Please help me - I will be moving to HK and need an OB!

P

PreggerC

Registered User
Hi - My husband and I will be relocating to HK w/in 1-2 months and I'll be 5-6 months preggo by the time we get there. Could anyone please please give me some recommendations on good OBs at reputable hospitals. We have heard that Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital at Happy Valley is a good one; any other good hospitals ?? Thank you! I probably will not consider public ones.

PreggorC in NYC
 
Hi,
Can thoroughly recommend both Sally Ferguson and the Matilda. As my doctor was away on a conference Sally Ferguson stepped into at the very last minute (i.e. I was already at the hospital mid contraction). She was absolutely fantastic. The Matilda hospital is/was superb! I can also recommend Hulda Thorey from Annerley Midwives who was my doula. There aren't words to describe how fantastic Hulda was!

Good luck with the birth. My labour in Hong Kong was 110 per cent better than my experience in the UK. The medical facilities over here are second to none.

Jools
 
Asian vs. Western

Hi PreggerC,

You should also think whether you wanna have an Asian or a Western OB. I've had some experiences from both and so far I find that I'm more comfortable with the western one.

I had Dr. Eric Lee at first when I got pregnant, cause a friend recommended. He's nice and no complaints about his professionality. But he had a very asian/chinese view on pregnancy. I had just gotten pregnant and he told me things like, not to wear any high heels, no running and rushing, no excercise etc. Too caucious! Don't get me wrong, I'm half chinese, so I respect his views, but maybe cause I've been raised in a western society couldn't agree with him. Also, I didn't find his nurses/assistants useful in giving info in english, and I don't speak Chinese.

I've been doing my scans and Dr. Macor Wan, he's good at what he's doing. But here we go again with the Asian and Western differences. The scan showed that my baby was a bit ahead of his time, about 1,5 weeks bigger than he should have been. The receptionist told me bluntly when I went to pay my bill, that my baby is FAT and I shouldn't eat any sweet and sugar!!! I was offended!!!

I've been seeing Dr. Lucy Lord now. I like her, she's straight forward, really professional, has lots of experience, not too fuzzy. But if you're looking for one that tells you everything what you wanna hear, and a bit shy of asking questions, Lucy is not the one. Then again, I haven't delivered yet, so can't say how she's gonna be in delivery. I'm planning to use Matilda Hospital. I've heard lots of good things about Matilda and I've spent time there with non-pregnancy related things and been happy with them.

Another thing, at Dr. Lee and Dr. Wan, they're always behind their schedule. I always have to wait from 30min to over an hour. Lucy very seldom does that.

These are only my experiences and views! Hope it helps you in making decision.

D.S
 
Hi PreggorC,

Here's my very biased opinion like you would get from a real girlfriend. I'm 17 wks pregnant with my first baby and orig. from Chicago, now living in HK. My American and British friends seem to gravitate to Dr. Ghosh, Dr. Dawkins, and Dr. Sally Ferguson. These Drs. will deliver only at Adventist (Causeway Bay) or Matilda (Peak), but all my friends deliver at the Matilda and no doubt that I will too. I added up the whole cost of delivery + Dr. + hospital and it came to over 100k HKD.

There are also excellent Drs. and hospitals outside of what I mentioned that are a part of the local hospital systems, but I can only dish out advice on what I know.
 
Hi all - Thank you so much for your replies and the warm welcomes. So it sounds like it's a bit similar to how it's done in the US. I'd select an OB that takes my insurance and see him/her at the office until I give birth, which is in hospitals you all mentioned.

I am Taiwanese and my husband is American - I am leaning more towards female western doctors - Growing up in Taiwan I always heard horror stories on episiotomies done by ethnically Chinese doctors..

Another question is to clarify whether HK hospitals allow husbands (or other family members) in laboring room? I am also interested in doing the traditional Chinese confinement ritual for one month after I give birth - anyone has done it or has heard of it?

PreggerC in NYC
 
Pregger,

Private hospitals do allow family members in the labor room. Public hospitals only allow husbands.

For more information on confinement help, read through this thread.

http://www.geobaby.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113818

Also I called the Methodist Centre a few months ago for a part time helper and they have a list of local women that specialise in post-natal care. They charge $8-10K a month.
 
I'd really recommend Dr Christine Choy if you want a female obstetrician/gynaecologist. To my mind seeing a female doctor for these sorts of things takes away any awkwardness or embarrassment. She was educated and trained in the UK and is a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in England, a fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She is also a clinical tutor in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is a wonderfully caring doctor/surgeon. Give her a call 2523 3007. Good luck...
 
Hi PreggerC,

I guess my situation is similar to yours. I am originally from HK and my husband is a Kiwi. I just moved back to HK as we have decided to have our first baby born here. So far, I found out that there are a lot of differences between the OB in HK and in New Zealand. I really want to have a natural vaginal birth if I can and not having an episiotomy done. However the two OBs I have seen both telling me that episiotomy is a must for all Asian first time mum! When we tried to discuss our birth plan with them, they insist that we should trust them instead of letting us to have more control about the birth of our baby. Besides, I'm told by friends that many of the local OBs prefer doing c-section than encouraging women to give birth naturally. We're now struggling on whether we should look for another OB or not and the possibility of giving birth in a public hospital.

If you found any useful info, I'd appreciate you share with us and we will do the same. Hopefully, we both can have a safe and good birthing experience in HK.

Cheers,
angie
 
I came to HK last August and I was 7 months pregnant. My doctor is Dr Stephanie Chow 25235729. She is very good and open-minded. I am very happy with her. I delivered my baby at the Adventist hospital 25746211 which I am also very happy with. My husband was allowed in the labour room. He also stayed in the hospital with me to look after me (we don't have any family here in HK) I used a Hong Konger part time helper to cook all the traditional Chinese food for me for the first month after the delivery. Dr Chow recommended a company that provides traditional confinement food to be delivered to your house. I didn't use it because my helper's cooking was good enough. Another service that you may need is a midwife, especially if you are a first time mother. I had Yvonne Heavyside ([email protected]) to come to my house for the first few months to make sure I am ok and that I am doing alright with my baby. Good luck!
 
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