Monash Medical Birthing Centre

[xhayley]

Has anyone had any experience or knowledge of this place? Or with any birthing centre in general - I'd love to hear your experiences.

I feel a bit thrown in the deep end with trying to choose a hospital/obstetrician/whether to have an obstetrician at all. I'm at 10 weeks and have been thrown from a family planning clinic to the public sector of Monash Medical in Clayton without really realising or being told how much of a choice I have, until today. The visits so far have been fine, but they haven't told us our choices or given us enough information, I think. My partner came up with the idea of seeing a private obstetrician.

I'm young (20) and from the few tests I've had there don't seem to be any complications and my family and I are healthy. Is an obstetrician necessary? I visited Mark Lawrence in Bentleigh today but the price was a bit steep for us, even with my private health insurance. Would I get the same amount of quality care from a birthing centre where I dealt with midwives? I do want as natural a birth as possible.

I think I've heard too much about c-sections and episiotomies and things where they aren't really needed, and I just want to make sure that doesn't happen to me.

Sorry for the ramble, but I couldn't find a forum for general questions like these.

Any help would be appreciated!

[JoJoMart]

I have a midwife friend who has had two children at a birthing centre........she went natural all the way (lucky for her she had a short labour!). I think the birthing centre was at the Mercy Hospital.

I have heard that Sandringham Hospital (public) is good from a friend who went there.

I am going to Cabrini and my OB is quite reasonable. He charges $100 the first consultation, then $50 for each consult after that and a separate one-off bill of $1200 for the management of the pregnancy. I think that's reasonable compared to some others. I have got back a lot of Medicare and also have private health insurance.

Good luck! Mark Lawrence's rooms are up the road from me but I chose not to go there because he was more expensive.

[candyn]

Hi there, you don't have to go private but i f you have insurance the i'd say use. i to have wondeful obs in Malvern and his prices are the same as Xhaleys Obs fees are (maybe he is the same obs?)

Dr dennis price, i just love him:D
Very reasonable!!!

[JoJoMart]

Hi Candyn,

My OB is Dr Dennis Price so the same one you are talking about !! I'm glad you think he's really good. I like his manner it's pretty relaxed and he has a calming voice which I'm hoping will help when I give birth!

[candyn]

Hi i love him sooooo much:D.

He delivered my 2 boys, and i wouldn't trust anyone else, he is so debonaire and very calming in labour, Loved him!!!! And he knows it too!!! The midwives rave on about him too

[candyn]

just sent you a pm:)

[victoria75]

Hi, I have had both my children at Monash, I use the private section of Jessie MAc but the delivery rooms are exactly the same. The midwives are BRILLIANT. I had one with epidural, one natural. They let you decide, they I found were very open to anything we wanted to try. I would eb perfectly happy going there without a private Ob but luckily I have insurance so I am only out of pocket about 400. Cant complain about that. Good Luck with what ever you decide.

[juzzy]

Im due to give birth in about 12 days (:fingerscrossed: ) and i am going public at Monash Medical. So far i havent had an issue and if there has been anything that i have wanted to know i have just asked as i have found that the Doctors and midwives will make time for you if you have any questions. They have been lovely to me so far... ask me after the baby is born if i still think the same thing!

[lilpearl]

Hello,

Your right in thinking you do not need an obstetrician for a normal pregnancy/birth. The midwifery mode of care is the way to go if you want as natural a birth as possible, as obstetricians are specialists int he problems of pregnancy and are over-used by the general child-bearing population. Pregnancy and birth is, after all, a social issue, not a medical one (except when, occasionally, a medical condition means that more specialised care in this problem becomes necessary). If you want evidence-based information, go to the Cochranes website - this is where hospitals and obstetricians get a lot of their up-to-date information from. Unfortunately, rarely do they take the evidence on board, hence the sky-rocketing caesarean and intervention rates. In general, women with "high risk" pregnancies have better outcomes int he public system than "low risk" women have int he private system...simply because the private system is not so "with women" (my midwife spends two hours chatting to me at each visit), and unessesary interventions are used as routine. Some obstericians have a caesarean rate of around 90%, which is more than alarming. Midwifery care, in a normal pregnancy, is the SAFEST way to go, that has been shown in all studies...but please, read the studies at Cochranes, read good quality books on natural birth "gentle Birth, gentle motehring" by Dr. Sarah J Buckly is good...there is also a great book that comes with a FANTASTIC DVD available called "gentle birth choices'...this has some great quotes by a truly wonderful obstertician, who is personally disgusted at the rate at which women have obstertical "deliveries" (do you want to "be delivered" or give birth?). Anything by Dr. Michael Odent is fantastic, too. The countries witht he best birth outcomes (that is healthy, live infants and mothers) are those countries where midwifery care is the norm, and obstetrical care is used only when truly needed. This is the safest model of care, and gives the best balance. Places like America who have one of the Highest obstetrical models of care, have one of the worst birth outcome xstatistics. If you've ever seen "birthday" or the like on FOXTEL, you'll know what I'm talking about...it's more like a production line! Birth is a right of passage, be empowered and have a fantastic experience! Another great book is "Birthing From Within" by Pam England and Rob Horowitz...if you want more book titles, just P.M me. :)

[melissa.r]

When I was pregnant with DD1 I had a bleed at 33 weeks and my OB was concerned I would go into premature labour as I had some tightenings. I was transferred to Monash (Jesse Mac) and spent the night in a delivery room and a few days on the ward. The delivery room at the time was shared between the public/private hospitals (not sure if this is still the case). At the time, I remember thinking that there was no way I was going to deliver in that room as it was very clinical. Large room, single bed in the middle, tiny bathroon. Luckily, I did not deliver at that time as I probably would have had complications due to being so uncomfortable in this environment. I guess, some women would not be concerned about this but it did bother me. Also, remember that Monash is a teaching hospital so you may have students wanting to attend.
Also, if you do use your private health care remember that the intervention rates within the private sector are very high so consider this if you want a natural birth. Obviously if you have a low risk pregancy then midwifery care is the best choice but you just need to look at your options and make a decision based on good solid facts.