, but the patient care was bloody dreadful! The doctors have completely dismissed how I feel emotionally and like said I'm the one who has to live with the way I have been left! I feel so upset because I had such high hopes of a great delivery but instead i felt bullied into procedures i really didnt want! now I am on bed-rest, not able to fully enjoy my beautiful little girl and in pain wondering when will this nightmare end...

Considering how this hospital is at "Australian Standards" I'm shocked at how rubbish things are run. The doctors are awful, you feel like you have 5 seconds with them and then your interrupting their day.

I will never return to this hospital for a delivery, I am traumatized after the birth and most of all so angry!
 
Thank you ngnhk for your understand reply! I felt so alone on this and needed to vent!

I did feel so rushed during delivery and it was all horrible! I still remember crying telling the dr I didn't want to have fundal pressure which was ignored. The only word I can use to describe my delivery is butchered!

The wound was huge and it's just healing terribly..it's open and the drs have said to leave it heal the way it is.. But it doesn't make me happy! I know childbirth wouldn't leave me cosmetically beautiful downstairs but I never imagined having a scar like the one I'm left with!

It's been 18 days since delivery and I've
Now (only today) been given the correct antibiotics to clear the infection. Seeing a private ob/Gyn may be my next move... But I am nearly 100% sure I will require reconstructive surgery to fix what's been done. Though I'm not sure if I can face the pain all over again. Plus I'm a working mum and I have to go back to work in only 3 weeks and I need to be somewhat healthy for it!

I feel robbed of my daughters birth and just can't wait for this to all be over! It makes me depressed that I can't fully care for my little girl... I wouldn't wish any of this on my worst enemy. I will for sure write a letter to the HA complaining about the delivery.

I really hope no one ever has to
Go through a birth like mine!!! X
 
TNJ, Sorry to hear more about the terrible treatment. I do hope your healing goes well, particularly emotionally. I am really grateful that you posted about QEH as there's very little info to be found on it. I don't imagine I'll have a nice journey over the next six months but I hope I won't have to complain too much (and I can do a lot!).

Hope all is going well with your daughter.
 
Jollygood don't worry about it too much!! Like i said just stick to your guns and make it YOUR experience not theirs! I wish you all the best! X
 
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