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Public and Private Hospitals
Nov. 24th, 2010 07:52 pmI had Pearl in a private hospital and Ruby in the public system (having spent the cost of the birth on upgrading my car). I’d have to say I preferred the private system but not because the quality of care was better.
I did not like the way I saw a different doctor literally every single time I went to the public hospital. It meant I had to repeat myself over and over, and also I had to be a lot more vigilant in monitoring my own condition. (On the other hand, I was not pleased with my doctor in the private system who saw me regularly and yet failed to note that my problem with my feet was severe).
The main thing that I really didn’t like was sharing a room in the hospital. Sharing a room with one crying newborn is difficult enough. Sharing with two... far more than twice as bad.
The woman I was sharing with apparently had a cultural tradition that women do nothing for weeks after having the child other than feed him or her when he or she is brought in. This worked fine during the day when she was surrounded by hoards of her family. It worked really really badly at night when she had long fights with the midwife about whose role it was to pick the child up while I lay there literally biting my lips to stop myself from leaping up and saying that OK, I would feed the baby rather than leave the poor boy to cry for hours on end. Sharing with her was so horrible that I spent the last night in the lounge, sleeping on a couch rather than listening to a distressed, uncomforted child.
In short, I’d say going with the private system was worth it** if only for the sake of having a private room and being able to stay in for longer. (I got to board at the private hospital so I could stay for as long as Pearl was in; in the public system I got bounced out of King Edwards on the day I gave birth and was transferred to another hospital by taxi.)
** Assuming you have the money.
I did not like the way I saw a different doctor literally every single time I went to the public hospital. It meant I had to repeat myself over and over, and also I had to be a lot more vigilant in monitoring my own condition. (On the other hand, I was not pleased with my doctor in the private system who saw me regularly and yet failed to note that my problem with my feet was severe).
The main thing that I really didn’t like was sharing a room in the hospital. Sharing a room with one crying newborn is difficult enough. Sharing with two... far more than twice as bad.
The woman I was sharing with apparently had a cultural tradition that women do nothing for weeks after having the child other than feed him or her when he or she is brought in. This worked fine during the day when she was surrounded by hoards of her family. It worked really really badly at night when she had long fights with the midwife about whose role it was to pick the child up while I lay there literally biting my lips to stop myself from leaping up and saying that OK, I would feed the baby rather than leave the poor boy to cry for hours on end. Sharing with her was so horrible that I spent the last night in the lounge, sleeping on a couch rather than listening to a distressed, uncomforted child.
In short, I’d say going with the private system was worth it** if only for the sake of having a private room and being able to stay in for longer. (I got to board at the private hospital so I could stay for as long as Pearl was in; in the public system I got bounced out of King Edwards on the day I gave birth and was transferred to another hospital by taxi.)
** Assuming you have the money.
