Obstetrician for Mater or Royal North Shore Private

[upton28]

I am a few weeks pregnant and I need to decide upon which hospital and which obstetrician I am going to use, for the birth of my baby. I had two different females for my first three and so would like to have another female. I have been given the names of Sophie Lynch, Felicity Gallimore, Anne MacGibbon, Michele Batey and Emma O'Shea. Has anybody used these particular obstetricians and if so, did you find them helpful/professional and competant?

I want someone fairly relaxed, as it is my fourth child and I am likely to give birth very quickly (last one was 30 minutes) - so I need them to be the type who is organised enough to get to the birth at short notice!! I also hate waiting for long periods as my toddlers get frustrated sitting for an hour plus in a waiting room - no surprises there!

Please let me know whether these obstetricians have a good reputation and any info on the hospitals would also be great. My first three were born in NY, so I have no experience of the hospitals here in Sydney.

Cheers

Louise

[Norman]

I'm sorry I can't help you out on the OB side of things as mine was male (Dr Chris Hunter - fantastic!!), but I can highly recommend North Shore Private Hospital as somewhere to give birth - they have wonderful midwives and the facilities are first class. It makes me want to move back to Sydney if I was to have another baby!!

[Nellsy]

Hello Louise

You've probably got this all sorted by now, but I am having my second baby at The Mater in Sydney in November and my Obs is Dr James Ferry. He is great. We had our first with him at Manly Hosp. The Mater have a really good website (complete with a virtual tour!!) and I found this page on their site for you that lists all the Obs that service the Mater. Mater Obstetricians (http://www.matersydney.com.au/0400/0408/0408.asp?spec=ObstetricsGynaecology). I know a lot of mums who really sing the praises of the all the staff at The Mater.

Hope that is useful for you, and all the best.

[marinaW]

Hi! My partner and I were recommended Dr Felicity Gallimore by a German expat here. Her review was that Felicity had great bedside manners and was an extremely commited OB. But when we tried to book her for our baby, her calendar was full. We were then recommended Dr Gil Burton. Gil is great... very easy going and has great bedside manners too. Extremely commited to his patients and is a great comedian too. I understand from his other patients that when he is not around, Dr Vijay Roach has filled in before and he is great too. Good luck with your search! And book early as NSP is extremely popular. On that note, the nurses and midwives there are great. Its like being in a 5 star hotel :)

[aprilbaby]

Hi Louise,

My OBGYN is Emma O'Shea, and although I have only had one apt with her she seems very nice and made us feel very comfortable. She is quiely spoken and has a calm manner, which is what you're after I think.

I totally understand how you feel about finding the right Dr, this is my first baby and I was worried about ending up with someone I didn't gel with. It's a shame you can't meet them all and shop around for someone that suits you, but it would be a pretty costly exercise! In the end I left it so long to book someone I nearly couldn't get anyone, so I was very lucky Emma squeezed me in. The females are the hardest to get in to, so definiteley book asap.

We did a tour of the Mater the other day and it seems fantastic. Just a small thing i noticed, but their carparking rates are alot cheaper than North Shore Private. Just a small thing I know, but when hubby is visiting all day everyday that can really add to your costs.

Anyway, good luck, I'm sure whoever you get will be great. :)

[sueliz]

Hi Louise

I am going to Dr Glenda McLaren and she delivers at the Mater. This is my first baby so I have nothing to compare with - but I have so far found her to be wonderful! She is always very friendly and reassuring and always says if I have any questions between appointments just to phone or e-mail her in case I forget them - and to avoid possibly worrying over something for weeks! I also really like the fact that she always makes an effort to talk to my husband and make him feel welcome and include him in all discussions we have about what's happening and what will happen...
She is very popular so if you are interested, let me know and I will give you her details.

Cheers!
Susan

[upton28]

Thank you everybody for your insight. I have heard that Doctor Ferry is very good and have chosen to go with him.

Thanks all and best of luck to you!

[oscarsmilkbar]

congrats on getting an Ob!
Are you going to Mater or NSP?......

Reason asked is that my mum is a midwife and lactation consultant at NSP (how lucky I was when DS was born!!) and I'd ask her to take great care of you!!

PS......paediatrician (sp?) tip which you can request at Mater or NSP, either Annie Lim or John Arnold.....absolutely FANTABULOUS doctors.

:)

[CrazyBeautiful]

congrats on getting an Ob!
Are you going to Mater or NSP?......

Reason asked is that my mum is a midwife and lactation consultant at NSP (how lucky I was when DS was born!!) and I'd ask her to take great care of you!!

PS......paediatrician (sp?) tip which you can request at Mater or NSP, either Annie Lim or John Arnold.....absolutely FANTABULOUS doctors.

:)
Can also recommend Annie Lim from personal experience, she's great! Very friendly and absolutely wonderful with babies.

[redbaby]

Hi there,... not too sure if you still need info,..but,..I had Scarlett at RNSP,..and it was brilliant!!! I also wanted to go with Felicity Gallimore,.but she was booked up,..so ended up with Dr Stephen Morris,...he was a dream!!

[redbaby]

Hey there,.. just wondering who your mum is,....cause I had the most brilliant Lactation consultant at RNSP wheh I had Scarlett, and I would really like to thank her for being so good!

[oscarsmilkbar]

Hiya Jane!

Her name is Suzie....
and she gets the most beautiful gifts every week as people think she is fantabulous. She is a midwife/lactation consultant that everyone wants when they have a baby!
biased I know...but watching her over the years collect praise in the form of cards, letters, gifts, vouchers, wine wine wine!!, and the amount of mums that stop her in the street on the north shore is amazing!!
She loves her job and I am so lucky to have all her expertise!!

There is another consultant there who is brilliant as well..gabrielle.

[redbaby]

They are all wonderful there,.. I didn't want to leave! It was actually Gabrielle that helped me out,....Suzie was not there for the couple of days I was in with Squidg,...... but hopefully we will be back there in the not to distant future, so I hope to meet your mum! Even though I haven't met her, please thank her for me.....the job that all the midwives and lactation consultants do at RNSP is too brilliant for words!

[bendvd]

Hallo oscars milkbar (Is it Sarah?),

You seem to have a bit of inside knowledge in the world of obs and midwives. I am pregnant for the first time (ahhhh, bit sureal still) and I am looking for an ob that is open or at least accepting of using alternative medicine in their delivering practice. As your mother is a midwife maybe she knows who is open to those assisting techniques?

If anyone else has any info it would be appreciated.

Thanks for your help.

DvD

[Bordeux]

Any of these doctors are great. I know them all and they are all professional and very competent doctors. Any doctors that have admitting rights to either The Mater or North Shore Private Hospital are very reputable -otherwise they wouldn't have admitting rights to the hospital!!!