Anyone been to Epworth Freemasons in Melbourne

[Jackinabox]

Hello

We are going to visit the Freemasons hospital maternity unit. Could anyone give me some information about how they found the hospital and if they could comment on any obstetricians from there also.

Thanks!

[mini-moo's mummy]

hi jackinabox....

i havnt actually had a baby there but a close friend has her bubs there a week ago....
she has said everything was great.....
the food, nurses, room, OB etc.....
she had one nurse cause a fuss but nothing to write home about....
her room was nice, plenty of space, good view but had a single hospital style bed.....they had to pay and extra $50 per night to get a double so didnt worry about it....

all in all she was happy, i cant remember the name of her OB but it was a female one

HTH

[dingo]

Hi,

My sister had a baby there last week. He OB was Dr Yule & they were thrilled with him.

Overall they were happy with the hospy, only prob was that it was so full, first night was a shared room, then the hotel was full so stayed in hospy whole time, not that it mattered, but on discharge they were told bubs is hungry & were given a real crash course on bottle feeding as they were heading out the door, so I think they felt a bit rushed out, which was a shame.

They got a lovely room, double bed, from second night & food was great.

The care for bubs was very good & also the midwifes during labor were excellent.

Good Luck

[KiahsMum]

Hi Jackinabox :)

For obstetricians I am seeing Dr Guy Skinner and cannot recommend him enough! He does Freemasons and is lovely, has a wonderful bedside manner and his office is not far from the hospital. He has put up with a lot from me due to issues from my previous birth and is always happy to answer questions and make sure I understand what is going on. A friend had her bub with him a few months ago and was very happy as well.

As for Freemasons it is very busy a lot of the time. This can mean you can wait some time to get help once you press the button. I had DD there in 2007 when they were taking less patients than they take now and I think the longest we waited was about 45 mins, I have heard of patients waiting an hour to get a response from a midwife. I had other issues with Freemasons and have chosen not to go back for this bub as I know the midwife who caused a lot of my issues is still there and I would not be very nice to her if I saw her again. I think you really need to go and have a look and see if you like it, I admit the rooms were nice and there were several very nice midwives who were lovely. I also think they may have changed some policies so some of what happened to us wouldn't happen now. The one comment I share from another mother who had babies at both st vincents and freemasons was you go to freemasons for the rooms and the food and st vincents for the staff and care but obviously everyone is different.

[milldaisy]

I just had my baby at the freemasons last week and would take a look at Frances Perry & St Vincents Private as well as Freemasons before making up your mind. Personally I found the freemasons to be more like a baby factory it was super busy, super noisy and allthough the midwifes were all fantastic (except one absolutely horrible night shift one) they were soooo busy that everything seemed rushed I actually felt sorry for the midwifes as they seemed run off their feet and the level of care & compassion needed after birth was severly lacking purely because they seemed too busy. The rooms were hit and miss everything is a little old and tired looking some rooms were great & big others like dog boxes & noisy. The highlight of the stay was two nights in the Park Hyatt "pure bliss" and the midwifes were absolutely fantastic not rushed off their feet & the food was beautiful.

[Jackinabox]

Thanks for all your replies! We did have a look at Freemasons and did think that maybe it would be too busy. You have all confirmed this for me! We are now thinking about Waverley Private. It is smaller and probably a bit closer.

Thanks again! :thumbsup:

[Mique]

Hi
I had DD there. I think I got the worst room in the whole hospital. It was directly opposite the nursery, so all day and night, I could hear people typing in the code, and the door opening and closing...and I was right next to the nurses station so could hear them talking all day and all night.
Other than that I really liked the hospital and will go there again for my next baby....but I want a different room! lol.
I had dr Pregs Pillay and he was just fantastic! :yes:

[sophiesarah]

Hi Jackinabox,
You may have already made your choices by now, but just thought I'd add.
I delivered there earlier this year. My experience in labour ward was far better than I could have ever imagined. I had two awesome midwives and would go back there just to have them care for me again.
My DD was in SCN (she was prem) and the staff and care in there was also fantastic.
Unlike others here, I think I had the best room on the ward :) it was a large room with double bed so DH could stay. My first night was in a shared room, however I was the only one in the room.
I didn't have that much to do with the midwives on the ward, as my DD was in SCN for the whole stay. A girlfriend was there at the same time as me, and she said she was inundated with help and felt really well supported.
My OB was Guy Skinner, he's great, I am still seeing him as a GYN and intend to see him for any subsequent children.
I think everyones experience is different, and certain times of year are busier than others. I wonder if winter is harder staffing wise etc due to sickness?

Wishing you all the best.

[bellalika]

We are now thinking about Waverley Private. It is smaller and probably a bit closer.

I loved the look of Waverley when we went, but the 3 obstetricians recommended to me there were all full when I tried to book them (I changed obs at 15 weeks last time since I really didn't like the one my GP recommended). A friend had her daughter there and had a good experience. She didn't get to go to the Novotel as she needed an emergency c-section (big baby), but said the staff were wonderful.

I went to South Eastern Private last time and will again with baby 2 (whenever that happens). Except for one midwife - and there seems to be one in every hospital - it was fantastic. We chose it due to how open and inviting the maternity unit is. If you are close to Waverly it may be worth a look.