Seeking OB

[purpleant]

Hi All

I will be moving to South of Brisbane (Qld) in Feb 2006 from Victoria. I would appreciate any recommendations on maternity hospitals and obstetricians. I will be approx in my first trimester.

Regards
PurpleAnt

[veve]

Hey :)

I'm south of brisbane... but you probably need to be more specific.. there are lots of hospitals!!!

I'm going through Sunnybank Private (where lots of my friends have gone) - and am very excited about my hospital choice..

Dr O'Brien and Dr Alexander (OBs) both come with great recommendations - and they are linked with Sunnybank Private... and the mater too I think..

if you dont have private cover... the most popular hospital would have to be the mater..??? I think..

anyway - I hope this helps!!! let us know more when you know where you are going to live!!

xxx

[Anna&JacksMum]

Dr Tronc at the Wesley in Brisbane. Had my first bub with him - no probs! Am now flying back up from Sydney in a month to have my second with him because I found him to be v supportive the first time around.

Also found the Wesley fantastic!

[purpleant]

A great big thank you to both VeVe and Anna&JacksMum! I am very greatful for any advice at this stage because everything is up in the air....

I am unsure where we will be but definitely in the South of Brisbane, as my husband's work will be South West in Wacol. We are still doing research on realestate and facilities in each area. Possibly Mt Gravatt, Coorparoo, Camphill, Carina areas. Any advice re: schools, playgroups, toy libraries, etc.. would be much appreciated.

Once my location is confirmed, I may ask again for the OB contacts suggested.

Thanks once again for making my first experience with Bub Hub worthwhile.

Regards
PurpleAnt

[draught]

Hi and welcome.
We live in the areas you are talking about living - lots of great resources for families I have found.
I had baby number 2 at the Mater Mothers Private which is close to those areas you are talking about. My advice would be to ring and book an OB now even if you aren't moving for some time, otherwise you may find yourself with no choice - the lists are full pretty quickly since the whole insurance crisis a couple of years ago saw a few of them give up practise.

There was another thread on here a while ago that went through the pros and cons of different Brisbane OB's - if you do a search you should turn it up. In the meantime I went through David Lingard and found him to be lovely and helpful and calm.

[purpleant]

Hi Draught

Thanks for the tips. I have heard of mix responses for Mater Mothers private. Must depend on the people on each shift?? I am glad you had a great experience there. Particularly second time around...

I will try and search for the pros and cons. I am still getting use to navigating the Bub Hub site. :o

Again, thanks.

Cheers-PurpleAnt

[littlepickle]

Jus thought to mention - if you are moving to inner city South Brisbane then you would still be quite close to RBWH (Royal Brisbane Womens) or the Wesley. If you are lucky you might be able to get into the birthing centre at the RBWH, although there ia a ballot system in place there. As I live inner South Brisbane myself, I have been doing a lot of research and have had some lovely responses in regards to Mater mothers private. Of course, there are some people that have not had good experiences but this could also be down to the choice of OB too. If you want to have a more personal and more one-on-one experience, have you thought of getting a private doula or midwife to be with you at the hospital?

[draught]

Sorry purpleant - I should clarify - I didn't have a great experience at Mater Mother's - but the doctor was good and it is the only one he delivers at. I had my first in Canberra and cannot rave enough about how great that was......I was less than impressed with some of the staff at the Mater. Having said that though, the fact that there are neonatal specialists seconds away if anything goes wrong was worth it for me - the piece of mind was great.

Ask away if you have any other questions and if I find the link for the other thread I will post it for you.

[JanetF]

The FBC at RBWH is very good and there's also another midwifery programme there. Give them a call and get great care! If you're a normal gal having a baby you don't really need an Ob. They're actually only for complications, not normal birth. No matter who you employ, these are some ideas about choosing the right careprovider for you. :) Read the list of suggested questions to help you find your perfect c/p at the website but I pulled out a few for you.

http://maternitywise.org/mw/topics/caregiver/tips.html
What should I ask myself about the experience of meeting with a maternity caregiver?
When you go to interview a caregiver and during your prenatal visits, ask yourself how you feel about the experience:
Is this person listening to me and respectful of my wish to make careful decisions?
Is the person willing to take the time to answer my questions to my satisfaction?
Does this person share my vision for my maternity care and birth?
Do I think that I can feel comfortable with and trust this person?
Can I get what I want from this person?
Does this feel right for me?
This person will be working intimately with you and your family through one of the most important times of your life. Follow your instincts. Only you can make the decision that is right for you. If you have concerns, even if you are well into your pregnancy and prenatal care, it may be important to explore other options.

[purpleant]

JanetF

Thank you for the very useful tips-I be chosing a 'maternity caregiver' with care now.

For my first, it was a very confusing experience. I was lucky that I had a practical, kind and professional OB for guidance (plus we asked lots of stupid questions). He was the only available OB (baby boom apparently) on my list of 3. He delivered my Anthony who is now 27months (so no complaints). The hospital and midwives who assisted in labour were also fantastic (for Melbournians- Cabrini in Malvern). I hope my experiences in Brisbane will be just as fortunate.

RBWH will be another on my list. Again I have had some mixed reviews. Must be the few bad experiences that people tend to remember the most. Can I assume you had Conor this way? Do you get the same midwife or 2-3 of the same midwife assigned during your stay? Instead of regular checks with an OB do you go in to see the midwife?

Thanks for your reply and sorry to go on and on... :o

p.s. love your sign off-made me laugh!

Regards
PurpleAnt

[Little_Tiny_Feet]

Hi there,

I was wondering if you could pass on the details of your Cabrini OB, since you had such a good experience with him?

Thanks very Much, and I hope you are enjoying Sunny QLD.....although feels like QLD in MELB at the moment, going to to 42 degrees tomorrow!!

Happy NYE

Lisa - Mlebourne

[littlepickle]

I have chsen the mater mothers private, I kind of found it reassuring that they have a great childrens hospital etc attached, not that I think that I will need that, but nice to know it is there anyway. My obs is Dr Doug Keeping, he is lovely, and has had some wonderfull reviews, when I asked my GP for the referral to him, she was so full of praise for him and said that he is one of the best if not the best in Brisbane - well that seems to be the opinion in medical circles anyway, but if you have a look on the brisbane obs thread - everyone has said how lovly he is

[purpleant]

Dear Lisa

Sorry for such a delay response...I have had a hectic few months in my move up north. I hope you have found a great OB who delivers at Cabrini. Mine was Dr David Frieden. Very calm, professional and practical. He is very experienced and also delivers at Masada hospital. Cabrini was a lovely place to have a first time bubs too.

Regards