Private hospital options in Brisbane

[mummytobeinnovember]

Hi, we just found out we're expecting our first baby in late November. We're thrilled, elated infact but now comes all the planning! I'm relatively new to Brisbane so am not ofay with the better hospitals or obstetricians. We live in New Farm, what are my private hospital options? Also, do you have any recommendations for OB's? I've always been advised to only go to those who come highly recommended by previous patients!
Thankyou for all your assistance or advice, it's greatly appreciated!

[OJandMe]

Do you HAVE to go private?

Mater Mothers Public Hosopital has an EXCELLENT midwifery care service. Seriously, I have not met anyoen who has recieved better care, either public or private.

food for thought...

[lilangel27]

Hi there,

I am currently seeing Dr Stephen Cook who delivers at the Wesley Hospital (Auchenflower), he is lovely...i needed an ob who was understanding and he is more than that...he is really really nice!

I disagree with OJandMe. I had a very bad experience at the Mater Public and if you have private insurance, you are better off going private, you do pay for what you get and you know that you are in good hands. I mean public is fine but if you have issues from the start, you are better off going private and seeing someone who will understand your wants and needs.

Good luck

[zenifa]

Your private options include the Wesley and Mater Mothers Private - I've heard good experiences of both.

I had my two girls at Sunnybank Private - which was excellent, but may be too far for you.

congrats on your pregnancy and good luck!

[mum_I'm_hungry]

Definitely Mater Private or Wesley, but you would also be reasonably close to NorthWest Private, I think. I like Stephen Cooke and David Hill at the Wesley.

[TwoBoysOnly]

Don't go to North West unless you want a c/s..... :(

[whitsundaysmumma]

Hi there,

I am currently seeing Dr Stephen Cook who delivers at the Wesley Hospital (Auchenflower), he is lovely...i needed an ob who was understanding and he is more than that...he is really really nice!

I disagree with OJandMe. I had a very bad experience at the Mater Public and if you have private insurance, you are better off going private, you do pay for what you get and you know that you are in good hands. I mean public is fine but if you have issues from the start, you are better off going private and seeing someone who will understand your wants and needs.

Good luck

:no:Not in my case, didn't mean I was in good hands at all, went private for 1 birth and it was the worst experience I ever endured.

Public all the way for us!:yes: Thank god for the NICU!

All the best for your pregnancy.

[Kachow]

In my opinion does it really matter public or private ???

In the end...we all come home with the same thing !

I am going private for my next one only because I have paid all this money for health insurance it seema a waste to not use it !

[onemummmy]

I have heard north west private is nice

[whitsundaysmumma]

In my opinion does it really matter public or private ???

In the end...we all come home with the same thing !

I am going private for my next one only because I have paid all this money for health insurance it seema a waste to not use it !

:iagree::iagree: Simple words with a huge meaning Kachow!

[mum_I'm_hungry]

In my opinion does it really matter public or private ???

Personally, I think so. It was important to me to have a fully trained specialist (o&g, anaesthetist, paediatrician etc.) of my choice, rather than a partially trained registrar. Of course, it all depends what you're into birth-wise. I've heard good things about NorthWest, but it doesn't have ICU facilities (or didn't the two times I gave birth) and that was important to me and my husband also. That said, that's probably only because he's an anaesthetist and is into the worst-case scenario! Lots of other people like having only midwives and I've heard great things about the birthing centre at the Royal. I say, decide what kind of care you would like and make your choice decided on what you feel comfortable with. It's ridiculous to say that just because you go to NorthWest you're going to have a c-section. I went to the Wesley and had one completely natural birth and one with a shot of pethidine that I had to ask for.

Good luck and stick to your guns! At the end of the day, it's all about you and what you feel comfortable with :thumbsup:

[Kachow]

Personally, I think so. It was important to me to have a fully trained specialist (o&g, anaesthetist, paediatrician etc.) of my choice, rather than a partially trained registrar. Of course, it all depends what you're into birth-wise. I've heard good things about NorthWest, but it doesn't have ICU facilities (or didn't the two times I gave birth) and that was important to me and my husband also. That said, that's probably only because he's an anaesthetist and is into the worst-case scenario! Lots of other people like having only midwives and I've heard great things about the birthing centre at the Royal. I say, decide what kind of care you would like and make your choice decided on what you feel comfortable with. It's ridiculous to say that just because you go to NorthWest you're going to have a c-section. I went to the Wesley and had one completely natural birth and one with a shot of pethidine that I had to ask for.

Good luck and stick to your guns! At the end of the day, it's all about you and what you feel comfortable with :thumbsup:

I totally agree with you, but I'm sure the docs, nurses, middies, anesthetist, surgeons etc in the public systems are " partially trained".

[mum_I'm_hungry]

I'm not intending any slight when I say 'partially trained'. All I'm saying is that I'd prefer to pay for a fully trained specialist, rather than have a registrar who has done maybe one year of training, or maybe five years if you're lucky. I wouldn't be keen on having an anaesthetic registrar with perhaps six months training give me an epidural or a spinal, for example, but would much prefer someone who's completed his/her training to be sticking needles into my spine. That said, I didn't want an epidural or a spinal, but if I'd needed one, I would have liked that choice... hope that makes sense :)

[TwoBoysOnly]

It's ridiculous to say that just because you go to NorthWest you're going to have a c-section.

I didn't say you will end up with a c/s if you go to North West BUT it does have the highest rate of c/s out of all the hospitals in QLD so if you didn't want one you are best to stay clear of it because the chance of you getting one there are quite high

To the OP I would suggest RBWH Birth Centre - FANTASTIC midwives work there and are dedicated and extremely skilled in NORMAL birth - more so than ANY ob. If you really want to go private I can suggest Nikki Whelan who delivers at Wesley, Carol Portmann or Lee Minuzzo who deliver at RBWH - you can go private there too

[mummytobeinnovember]

Thankyou for all your recommendations! We have decided on Wesley and Dr Ross Turner, we tried Stephen Cook and David Hill but both were already booked out! Incredible, since we only just became pregnant, you have to get in quick!

By all accounts Dr Turner is great!

[k8y]

Thankyou for all your recommendations! We have decided on Wesley and Dr Ross Turner, we tried Stephen Cook and David Hill but both were already booked out! Incredible, since we only just became pregnant, you have to get in quick!

By all accounts Dr Turner is great!

great choice mummytobeinnovember :yelclap: I'm due in June and Dr Ross Turner has been my ob from the start - he's just fab :thumbsup: So is his receptionist. She's lovely. I ring alot with my silly questions :laughing:

I decided to choose my ob rather then my hospital and it just happens that Ross delivers at the Wesley.

I've chosen to listen closely to peoples opinions on ob's but not on hospitals because you can get good and bad experiences at both public and private. As long as you strongly put forward your 'birth wishes' you'll be fine :yes:

I start my antenatal classes at the Wesley on Monday.

Best of luck to you and feel free to PM me if you want to :hugs:

[OJandMe]

Hi there,

I disagree with OJandMe. I had a very bad experience at the Mater Public and if you have private insurance, you are better off going private, you do pay for what you get and you know that you are in good hands. I mean public is fine but if you have issues from the start, you are better off going private and seeing someone who will understand your wants and needs.

Good luck

Did you go through the Community Midwifery Group Practice though???

You have the same midwife the whole way through, who does all your checks, you have relaxed antenatal appointments in an area close to your home with NO waiting times, as it's very relaxed and all the middies (all meaning 4 or so) are in the one room, you just stroll on in when you get there, have a chat, coffee/tea, checkup, go home...

your midwife attends to you throughout your whole labour, and then does home visits as many times as you YOU need for the first 6 weeks after bubs is born.

Because they know you they follow YOUR birth plan, support YOUR choices, and if ANYTHING happens throughout the pregnancy, (bleeds, cramping, anything that freaks you out) they organise tests, scans, meet you at the hospital, stay with you the whole time...

Seriously, best care EVER.

And my midwife is NOT partially trained, she's been assissting births for over 20 years

[Mummaholic]

I suggest Dr Graham Tronc who delivers at the Wesley. I had my last baby at the Wesley and would recommend it. My friend went Mater Private and was really good too.

[QTB]

Did you go through the Community Midwifery Group Practice though???

You have the same midwife the whole way through, who does all your checks, you have relaxed antenatal appointments in an area close to your home with NO waiting times, as it's very relaxed and all the middies (all meaning 4 or so) are in the one room, you just stroll on in when you get there, have a chat, coffee/tea, checkup, go home...

your midwife attends to you throughout your whole labour, and then does home visits as many times as you YOU need for the first 6 weeks after bubs is born.

Because they know you they follow YOUR birth plan, support YOUR choices, and if ANYTHING happens throughout the pregnancy, (bleeds, cramping, anything that freaks you out) they organise tests, scans, meet you at the hospital, stay with you the whole time...

Seriously, best care EVER.

And my midwife is NOT partially trained, she's been assissting births for over 20 years

I completely agree! the midwives in the group practise are fab! :D

[mysonroger]

i'm going to the Wesley and it peeves me no end to hear that i am likely to share a room for ' a night or two' before they'll try and get me into a private room, and then when i get my private room, it's shared bathroom facilities with another mother. i mean, FFS - is that the best they can come up with for a private patient in a private hospital.

it's pretty poor!

[QTB]

i'm going to the Wesley and it peeves me no end to hear that i am likely to share a room for ' a night or two' before they'll try and get me into a private room, and then when i get my private room, it's shared bathroom facilities with another mother. i mean, FFS - is that the best they can come up with for a private patient in a private hospital.

it's pretty poor!

wow!! i get my own room and shared bathroom with one other mum and im in a public hosp!! i think that is really poor for a private hosp!

[OJandMe]

most private rooms have a bathroom that adjoins two rooms...

It doesn't mean that you'll be in there at the same time... just that you both have access... once it's locked, it's locked...

[mysonroger]

yeah nah....the shared bathroom option peeves me off as much as possibly sharing a room. the blood loss for one.....ewwwwww. that is disgusting that you should have to share a toilet with someone who is experiencing a blood loss like your own.

i think the best thing for me will be to get home as quick as possible because personally, i know i won't be able to get past the 'ewwwwww' factor.

[rosie76]

The sharing of a room or even tiolet was a reason I decided on the mater mothers private. In addition I had surgery at the wesley just before I got pregnant and because it was full ended up in children's ward. The morning nurse was so horrible and rough that I checked out and went home. Whilst I'm sure that doesn't happen all the time but I just couldn't get past it.

[thirdbaby]

Congratulations & good luck. I have delivered two babies at the Mater Mothers Private & couldn't fault them in any way. I am a type 1 diabetic so my diabetic specialist didn't give me a choice on hospital, she wanted me at The Mater Private because "they would have the best of care if anything went wrong". Both kids were early, Molly now 4 was 16 days early & Luka now 2 was 5 weeks early & was in special care with both of them for about 5 days. The decor was dated but had own room & own bathroom. Had to walk through the Mater Public & was thanking my lucky stars had gone private. I'm sure it is fine but wouldn't like sharing a room & bathroom with someone else at a time where you can feel wonderful but exhausted & sometimes in pain & things are a little messy!! OB I use is David Lingard in Wickham Tce who I was happy with, he was recommended by my brother in law who is a doctor & his wife a midwife (very handy to have with those middle of the night questions)!!! We're due 22/12/08, very excited!!:)

[mum_I'm_hungry]

In addition I had surgery at the wesley just before I got pregnant and because it was full ended up in children's ward. The morning nurse was so horrible and rough that I checked out and went home. Whilst I'm sure that doesn't happen all the time but I just couldn't get past it.

That's interesting -- I love getting sent to the children's ward at the Wesley! I've wound up in there twice when the respiratory ward was full and it is so good because my kids can come in and there is something for them to do other than just rip my room apart! :laughing:

[mum23girls]

New Mater Mothers public and private will open in June. Brand spankin new...huge!

:smiliedance:Can't wait!