Hospitals in Adelaide

[daytime-tv-addict]

Hi everyone,

I am new here but I was wondering what people thought of giving birth in the hospitals in Adelaide, specifically the Post Natal wards. I gave birth at the Womens and Childrens and I found the PNW an absolute nightmare. I actually ended up writing a letter of complaint sue to the poor treatment I had. Did anyone else find that they were under staffed, non-attentive and bitter?

[Kells]

If you have private , North Eastern Community is great.

Public - my friend went to Lyell Mcewin - they have excellent birthing suites - new and modern, not sure on the post natal side - she came home the next day with both her children, but they sent a nurse around for 3-5 days to check on her (and she even did her dishes so mum got to be with baby!!)

Good Luck deciding....

[~EmsMum~]

I went public and went to the flinders medical centre, I could not fault there care both before and after I had the baby. Even when I was/still am suffering from PND they are still fantastic :D i couldn't say a bad word about them

[Missus S]

Are you looking at public hospitals or private hospitals?

[daytime-tv-addict]

Are you looking at public hospitals or private hospitals?

No, I've actually already had my baby. I was just wondering how others found their PNW. Were the midwives helpful or hinderances?

[~EmsMum~]

No, I've actually already had my baby. I was just wondering how others found their PNW. Were the midwives helpful or hinderances?

i only had one natzi nurse :D the rest were great

[Missus S]

I found the staff at Burnside Hospital were great and I felt I got lots of attention there.....except for when they'd come in and squeeze my nipples really hard - ow :eek: !! However, the girl in the room next to me felt they left her alone there a fair bit, although she said she felt she was coping fine and is still now BF'ing successfully, which I no longer am.

My close friend just had a baby at Lyell McEwen and had bad experiences with the middies there. She couldn't wait to come home saying she felt like she had 3 different people coming in all giving different advice to her everyday, and she had one really nasty midwife quite upset her at 2.30am during the last night she stayed there yelling at her 'you're doing it wrong' when trying really hard to BF and settle her baby boy.

[daytime-tv-addict]

'you're doing it wrong' when trying really hard to BF and settle her baby boy.

That's exactly what I experienced at the WCH. At one point at about 3 in the morning, I pressed the button for help to settle my baby. No-one came for awhile so I settled her myself eventually. I got woken up at 6am by a terse midwife asking what was wrong and I told her that I pressed it ages ago! That was 3 hours! What if it was a serious problem?

[caz]

That was 3 hours! What if it was a serious problem?

That's disgusting, no wonder you complained :shame:

[DB&O]

I had my dd at North Eastern Community Hospital & found the care fantastic. Couldn't fault any aspect of the care provided & will definately be going back there with no. 2. :yes:
Ciao,
Brooke.

[sarah81]

I found the midwives at WCH ok, they were so conflicting on their advice that I ended up getting a private lactation consultant to help with feeding. The real problem I had there was with the emergency dept and the labour ward registrars. I had one that spoke so little english that he couldn't explain to me what was happening and then he admitted me only to discharge me the moment I got to the ward because a midwife yelled at him that I was wasting ward space. Which as probably true at that time :thumbsdown: I am not having a go at Drs with english as their second languae, I justneed a Dr who can adequately comunicate with me :banghead:

With my second I didn't want to go back there or public again so I went to Ashford. They were lovely except for one midwife who came to make my bed even though I had already made and then got distracted and left the sheets off. I ended up remaking it and then she told me off for making it, said I should have called her back! Very weird, they pretty much left me to it as it was my second baby. The labour ward midwives I had there were fantastic.

[Kari_Adel]

:rolleyes: Bit of a mix for me.. hmmm..

When I FIRST was suspected to be pregnant (two weeks late.. oop) my at-home pregnancy tests were all saying NEGATIVE.. As I was also have sharp pains in my side my doc was concerned it was something more serious. However the bloodwork returned and confirmed I WAS pregnant.. but due to unexplained pains and low hormone levels I was rushed to FLINDERS Medical Centre (public) for ultrasound to investigate.

After a confirmation wee-test and blood-test (many many hours after arriving) I was told by a ER nurse that it was most likely that my pregnancy was eptopic or I had miscarried due to my low pregnancy hormone levels.. she told me to prepare myself for the worst.. and to await my ultrasound..

More hours later (and constantly emptying and re-filling a very tender bladder) the staff realised that they'd forgotten to contact ultrasound and it was now 11pm and no-one was staffed to perform one so I had to stay in overnight.. STILL no answers!

Next morning I was promised my ultrasound "first thing." 3pm rolled by and so did my wheelchair FINALLY! Wheeled downstairs, and shocked to discover that the ultrasound was to be performed INTERNALLY no warning at all! During that very UNCOMFORTABLE ultrasound the sonographer was very animated.. and pointed to a mass on screen and said "oh there's the baby.. its on the ovary" the midwife attending told me to return to my room and that doctors would be sent to brief me on the necessary surgical procedure to "treat" the eptopic pregnancy..

At about 6pm (after many cigarettes and a little stress induced vomiting) the docs arrived and told me the mass was nothing but a cyst.. and said I'd miscarried and my body had naturally absorbed the foetus. They sent me home.. but warned that if I was still "pregnant" at the end of the week I should return to investigate the "cyst"

What do you spot about this story...

(1) You do NOT send a possible eptopic case HOME!
(2) Sonographers dont diagnose.. doctors do!
(3) Flinders is understaffed.. time any ETA by 10!
(4) More importantly.. no one AT ANY STAGE asked me when my last period was nor asked when I'd discovered I was pregnant.. I later found that my low hormone levels consisted with a healthy 5 week pregnancy WHICH WAS WHERE I WAS AT and the ER PRESUMED I was further.. I have no idea how.. being my first baby I didn't know what info was needed of me.. and I was too busy freaking out!

Naturally after all this confusion.. I thought it'd be best to have my healthy baby at a hospital that knew he EXISTED! So I travelled the extra km to Womens and Childrens Hospital.

Midwife Clinic were FANTASTIC!

HOWEVER the delivery was a bit of a struggle.. this had more to do with miscommunication due to many shift changes!

I'll save those gory details for another day! *yawn*

Either way.. I'm now well-educated in most complication related aspects of delivery (vaginally). Next time I'll go where its clean and the food is good.. cos I now know you need to rely on yourself to know whats going on and tell THEM what you need!! So :fingerscrossed: I hope the next one isnt a C-section (DS Jake only JUST made it through so its a possibility) cos I wont be prepared at all..

But can I say.. my dream to be a midwife is confirmed.. and damn I'm gonna be the best there is!! :thumbsup:

Thanks for reading my novel ladies.. and vote for me on Oprah's Book List hehehe *joking

Kari xoxo

[daytime-tv-addict]

That's disgusting, no wonder you complained :shame:

That's not all I complained about. Long story short, after requesting (TWICE) to be checked before being discharged, as I had an episiotomy. I was told there was no need for an examination, everything is fine. I ended up back at the WCH in excruciating pain, as a swab had been left inside me and had been there for 4 days!

[anak]

I find ALL hospitals have their faults, both public and private.
I also work in both and my care certainly doesnt waiver depending on whether or not I am working in a public or private hospital.

One of the most fantastic labour wards in this state is at FMC.
They are the only hospital also in the state to have level 1 neonatal and ICU for adults together.
The best of them all was QVH but unfortunately that is now obsolete.

[anak]

:rolleyes: But can I say.. my dream to be a midwife is confirmed.. and damn I'm gonna be the best there is!! :thumbsup:


are you studying mid??

[Kari_Adel]

ANAK---- :no: No not studying yet.. Before falling pregnant I wanted to be an Obstetrician. But after falling pregnant with DS I decided that I did not want to spend his whole childhood in uni. I now hope to study nursing/midwifery next year or the year after when Jake is closer to Kindy age. I'm studying at TAFE Community Services Work currently to prepare myself (and DS) for uni/care...

[Kari_Adel]

That's not all I complained about. Long story short, after requesting (TWICE) to be checked before being discharged, as I had an episiotomy. I was told there was no need for an examination, everything is fine. I ended up back at the WCH in excruciating pain, as a swab had been left inside me and had been there for 4 days!

:thumbsdown:

Sounds kind of familiar..

A few days after VB, I complained of an intense pressure-like pain in my lower regions and asked them to check my stitches. I'd had internal stitches as the forceps caused internal tears.

As it was the night before day 3.. the nurse on duty looked at me and "said aww you poor thing you're just sensitive.. have you been warned about baby blues - your milk must be coming in.." and told me to go back to bed and get some rest.

The pain continued.. and I wandered up and down the wards begging for someone to help me and stop the pain. As I was already on my max pain-killers for other complications downstairs (bruising and swelling to my labia was SO SEVERE I couldn't wear underwear etc or even close my legs to sleep :( ) they didn't believe me that I was in pain.

Eventually... after about six hours (its now 3am in the morning) and being threatened to have my baby removed from my room if I didnt calm down and go to bed.. one midwife took pity on me and snuck me some numbing gel for me to rub on the area.

I waddled back to my room and applied the gel on my labia (sorry girls for the details..) and my fingers sunk into another hole.. one I WASN'T supposed to have. I panicked and called the nurse again, lying spread legged and crying forced her to check. She freaked and called a doctor.

:mad: Apparently I had developed a haematoma (cant spell) which is like an internal blood clot/blister. It had ruptured and burst my wound open!! To stop the pain.. the wound had to be cleaned out and the blistered flesh had to be cut away. The doctor used a pair of scissors to cut it out.. WITHOUT ANY LOCAL ANAESTETIC right there.. on my bed.. at 3am.. me sobbing and screaming in pain.. with my very distressed room-mate on the other side of the curtain holding her baby and crying for me!

I'm getting teary just remembering the pain and hopelessness..

A trainee nurse had accompanied the butcher doctor from another ward so she was a fresh face. She was almost in tears herself as the doctor cut me and I stared at her and begged for it to stop. After the doctor left, she stayed with me awhile and comforted me. I was sooooo exhausted I just wanted to go to sleep. But she had noticed my engorged red breasts.. I hadn't even noticed that my milk had come in and that I was actually in alot of pain! I told her not to worry I was fine I just wanted to sleep but she refused to leave me like that :o and found a breast pump to express both sides so I was comfortable. I don't remember her leaving.. I was so buggered I fell asleep. Very traumatic..

[Nan]

:eek: :eek: :eek:
OMG Kari! How traumatic for you. I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to have any more kids. That would put me off for life. You poor thing. :(
Love,
Nan. xx

P.S. Back to the original question.....my DD was born at Mt. Barker (public) and it was small, cosy, comfortable and the staff were terrific.

[anak]

ANAK---- :no: No not studying yet.. Before falling pregnant I wanted to be an Obstetrician. But after falling pregnant with DS I decided that I did not want to spend his whole childhood in uni. I now hope to study nursing/midwifery next year or the year after when Jake is closer to Kindy age. I'm studying at TAFE Community Services Work currently to prepare myself (and DS) for uni/care...
Nice:thumbsup: ...you know you can do it external and lessen the need for bubs to be in childcare.
Its good to slide into it slowly though if you arent use to the whole Uni regime.I found it ok to jump straight in, but then I am a mental case sometimes:D

I am sitting my exam for medical entry in October,but the whole OB thing will be 4 years away yet.

Good Luck....do you have to apply or have you deffered??

[Kari_Adel]

Anak --- I didn't realise I could do it externally.. I wouldn't have thought that'd be an option for something like midwifery. I haven't enrolled yet.. I'll complete my Cert 3 Comm Svs Work (TAFE) at the end of this year. Its been a great way to boost my academic confidence and give me a "practice-run" balancing p/t study with being a single SAHM..

Next year I hope to decide between going for Registered Nurse and then extra year for midwifery.. OR just doing straight entry midwifery course. Pre/PostNatal is where I want to be, but I dont want to eliminate other earning opportunities when I'll be supporting us..? Any advice?

So you're studying for OB? Is that still 6 years for GP + 4 years post grad for OB? 10 years full-time is a big ask.. hence why I'm opting for the quicker, less demanding way.. :rolleyes:

[Kari_Adel]

:o Sorry to have hijacked this thread.. remember its original topic is HOSPITALS IN ADELAIDE.. hehe sorry! xo

[anak]

LOL...I will start an ATT: post for you:D