Monash Birthing Centre Experiences??

[2made3]

Hello I'm hoping you can help me!
I am looking into going to Monash Birthing Centre (hopefully) with the birth of #3 (when THAT finally happens :p - ttc right now).

I have been told Monash hospital doesn't take public patients unless you are high risk and I'm not keen on going private again as I don't want to spend all the $$ when both my last 2 pregnancies and births were problem free and normal. I have been told about birthing centres and am very keen to try this with hopefully private back-up, if necessary.

Can anyone please tell me about the birthing centre and their experiences??? Did you get any private back-up and how much did that cost???? Is it worth it???

My last labour was drug free and I am keen to do that again this time around :yes:.

TIA!!!!! :thumbsup:

[2made3]

Anyone on just birthing centres in general??? Would be great???!!! :o

[Annabella]

Hi , I've just booked an appt there for my third (first one born interstate, 2nd at a hospital that has moved wayyyy across town so its too far away now!). It seems a little unorganised, one lady told me just to book but when I went to do that they said I needed a dr to confirm and refer me there first, and get all my blood tests etc done thru the dr. Which means they can't fit me in now til about 15 weeks. However thats all administrative so I'm not too worried as a friend of mine had her baby there, had a water birth and very positive experience. I've also heard that the private section of Monash I think its something McPherson? is meant to be good too. I'm not planning on needing that tho, but just incase you're worried :)

[2made3]

Thank you for the reply Annabella. :)
I'll make sure I have my referral and blood tests done thru my GP then before I book! Did you find it was hard to get into it at all??
I went private at monash with DS2, Jesse MacPherson, and found it "ok". I actually thought my public experience through the Mercy at Heidelberg was better! But that is prob coz its a new hospital and didn't have too many people there. So this is why I'm keen to try the birthing centre also.

[Annabella]

The first time I rang when the lady said to just book, it didn't seem like there would've been a problem getting in but then she said I should go to the Dr first, and of course my dr was away for a couple of weeks! When they got the referral and rang me back to make the appt she sort of said something along the lines of I hope we're not booked out or something to that effect, but then booked the appt for 15 weeks, so I'm assuming they're not booked out. I'd probably recommend doing it all quickly tho coz they seem pretty busy! I don't think there are many other public hospitals around that area, apparently Monash (except birthing centre) only takes high risk so most people are told to go to Dandenong.

I had my 2nd at Mercy when they were in East Melbourne, I had a great experience too! I wish they didn't move so far away! But sounds like the Moansh birthing Centre is really good so I'm excited to give it a go :)

[em1984]

I had my bubs at jessie mac, but as far as i knew everyone (public, private, birth centre) all birthed in the same area, its only after that it is different? correct me if im wrong? I just know I was in the 'birth centre' part when I was labouring as I wanted to be in the bath, then when i moved coz I wanted pain relief it was literally 2 doors away just in another room?? P.S. Jesse Mac are having reno's this year so by the time you have number 3 it will probably be all done! Sounds like it will be much nicer!

[2made3]

Oh I hope you're right em1984!! It would be ace if Jesse Mac tarted up a bit to say the least!! But I think I am keen on going through the birthing centre.

A friend of mine is a midwife at monash, and you are right, the labour areas are all next to each other. So if something goes wrong you are still fully backed up with OB's & equipment etc. where necessary. The only thing is through the birthing centre you go home 24 hrs after birth instead of doing a hosp stay. Which I'm thinking will be cool for me coz I'll want to go home anyway!!! (with EXTRA help of course!!) And the antenatal care through birthing centre is with midwives instead of OB's. So its a bit quicker to see people.

[Sassy75]

I am due in July and was originally booked in to the birth centre at Monash. You basically have a quick phone interview and then an initial appointment with the midwives. You then see the Dr's/OB's at Clinic D (just a few doors down in the same area) for an assessment to make sure they are satisfied you are low risk. As the birth centre is midwife care only you must be low risk. I loved it because the midwives are all so lovely & they see you so quickly.

I have now been transferred out of the birth centre to OB care because my bubs is measuring very big & I am now no longer low risk. Pretty peeved as sometimes you can wait over 2 hours to be seen in the Outpatient clinic. I went on Wed and I swear I have caught this damn flu from someone sitting next to me for 2 hours sniffling!

With the birth centre you can choose one night stay in a private room with a double bed or 2 night stay in a shared ward.

I am hoping I have a straight forward birth so I can be transferred back to the bc for my stay once bubs is born.

Hope this helps :)

[Annabella]

Sassy, did you have to go to the dr first to confirm preg and have blood tests etc? I spoke to a midwife who seemed satisfied I'd be low risk and after establishing I wasn't going to have downs syndrome testing done. She told me book thru another phone line for my first check up at 12 weeks, which I got a machine and when they rang back the lady said I needed an appt with my dr first? So I will be 15 weeks by the time I have that appt which doesn't realy worry me as I went to my dr and she organised the normal blood tests etc.

HOWEVER, she didn't do another test (I'd done 2 already) but now I keep wondering if I am pregnant or not! I have NO symptoms except that my breasts are sore and heavy (and no period). With my other 2 i didn't get sick but was really tired and got hungry easily, had to make sure I ate regularly or got a bit lightheaded etc. Also we weren't trying, (obviously shows the withdrawal method is NOT reliable!!!!) and can't think when I got pregnant whereas with the other 2 I knew when I conceived. I know all pregnancies are different but its starting to freak me out! Would the Dr have done a blood test to confirm do you think?

Also the big baby thing, my other 2 were both big (if over 4kgs is considered big), would that make me high risk do you think, as it makes me more likely to develop gestational diabetes...

[ja9]

Hiya boymoomy,
sorry but i don't have info about birth centres. But i would like any info you can share about having a drug free birth. I am in the early stages on pregnancy and need to start making some decisions about care providers soon and apparently if i decide what kind of birth i want the rest falls into place - sort of! This all seems a bit soon for me... still can't believe i'm pregnant!
thanks :)

[naturalbirth1]

Hi
Just heard through a friend that Monash Medical Centre is closing it's Birth Centre. I thought that the demand for natural birth, water birth and midwife care would show the need for a birth centre at Monash?
My girlfriend has booked with them to give birth in November and has been told the hospital is closing the Birth Centre down, so she is not sure where she will have her baby?
I wanted to book there for my third baby.
Sal:(

[NewMum2bee]

where abouts is the actual birthing centre located?

is it up in level 5 where the maternity is..or whatever level that is..or is it in a separate building ??

[Mrs Awesome]

It is just a few rooms attached to the regular delivery suites up on level 5. I work there but I'm on mat leave at the moment so am out of the loop, but when I go back to work at the end of June Ill try to suss it out.

[tomtom]

It was still on level 5 on the maternity ward last October when I was there (I didn't use birthing cntr)
I was booked in through my ob and am low risk. He did mention that I may not get in because i'm not high risk. I would imagine it would be different with the birthing cntr.

[CocktailBubba]

I've just booked myself into the birthing centre at monash for February 2011 so it's definitely still open :)

[smileygirl]

i'm at Monash, but due to high risk which is a bummer lol It was hoped that i would be put back as low risk at 20 weeks so i could do birth centre like i did with DS (but at royal womens) but it has not happened.

However, i can only commend the staff up on level 5 (I'm there a lot lol) and how great the middy's are.

I was in on Tuesday cause of more bleeding/spotting and the only room free was a birth centre one and it was really nice in there. All the other rooms have been fine though.

Lots of construction there atm though so is a bit noisy!

I have my birth class next weekend and I can't wait.

My understanding is that they are not closing the birth centre....but extending all their birth suites to a "birth centre" type atmosphere so there will be less of a differentiation.

[gonin]

Wow, things must have changed if they don't take public patients and only have 24 hour stays now.

I had DD there (normal birthing suite) in 2005 and it was fantastic! The midwife (I only had one over the 7 hours) was so competent and lovely and didn't touch me which I loved! She also suggested the bath whe the pain was getting on top of me and in the end I had a magical, totally unplanned waterbirth! DD was born Saturday night and I left Monday morning, very happy with the experience.

At the Royal Women's where I had my DS in 2007, I felt like I was treated like an animal both in labour and afterwards and got out of there 12 hours after the birth (which ws hideous!)

Hope you get to go to Monash and experience the same quality of care that I did. Wish I could go back there too, but unfortunately we have moved. Best of luck!