My recent experience at TMH.
Referred at 38 weeks by Yuen Long clinic as baby was floating. No other adverse indications.
Spent 8 days there in ante natal. Intern or similar was main morning contact. He offered little or no information. They did the sugar bowl test at some point, checking for sugar issues. In general, nurses were brusque, taking blood samples and offering no information or bedside manner. Arm was quite sore from this. (Public ward). Doctor indicated that scan results showed baby may be big for 38/39 weeks. Baby eventually engaged at 39.2 weeks and I was discharged.
38.6 weeks, water has a small gush and I went back in. Readmitted. No contractions yet.
40 weeks. Doctor says baby is 4.1 kg and the choices are to induce or c-section. He says he wants to induce on 40.1. Goes through a long list of what may possibly happen in either option, making me anxious and fearful. Decide with husband that we will go (reluctantly) for c-section since we are now both alarmed at the constant insistence that baby is large and there could be increase risk of birth complications due to size.
40.1 wait until 16:30 for available slot. Starved since midnight. Husband not allowed near me as visiting not allowed until 17:30. Baby is delivered under epidural and quite quickly. I see baby for a minute and not until 3 hours later as they are concerned about my blood pressure and keep me inside until 7:30 pm. Husband is allowed to talk to me on nurse mobile phone from outside delivery room after he rings the bell.
Finally out and into post natal ward around 7:50. baby brought to me after getting an injection or hep B, husband not allowed near her until I arrive and have baby with me. We eventually have 15 minutes together before he is kicked out at 8:30. (he was in hospital since 2:30 and only got to see me at 8:15).
40.1 night, told to get up and change my own baby in spite of post C-S pain.
40.2 breastfeeding, changing baby and feeling quite sore holding her. nurses assist in bits and pieces.
40.3. Told baby is much less than birth weight. Husband queries this with case nurse, pointing out that breast fed babies don't regain birth weight for up to 2 weeks. Told that I can be released on 40.4 but baby must stay in. We say no and I stay another night. husband "firmly" requests regular bottle supplements through the night.
40.5 baby weight turns upwards, still 0.1 kg less than birth weight but upward curve due to extra feeds and now fully producing breasts. Discharged. A nurse refers me as the one who was complaining (reference to husband pointing out the weight loss in initial breast feeding).
Nurses overall were un-empathetic robots apart from one who was nice. Got the impression that they just wanted me out asap.
41.2 Baby feeding welI. Birth weight reganed and surpassed. (attending local clinic in Yuen Long). Doctor there indicates that she cant see uvula. Writes letter for TMH paediatrician. Husband later tries hard to see uvula and sees it.
41.5 wound cleaning at clinic. Get a other doctor to check for uvula. She sees it.
42.5 my C-S wound still not healing well one side. Suspect incompetence by some intern doing the sewing.
Overall, I feel I was frightened into a C-S. The case notes show big baby and maternal anxiety as the reasons for the C-S. Baby was born at 3.7, not the predicted 4.1+. Any 'anxiety' was due to the Doctor detailing potential problems due to large baby. The staff show little or no bedside manner and my main doctor was an intern. Estimating body weight inaccurately by scan seems amateurish at best.
42.6 Baby doing well, but I have just developed a fever. Waiting to see it it persists for a day or two before going to Doctor or E-R.
Would I recommend TMH? Well at the moment, it reminds me a bit of China mainland hospitals, where you can easily die due to nobody gives a damn or you haven't paid enough, But that would be unfair. Overall I see them as lacking in warmth and having a high throughput and low risk mentality.
That's my story and opinion. Feel free to interpret as you wish.