Wife is 6 Weeks Pregnant - Public Hospital Advice?

methosb · 19-03-2018, 05:17 PM

Oh yeah I confused it with the maternity ward. Yeah mum and dad are fine. No family visits for the NICU but you can get your wife to ask nicely and they might let the grandma in provided one of you waits outside.

pin · 19-03-2018, 05:47 PM

My very short summary of public hospital:

- Medically cannot be faulted, they know their shit. They will look after you.
- The hospital will do everything medically necessary.
- They have amazing medical facilities
- Public hospitals are under immense budgetary strain due to our government's inability to fund them, so they have to cut on stuff that isn't medically necessary
- You will be seen by whoever is available
- The wards are quite small and you have limited personal space
- The food is so so (but you can order take-out)
- Visiting hours are very limited
- The private room in Queen Mary is worth it if you can afford it or someone else is paying. Its no Matilda from what I've heard, but it is 100% better than the ward. You are however seen by the same doctors and nurses. While you get a food menu, the food is still as good as the general ward food (you just get a bit more of a choice). You can pay additional to get an extra bed and then you can stay with your wife and can come and go as you please.
- If something goes wrong in a private hospital or there is a complication, they are not going to bother dealing with it, but will shunt you to a public hospital and let the tax payer pick up the bill

Beuze · 19-03-2018, 05:55 PM

One point i heard a lot also when we where deciding between public and private is that private hospital tend to do a lot more C-section than public one. Easier to plan and charge more. My wife gave birth 22 hours after her water broke but never did the public hospital doctor push her to have a C-section.

shri · 19-03-2018, 06:03 PM

Easier to plan and charge more.

And your doctor's holiday plans.

methosb · 19-03-2018, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by Beuze:

One point i heard a lot also when we where deciding between public and private is that private hospital tend to do a lot more C-section than public one. Easier to plan and charge more. My wife gave birth 22 hours after her water broke but never did the public hospital doctor push her to have a C-section.

Yes public hospitals default is to try to have a natural birth but will switch to c-section for medical reasons. My wife gave birth naturally the first time and had a c-section the second time due to some medical circumstances.

A lot of women here go to private specifically because they want to do a c-section.

Mat · 19-03-2018, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by hullexile:

Most of the helpers will have had and raised babies of their own and almost all of them will have helped care for babies in the large extended family. Clueless they are not. What you mean is that because of cultural differences they will have a different view on how to raise a baby. Your attitude might explain why they left.

not entirely true - many helpers will have a kid or two but will have had to leave (sadly) their family to make ends meet and actually didnt really care for their own baby (makes me sick to type it but seen it so many times at interviews).