QLD - Nambour General Hospital Info Wanted

[MrsMiggins]

Desperately seeking info from women who have given birth at Nambour General Hospital QLD

I am particularly interested in the following, but please feel free to elaborate!

Staff attitude
Facilites
Your feelings on how you were treated
Your overall experience
Whether your preferences were acknowledged & followed


Thanks for your time!!

Fiona

[mel]

hi fiona,

i havn't given birth there yet but i will in september! my sister in law had her first baby there and she thought it was fine as far as i know. i had my first app. with the midwife last week (i'm now 25 weeks) and she was lovely. as far as hospitals go, and i'm not a big fan of them, the atmoshpere seemed qiute calm and pleasant. i am going to tour he birth suite, which you can do on wed 10.30am or 7.30pm or sun 1.00pm. you dont have to book you just show up. and i'm trying to get into ante natal classes there too. i live in nambour and i'm due 12th sept, but i think it will be a coule weeks early. when are you due?
mel
mum-to-be 26 :)

[MrsMiggins]

Hi Mel!

Thanks so much for your response! I am 21 weeks today, so we're quite close! I live in Caloundra. I will be attending the Caloundra midwife clinic this Thursday (I'm a bit nervous actually! I know it's silly, but I don't really have a clue what I'm doing or where to go etc! This is my first child.) I'm due October 18th.

Even though I will be attending clinics in Caloundra, I will be delivering at Nambour. Hopefully I will get an opportunity or two to tour the birth suite. I'm sure I will. The times are actually really good as I work in Brisbane Monday to Friday & my DH works Saturdays, so with the flexible times, we should be able to fit something in. I would be very interested in the antenatal classes too. Hopefully we will be able to discuss all that this Thursday. How long did you get with the midwife at your appointment? Did you need to take your ultrasounds with you?

You have put my mind at ease about the hospital situation though. I'm glad you have had positive experiences so far. We should keep in touch! It'd be nice to know other mums in the area. Is this your first? Thanks so much for the info!

Fiona

[Sharelle]

Hi Fiona,

I had both of my girls at Nambour General Hospital and found the staff to be really good. :) The birthing suites were given a makeover about 18 months - 2 years ago. I heard a few bad reports from people ( all about a friend of a friend) about NGH but I Have no problems with it. I'll be there again in November to have number 3 :D :D .

[MrsMiggins]

Thanks Sharelle! And congrats on #3!

I had my Snr midwife appt last Thursday and was so happy with how everything went! It went better than my GP visits! I am now feeling much better about the whole thing and am looking forward to the antenatal classes, birth suite tours & further appts.

I notice they have given me a draft birth plan with all the other info. Did you use one? Did you find the staff welcomed it & was it useful during your delivery?

[Sharelle]

No, I didn't use a birth plan. Mainly cause with my first 1 I thought how the hell am I supposed to have any idea about what I want during labour - and with the second 1 all I wanted was an epidural :D . I spoke to the midwives about this during my second pregnacy and she said to make sure that I let them know as soon as possible that I wanted one (during labour that is!).
Anyway got to hospital at about 6:30pm after having my first contrax at about 4:30pm, got settled in the birthing suite the midwife asked me if I had a birth plan and I replied that I wanted an epidural. She suggested I try to have a shower first and use hot water as pain relief, I deliberatly misunderstood and said no thanks I had a shower before I came, could I just have an epidural thanks! She said she would check and see how dialated I was and then organise it for me. After a look and feel about down there :rolleyes: she announced that no I couldn't have an epidural as I was fully dialated! Even though I understood this my brain would except it and for the next half hour while I pushed I was still asking for the epidural :D :D . Even when they had to stitch me up I was still asking for it!

But it is entirley your choice whether you use one or not, just remember it is only a guide and you can always change your mind during labour if you want to, also things could happen in labour that could mean what you want isn't what is best for bubs.

[alissa-mareesmum]

I had Alissa there and the midwives in the birthing suite are fantastic. I was in labour for three days and the night before i finally had her it was about three in the morning and i went in and stayed until about eight the same morning (walking up and down the halls). I hadn't progressed much so i went back home with a seditive to get some much needed sleep ( as did my partner and mum) and boy did that do the trick i woke up walked around the garden and my waters broke. So back we all went and i had Liz as my widwife (sorry if i'm not allowed to give names but seriously this lady was fantastic). My only pain relief was the showers and i used the big bath/pool and leaning on the big ball. For the birth i used a combination of the birthing stool and standing up and hanging from my partner. I gave birth in the room with bath/pool with the lights dimmed and my cd playing over and over. My plan was to give birth without any pain releif and she respected that all the way through. She constantly told me what a great job i was doing and coached me through it calmly and positively. I would without a doubt recommend giving birth there.

However as i gave birth in the night time, i went over to the maternity ward at two in the morning. Totally sleep deprived but beaming about the arrival of my little girl. I was left alone in the dark with my baby the only thing i was told was to keep her quiet. Nice! there i lay so still afraid to move as everytime i did she made a noise. Anyway my experience of the materinty ward was so opposite to the birthing suite. No one helped me, (except for the cleaning lady who i mistook for a midwife she rewrapped Alissa held her for a bit) i stood at their desk area for ten minutes with her screaming in my arms ( there was about five or six of them standing around talking) before someone asked if i was ok and needed some help. when my partner arrived at about eleven that day i gave him Alissa and said you have to take her for awhile (i kept breastfeeding her to keep her happy and quiet) and i'm not staying here the night. When my mum arrived we spoke to a midwife and organised for me to go home. I was home by five in the afternoon.

That was my experience i do think though that the birthing suite was great and for the actual birth that is the most important thing. You don't have to stay in the materinty ward Alissa was about 18hours old when we left the hospital.

Good luck and enjoy your, pregnancy, births and babies.

[alissa-mareesmum]

I just wanted to add that i gave birth in January of this year.

[kalebsmum]

Hi Fonia.

I gave birth at Nambour General in october last year,i was in the birthing sulte for 18 hours and when though 3 shift changes (well so my DH tells me) i don't really remember what the midwifes were like as i was concertrating on other things, but my DH said that they were fantastic.
i ended up having my son delivered by forceps but i was perparped for an emergency caesarean, i remember thinking when i was in theater that i wouldn't wanted to be anywhere else the team there were just fantastic.....

I then spent 5 days in the labour ward, on the first night the nurses took my son for the night so i could get some rest which was great :)

I guess to sum things up i had a great experience and highly recommend Nambour General Hospital :D

i hope this has helped in some way

kalebsmum

[sage'smum]

Hiya

I had my bub at Nambour last October. I had great midwives in the birthing suite. (4 of them!) They were absolutely wonderful.
As for the maternity ward - I had to spend 5 days there as I had an emergency c section, and I hated every minute. Most of the staff aren't helpful. They seem to think that you should know what you are doing.
The best thing you can do is ignore their attitudes and ask them everything you need to know. I was too scared and let them get to me. Don't let them ruin such a wonderful time in your life.
I don't mean to make it sound so scary. There are a few really lovely midwives in there too. They are extremely helpful and will do everything they can to help you.
Just remember to ask for help if you need it.

[lealea]

Desperately seeking info from women who have given birth at Nambour General Hospital QLD

I am particularly interested in the following, but please feel free to elaborate!

Staff attitude
Facilites
Your feelings on how you were treated
Your overall experience
Whether your preferences were acknowledged & followed


Thanks for your time!!

Fiona




Hi Fiona

I had my first daughter at NGH in may 2003 the birth suite was fantastic and highly recommend it , i ended up in private room on the mat ward which was ok but left after 2 days. I just wanted to get home as the nursing staff didn;t really offer great support unless you were begging for it but im sure you know how it all works and you will be fine.
Im due any day at the moment and am having bub at Selangor private this time for a different experience but remember its your say that counts! Best of luck!!

Lealea

[P & C Murray]

Hi Fiona,

Just found this site and your question!

We have just had a baby girl at NGH on 24-8-05. She was 2 weeks late and my wife had to be induced. This started at 7am on the 22-8-05.

We spent nearly 3 full days moving back and forth between Birth Suite and Maternity Ward, before finally giving birth. We got to try every birthing room (bar one) including the assessment room; as well as just about every doctor and midwife on duty during those 3 days and I honestly can't sing enough praises for the place and the people.

The NGH Birth Suite team are some of the most Caring, Supportive and Loving group of professionals you would ever want to meet - ever; even when the suite is inundated with women about to give birth!!!.

As one of the previous people said, the Birth Suite has had a makeover about 2 years ago and is very bright, modern and every room is a different colour :).

Likewise the staff in the Maternity Ward are super, always on hand to help - weather it be showing you how to change a nappy, wash baby or spend time one-on-one with breast feeding education and help.

Anyway I hope everything goes well for you - we will definately be going back to NGH for any future bundles of joy that might come along

Cheers - PAUL

[MrsMiggins]

Just an update for anyone else looking at having a baby at NGH.

I had my bub there in October via planned caesarian (baby was breech & I also had placenta praevia - vaginal delivery unfortunately was not an option!).

The majority of the staff there were just absolutely wonderful! There were a couple of midwives (I have to say that they were the older ones), who were a bit nasty, but nothing I couldn't deal with. Their shifts were usually when I didn't need a whole lot of help anyway. There were also a few standout EXCELLENT midwives who were simply fantastic & whom I adored! So helpful & so friendly and just wonderful!

I did have a very detailed birth plan & the staff pretty much stuck to it, although I have to say that there were one or two things they seemed to completely ignore, but I can look past that as the overall experience was great & that is essentially why I made a brth plan - to ensure the experience was a good one.

I will have no hesitation in having my future bubs there!

[alissa-mareesmum]

Fiona, i'm glad the birth of your daughter was a good experience for you and your daughter arrived safe and sound. She is beautiful........well done.

Jade.

[angel_cakesau]

hello i am due to have my first child in july this year and i will be having her at nambour general hospital they were really good but just recently they have been messing me about a bit telling me that something is wrong and to go for an ultrasound but not telling me exactly what they are concerned about which is very scary considering i miscarried with twins last year on anzac day but thank god the ultra sound showed that everything was fine i am now 27 weeks and so excited im happy about giving birth there but scared about the maternity ward lol i too live in nambour does anyone know when the birthing classes begin? i went to the parenting class but there is only one before you have your child the rest are after but if you have any concerns the nambour community health centre is great. keep in touch from sarah;) :smiliedance:

[mrsbutterflygirl]

My sister had her first at Nambour and she said the birthing staff are wonderful however the treatment she got while in the ward was not that good... they didn't teach her how to breast feed properly which ended up in alot of problems.... she didnt' go back to that hospital after that.

[sehbear]

:banghead:
Hi all my name is Sarah im 18 I live in Maroochy and i am 24 wks pregnant just wondering if anyone has any info that could help me regarding mothers groups or young mum connections etc. my email is sarah.cas@hotmail.com
Thanks guys

[caetbyron]

I had my first Child at Nambour General hospital in 2005 and will be having another one there next week.
My first labour went for 43 hours! They let me endure the most excruciating torture as my son was posterior and i had terrible back pain and wouldn't dilate. Medical students were brought in against my will and were allowed to perform internal examinations on me after i had said no. I was given an epidural on the second day of labour and induced. I tore extensively from A-B and also did a lot of damage to my cervix from all the pressure of the baby in the wrong direction. (I later found out that according to my file, i was only in labour for 10 hours > the amount of time i was actually dilating regularly) (And also that the file says nothing about my cervical tearing or the fact that i tore all the way to my anus)
This time i have decided to have a c-section becuase the research i have done suggests that the scar tissue on my cervix will take a long time to dilate and i've been told that this baby is also posterior facing. I cannot cope mentally with another labour like my first one and i think the most important thing is to make sure that mother and baby are both healthy and happy. On top of this, the terrible job the doctor did of my stiches are likely to rupture and would inevitably cause more trouble. Unfortunately, i was extremely traumatised by my first birth experience and have had to attend therapy for prenatal depression caused by it throughout this pregnancy. The trouble with Nambour General is that each visit to the MWC means that i have to justify myself to the widwives and relive that torture at every visit. I have had opinions and attitudes of these women in regards to electing to have a c-section thrust in my face and have been made to feel selfish and guilty about choosing to have a c-section. Because you meet a new person each visit, and they never bother to read your file, i've felt completely alone and haven't been able to trust them. I know that they have more important things to do and that the funding and staff etc is limited, but i think it's unprofessional to force opinions and judgments upon a woman who chooses to elect a c-section without knowing the reasons behind it. I don't have any faith in my body to deliver this baby naturally or safetly. I wrote a very extensive letter outlining all of my experience, and asked that it be put in my file to ensure that for the rest of my visits i wouldn't have to explain myself and leave the hospital feeling guilty, but even still no one has bothered to read it and continue to give me attitude about my right to elect to have a c-section. Although i think it was all worth it in the end for my beautiful son, i think i shouldn't have been left for that long, and that the hospital needs to be focussed on by the govt to get more support for the staff and facilities.
Searching for some understanding and empathy...........

[MumofIsaac]

I had my son at Nambour Hospital a couple of years ago and couldn't fault them. The staff were wonderful, and we had the most caring and helpful midwives (I had a very long labour). I am TTC with my second child and all going to plan I intend on using Nambour Hospital again.

[niamh75]

How awful for you to feel this way you stand up for your rights and make sure your birth partner know what you want and can enforce it if needs be good luck with your next birth i hope its a positive experience for you. i hope you can enjoy your new time with your family a whole lot better this time
I live in Ireland and had to be in duced on my first baby because of gd i was not in labour for very long but my baby went in to distress and he wasnt coming out they took down to prepare me for a csection but were trying the vacum cup first i did 3 pushes using that and the doctor said no c section so i had to have a doctor push my son back up so they could get him out i felt awful like you felt my voice was not heard so i decided next time round i would be more prepared and do it my way as best i could and it went nearly as i had planned i wanted a vbac wich i achieved but did need a bit of help as my son was so big but i was so happy i got it to go my way third time it was brilliant and im hoping it will be the same this time ill be having this baby in nambour general so im a bit nervous as to how they do things but any way i wish you the best of luck :thumbsup::D

Niamh

I had my first Child at Nambour General hospital in 2005 and will be having another one there next week.
My first labour went for 43 hours! They let me endure the most excruciating torture as my son was posterior and i had terrible back pain and wouldn't dilate. Medical students were brought in against my will and were allowed to perform internal examinations on me after i had said no. I was given an epidural on the second day of labour and induced. I tore extensively from A-B and also did a lot of damage to my cervix from all the pressure of the baby in the wrong direction. (I later found out that according to my file, i was only in labour for 10 hours > the amount of time i was actually dilating regularly) (And also that the file says nothing about my cervical tearing or the fact that i tore all the way to my anus)
This time i have decided to have a c-section becuase the research i have done suggests that the scar tissue on my cervix will take a long time to dilate and i've been told that this baby is also posterior facing. I cannot cope mentally with another labour like my first one and i think the most important thing is to make sure that mother and baby are both healthy and happy. On top of this, the terrible job the doctor did of my stiches are likely to rupture and would inevitably cause more trouble. Unfortunately, i was extremely traumatised by my first birth experience and have had to attend therapy for prenatal depression caused by it throughout this pregnancy. The trouble with Nambour General is that each visit to the MWC means that i have to justify myself to the widwives and relive that torture at every visit. I have had opinions and attitudes of these women in regards to electing to have a c-section thrust in my face and have been made to feel selfish and guilty about choosing to have a c-section. Because you meet a new person each visit, and they never bother to read your file, i've felt completely alone and haven't been able to trust them. I know that they have more important things to do and that the funding and staff etc is limited, but i think it's unprofessional to force opinions and judgments upon a woman who chooses to elect a c-section without knowing the reasons behind it. I don't have any faith in my body to deliver this baby naturally or safetly. I wrote a very extensive letter outlining all of my experience, and asked that it be put in my file to ensure that for the rest of my visits i wouldn't have to explain myself and leave the hospital feeling guilty, but even still no one has bothered to read it and continue to give me attitude about my right to elect to have a c-section. Although i think it was all worth it in the end for my beautiful son, i think i shouldn't have been left for that long, and that the hospital needs to be focussed on by the govt to get more support for the staff and facilities.
Searching for some understanding and empathy...........

[3KIDSMUM]

If u hated it so much, then why are u going back? :confused: Thats what I dont understand?
I cant wait to have my bub at Nambour, I had my last there and they did everything that I asked them to do.

[angel_cakesau]

i had my first bub there not big fan of antenatal care but huge fan of birth suite and ward actually just come out from 3 days in maternity ward as i am preg with bub number 2 and not been that well if you dont feel like you are getting what you want ask them tell them what you want worked for me and yet i have been to a few friends births and they dont tell them what they want and then whinge bout how bad it is but you need to ask questions and you need to make sure they know what you want im so excited to go back and have my 2nd bub :smiliedance:

[pinknic20]

I went to Nambour Hospitial for my first child andI am going there again. I had a terrible time up there and hated it. I am going back because it is either that or caboolture and I heard through a Dr that it is worse. I would rather go some where I hate but know, than to start all over again some where new. The staff up there should be shot being a first time parent i was treated with such disrespect. This time round I will be much more confident and not let them bully me. They will never listen to complaints or take the blame they just state they are over worked. I am sure you could smile once in a while though.

[whitsundaysmumma]

Whilst I didn't give birth at Nambour, bubs was transferred back from Brisbane and I have nothing but praise and thanks for the staff of Nambour SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit):yelclap:

Roomed in on the ward for 2 nights before bubs and I came home and didn't find the ward staff terribly interested or helpful but thankfully the SCBU girls cared for and checked on me and the cleaners and food attendants were fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!