Help _which hospital to choose

[Chiku]

Hi mums
I live in victoria and have to decide which hospital i should choose. Options I have are 1) Mercy hospital which is at heidelberg- about 40 min drive from my place and 2) Box hill hospital which is about 20 minutes drive from my place. can anybody please advise which is the better one? Or if somebody can let me know about the experiences in either of the hospital? This would be a great help as I have to decide in couple of days. Any information or suggestion would be a great help .
cheers
chiku.

[JanetF]

Hi :D In terms of outcomes, there's not much in it between hospitals. If you plan to birth in a hospital, a doula is essential and will really help you achieve a much safer birth experience for you and your baby. If you want to find out more about those two hospitals, the Victorian Perinatal Data can give you the exact details of how many caesareans, how many episiotomies and inductions, and all those other vital pieces of information.
Check them out here. http://www.health.vic.gov.au/perinatal/downloads/annrep0102.pdf

I run a birth group in your area and I'm happy to chat or lend you books. PM me if you like :D

And congratulations on having a birth to look forward to!
:D

[TwoBlue]

Hi Chiku

What area are you in...?
My SIL has had three great births at Box Hill, she thinks the place is great and feels very comfortable there?
I dont know anything about Mercy.
I had my son at Monash medical centre in Clayton and was very happy with them, especially as my son was unwell and they have a NICU there so he didnt have to be transferred anywhere.

Good luck

[Snugglepot]

I gave birth at the Mercy in July. I was in the family birth centre and I found it to be fantastic. The staff are great, it is a brand new hospital, so as you can imagine the facilities are excellent. Others I know also thought the general birthing suites were also good. I also found the follow up staff to be great, both the midwife who visits you at home and the lactation consultants.

I only live a short distance from the hospital though, I think I would look at the Box hill hospital well, if you are happy, the shorter car ride may be a god send! I only had one contraction in the car and that was enough!!!