Brisbane Public Hospitals - wanting info

[tammac77]

:rolleyes: Hi all,

Looking to start trying for number two at the end of this year and want to hear people's experiences of public hospitals in Brisbane. I had my first at the Mater Mothers Hospital and despite lots of people I know saying they thought it was great, I wasn't happy there. (probably not a good idea to go into my reasons why, might get sued or something!)

I think that Redland Maternity Hospital is another alternative for me, I live close to city on the south side of Brissie.

If anyone has been to Redland, or knows of another good public hospital in Brisbane please share your experiences, would love to hear from you.

Tamara:confused:

[pumpkin]

hi there

yes i have been to redlands public hospital with my last bub and also will be going in a couple of weeks for our next bub. (all my pregs have had to be c sections) i had a c section there with my last bub and it was planned yet she decided to come at 37 weeks so they just put me in straight away and they were great the obs there are great too (9 times out of 10 you get the obs from the relands private hospital talking to you and doing procedures) as it is just a few steps away from the public hospital. this time i am going in for another c section and this has been booked but i know that if i go early again they have no probs in getting me in asap. with this preg i have seen doctors 90% of the time and midwives the rest. i prefer to speak to the obs. i had my own room last time with my own ensuite etc tv etc. this time is the same they do have shared rooms too if you prefer one of those, but i go the room by myself. the food isnt too bad either lol.

if you want any more info on them let me know.

[tammac77]

hey pumpkin,

thanks for your response. Redlands sounds good. What I really want to know is about the cleanliness and age of the hospital. The Mater is very old - shared room was extremely cramped. I had an emergency c-section and found getting up and moving about really hard when there was literally only a couple of feet either side of my bed.

Everyone's experience is different, but I also found the midwives unhelpful. I couldn't breastfeed - well actually i was attaching bubs right and he was sucking right, they just kept saying "you're doing everything the right way" but wouldn't listen to me when I told them he wasn't getting any milk. For two days his nappies were as dry as a bone. It got to the point where I noticed this orange brown stain in his nappy - it was almost pure urea with no water in it because he was dehydrated. I never did get any milk.:(

I'd like to try to breastfeed number two but want to make sure same thing doesn't happen. I like the idea of a private room - especially if I have to have another c-section. I just want to make sure the experience is more positive than last time.

Thanks again :)

[kadownie]

I had my twins at the Mater- had a hard time in post natal as well-
Redlands is a lovely hospital- fairly new, you get your own room, I think you share a bathroom. I know a couple of people that have had their babies there, and loved it, found most of the midwives very helpful.

I'm sorry you had such a hard time with breastfeeding and didn't find the midwives helpful- I can totally relate. Having the right support is crucial.
Are you a member of the Australian Breastfeeding Association- if you are planning on breastfeeding next time then they will be able to offer you lots of good advice and help if you need it. Or else maybe visisting with a lactation consultant might help.

Best of luck with your pregnancy!!

[pumpkin]

redlands isnt too old and it is very clean cannot fault it one bit
as for the bathrooms if you have a shared room then yes you share the bathroom in hte room yet if you have your own room from memory there are a few single rooms compared to the shared rooms and they have their own fully equiped ensuite in them for your use only (and partner etc)

with my c section( it was my 3rd) i was only in hospital for 26 hours as i wanted to go home and i lived 30 mins from there so was outside the boundary for the home midwives to visit but i just went back and had my stitches removed and the heel prick test done after i was out i went back there to get them done no hassles for me though)with the next bub due in a couple of weeks i have also told them i will be going home within 26hours to 2 days with him as i prefer to be out of hospital and doing stuff on my own at home( they have no dramas with this and i just have to go back to get the heel prick test done and the staples etc removed)

my scar ( i have had 3 csections so far) is all on the same scar line so it looks like i have 1 scar only and it is perfectly neat i never had any dramas with this hospital.

[JessandKirra]

I havent read any one elses replies as I wanted to give you my own opinion and not sway on what others said.
this was my 1st baby and had her at redlands.

midwives through labour where fantastic.
emergency C section surgery - no repercusions. V happy with the surgery, nice and neat.
The time you have to stay in the hospital compared to natural and c section is a different length. I stayed for 4 days.
Day staff where great..night staff where slightly dissorganised...but still great.

Advise: if you need them..keep pushing the buzzer...dont think..oh ive pushed it once theyll be here soon. keep pushing it..no scary story to go with that...I just found they forgot about me sometimes...(the desk staff have to tell the midwives) so really its the desk staff who where morons not the nurses.

Oh p.s. BIG ADVISE if you have a c section they dont bring you breakfast on day 2 or 3? cant remember which... and they dont tell you thier not bringing it..so you sit there starving until hubby gets there with (hopefully) a big mac...Doh for me.LOL. i think they want you to get up and around. Bugger that I said. ;)

All up they are a proffessional hospital and they offer a free baby health service. Who i still go and see.
Good luck..

[melbee70]

i had my DD in RWBH & they were fantastic - i had some genetics testing done at the mater & decided i didn't want to give birth there cause it was soooooo old - i found everything at RWBH to be great all the midwives were so helpful & didnt mind DP being there all the time (i was lucky & had a room with two beds but there was never anyone next to me) - sorry cant help about redlands but if you want to ask anything just pm me - i ended up with an emergency c-section & my DD had to spend two days in special care & everyone was helpful with getting me from one floor to the other to visit her

[kadownie]

Oh- I forgot- the Mater is building a new Mothers- not sure when it's going to be completed though- in about a year and a half to two years- it will be very nice. Hopefully they employ the staff that they need to care for the ladies and babies!!

[Jo9999]

Hello, I am looking at going to Redlands and was hoping someone who has been there recently could help.
Could you please tell me if the delivery suites have pools/baths available for pain relief? Logan Hospital is my closest but I have just had a look through and they definitely don't have (which is a shame because I am sure it would save them money on epidurals :) ).
When my dd was born I don't think I could have done it naturally without the water, and I really do want to try for a similar experience as the first time.
Any advice on the delivery suites would be welcome, and also on whether the hospital encourages natural birth.

[Mrs AJC]

*bump*

Came across this thread and thought I would see if anyone else has anything to add :D

[leisurly]

Hi AJC

I'd just stated another thread but not much info about

I wanted to know what obs are there at the Mater Public, we will be going there as I know the neonate unit is very good

Lxx

[Mum&bubs]

Hi girls!

I had both my daughter's at Redlands in Cleveland & found it fantastic. It's only a small hospital so you are always being attended to. I had two very positive birthing experiences & enjoyed my stay there.

I would reccomend it to anyone and IF (a big IF!) I ever decide to have another baby, I will be heading back down that way for sure. :D

[tammac77]

Hi Leisurly,

I saw you were asking about the Mater Public Obs. I only had one antenatal visit with a doctor when I had my baby there - I did shared care. I waited hours and she hardly even looked at me. She took my blood pressure and sent me on my way - it was 5 minutes max!

However, I ended up having to have an emergency c-section and I have to say the doctors and surgeons were great. My baby was in distress and they were on to it right away. I remember them coming in and checking me and explaining what was happening but it was all very blurry - I'd already had gas and pethidine! The surgery went perfectly, no complications and no post operative infection. I do remember though that in theatre they didn't talk to me at all and were carrying on some banal conversation about their weekend while operating - it was a bit strange, almost like I wasn't there. I think they forget you are still awake on the other side of the curtain when all they see are legs and belly with a great big surgical incision in it!

Anyway, bedside manner not great but they knew what they were doing and did a good job. I think I was the 4th or 5th emergency c-section that night, so I can't really blame them for being a bit indifferent.

Overall I hated the Mater Public, but I can't fault the skill and professionalism of the surgeons. The doctor that visited me post-operatively on the other hand was nasty and rude. I guess it depends who you see and their mood on the day. The doctor I've seen at the Redlands was wonderful - took her time, explained things to me (vbac) and was very supportive.

Hope this info helps.

Tammac77

[SairBear]

:thumbsup: redlands... my mums a middie there.. and ive been goin there for my appts and all the middies are great.. and the docs are pretty nice too... ..

[*mumof4*]

I had my 4th baby at the Redlands Hospital. I did have the choice to go there with my other 3, but when I was preg with #1, the hospital was brand new and didn't do c-sections..my baby was breech, so I decided to go to the Mater.
With baby #2 and 3...I chose to go to the Mater again only because I had heard so many horror stories about the Redlands.
But baby #3 came sooo fast, I only just got to the Mater in time and she was born..me standing..I didn't make it to the bed..lol
So I chose to have baby#4 at the Redlands. I wasn't very happy about at all, but I didn't want him born on the side of the rd either! I chose for my gp to care for me and I only went to the hospital at 12 weeks, 16 weeks and 36 weeks. My 16 weeks check, I wasn't happy with the dr at all, but I wont go into it!

I wasn't too happy with the midwives when I called them to tell them I was comming in when in labour either...the girl said to stay home...I was 36 weeks and in full labour, my last labour was only 1 hour..I couldn't even talk on the phone due to contractions and yet she told me to stay home:confused: Luckily I ignored her and we went in..I had my baby 30 mins after that phone call!

The midwife who looked afte me during labour and birth was great..I had no ob come in..she handled the lot and everything went well. I had a nice single room with a balcony, stayed there for 3 days, share toilet/shower (and that's controlled by a lock system, so you never run into anyone in there).

It's a newish hospital (8 yrs)and the birthing room I was in didn't have a bath, only a shower...but I'm sure they do have rooms with a bath, I remember seeing it waaay back when I had a look at the birthing suites when it 1st opened..no birthing pools though.
:ecomcity: