SAN Hospital - Wahroonga (Sydney)

[Chocolate Baby]

Hi all,

I've been trying to find any stories on giving birth at the SAN - good or bad.

I'm heading there in August/September to have bub #1. I've had a couple of gf's give birth there and were over the moon with the service but I'm still hoping to get a broader perspective.

My Dr is Dr Paul. I start my antenatal classes there in June (although I did think that $300 was a LOT of $$ to pay...) but the thought of doing it there in order to meet with the midwives and physio's that will be at the hospital when I give birth was an incentive.

Any stories anyone is willing to share?

Thanks,

Kate.

[krisash]

hi kate,
well firstly i am in QLD, but my aunty is in asquith and my cousin in mt colah. my aunty had her 2 youngest there and couldn't have been happier (she had her first at a public hosp). and my cousin is due in may and is also going there and she has had all glowing reports from there aswell.
off the subject of babies there. when my grandad sick he also was there, i actually flew down there (he had cancer and died) but they were fantastic. the care was very good there. i wish we had a hospital like that here. i think you have made a wonderful choice.
Kristin

[mummycuddles]

Hi Kate

Well I haven't given birth at the SAN before (or anywhere for that matter) but like you I am heading there in September. Mr OB is Dr Booker. What date are you due? I am due Sept 25. My hubby and I also thought that the $300 was a bit steep but what can you do? We are going to that early pregnancy class that was included in the cost on 18 April. I have had quite a few girlfriends who have had their bubs at the SAN and my neighbour has had her two boys there and raves about it.

Sus

[Natsmummy]

I had DS there and I thought it was just fantastic. Due to health problems I was hospitalised for 4 weeks prior to DS's birth and everyone I came into contact with from the nurses to the cleaners was so kind and helpful. My antenatal class costs were covered by my private health insurer (MBF). Who are you with?

If I have any more children or have any other health problems this would be my number 1 choice of hospital.

[Chocolate Baby]

Hi Kate

Well I haven't given birth at the SAN before (or anywhere for that matter) but like you I am heading there in September. Mr OB is Dr Booker. What date are you due? I am due Sept 25. My hubby and I also thought that the $300 was a bit steep but what can you do? We are going to that early pregnancy class that was included in the cost on 18 April. I have had quite a few girlfriends who have had their bubs at the SAN and my neighbour has had her two boys there and raves about it.

Sus

Sus...I'll see you there! I'm going to that class too!!! When are you booked for the 6 week course? I'm booked in for the 25th June (I think - I'll have to check my diary at home) for the 8pm to 10pm session.

I'm due from 25th August. My hubby has to go o/s in September so Dr Paul and I have decided that bub will be born by 3rd September.

How exciting...I'll "know" someone before I get there!

[mummycuddles]

kate, that's great!!! Definately a small world. Well hubby and I won't be too hard to spot because I am 5ft and he is 6ft 3 so we normally stand out a bit. I think we are booked in for our ante-natal classes sometime in July - I will have to check my diary as well, sooooo many dates to remember when you are pregnant.

Sus

[annsam]

Hi there,

I had my first baby at the SAN and didn't like it at all. It was September and they were very busy. Birth was very 'medical'. Not enough support to breastfeed. Took 40 minutes min to get any assistance from midwives if you needed them..... I didn't like it at all. Some of my friends have had babies there and didn't like it, others loved it so I guess it depends on what you want from a hospital and its staff as to how it stacks up.

Best of luck with your births.

[Natsmummy]

Hi there,

I had my first baby at the SAN and didn't like it at all. It was September and they were very busy. Birth was very 'medical'. Not enough support to breastfeed. Took 40 minutes min to get any assistance from midwives if you needed them..... I didn't like it at all. Some of my friends have had babies there and didn't like it, others loved it so I guess it depends on what you want from a hospital and its staff as to how it stacks up.

Best of luck with your births.

Did you ask to see one of the lactation consultants? They were a great help to me.

[mummy2sophie]

Cannot rave enough about the SAN. Absolutely brilliant. My DD's birth was far from ordinary - just about everything went wrong and I had to have an emergency c/s. The hospital was hugely busy when I was there too, so much so that they had to have some babies and new mums stay in the delivery suites. But I heard that this was highly unusual.

I stayed there for 10 days and found that most of the midwives were excellent and very patient with me...I had a lot of troubles breastfeeding (flat nipples - ouch) and had to have several lactation consultants. I think if you need help you really need to be polite but firm and a little flexible. I usually would say, could you just stay to make sure I get the breastfeeding attachment right?? And the nurses almost always were willing to help out. Maybe they were more patient because I had a c/s?? No idea. but I'm definitely going back to the SAN for no.2 - due in November.

My prenatal classes were partly covered by health insurance (under physiotherapy strangely enough) I'm with Manchester Unity.

Good luck with your pregnancy.

[mm85]

hi i had ds at the san and i agree with annsam i wasnt happy. i also asked for the lactation con. and she just kept saying to me oh it easy just stick him on and he'll suck and ust kept going its easy its easy.. so i felt a little stupid and it was very bust and was ages for anyone to come to the room when i buzzed and i wasnt happy with the anethasist (sp?) some of the middies seemed quite mean but that said a few were so sweet but i guess thats everywhere.. but probably a 3/10 from me.. but a alot of ppl love it there im sure it'll be fine.. good luck wth everything.

[PinkSuede]

I had my DD there in November last year and thought it was quite good. I like the fact that you are encouraged to stay for a full four days as I think that being a first time Mum (without much family support unfortunately) you really need people around you who know what they are doing.

One negative that I would say is the strong insistance on "Rooming in" with your baby from the very beginning. I had a 23 hour labour which started at 10pm so effectively by the time we got to our room from the labour ward I had been awake for nearly 48 hours. I was totally exhausted. I wish now that I had just insisted that DD sleep for a few hours in the nursery so that I could build up a bit of strength to handle the next few days. She was very unsettled and I didn't end up sleeping for another two days by which stage I was hysterical. One of the midis took charge, taking DD to the nursery and giving me a sleeping tablet and telling the other staff off for letting it get to that stage. After 6 hours sleep I felt like a new woman!

Some of the rooms are quite small, some huge and airy. Apparently they try and save the larger rooms for people with more than one child as they realise they will need more room.

The food is great! Extra meals for your partner are only a few dollars and the food is really tasty. I found all the midis quite nice, some nicer than others - but I think that is always the way.

They have talks from a lactation consultant, a physio and general "Taking care of baby" classes and though I intended to go to all of them I missed them all as they seemed to be just when I got a chance for some sleep!

That was a bit long winded! PM me if you want to ask any other questions.

xo Kirstie

[Mrs AJC]

HATED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsdown:
Actually wrote a letter to the head midwife stating my disgust at the way that I was treated. I was given a whole hearted apology but what I really needed was some empathy at being a first time mum.

Now I must state that the midwives in the labour ward were brilliant ... A+++, but once in the maternity ward, look out.

I would say that 1 out of 10 was even remotely understanding and accomodating.

Without reliving the emotional trauma too much (and these points may not seem too bad to some but it still makes me very angry) below are just some of the things that happened to me;

* Doctor entered delivery room with cup of coffee during very traumatic time - very unprofessional and nearly made me :barf:
* After having paralysis and severve chest pains from epi, left to get myself to and from bed to use toilet "or we will stick the cathater back in you" (nice!) - was also not shown how to call for nurse/midwife
* Made to wait over 3hrs for a jug of water - had to get mum to go buy a bottle of water for me
* Asked for someone to show me how to change a cloth nappy (they don't allow disposable) then when ds did massive leaking poop called 6 times for help over 2hrs, ended up with poop all over me, and had ds on 2 towels on my bed by the time a midwife came in because it was everywhere and I was very distressed (so was ds by this time) only to be told off by midwife for putting him on the bed because if he wet it then she would have to change the sheets
* After 2 days of no sleep found out everyone else was taking bubs to sleep in the nursery - middis bring them in for their feeds, then you just take them bake to the nursery when you are done
* Had a midwife hand milk me like a cow till I bled for 3 drops of milk (very distressing) then told to toughen up
I could go on but I'm sure you get the picture of my experience.
Also the antenatal classes where a rip off. They don't teach you anything useful like how to breathe through contractions "we don't do that anymore" but when in labour room are told to breathe through the pain ... little help, aren't shown how to change a cloth nappy, bath, wrap, or even hold a newborn - none of the important things, only six weeks of covering everything you have already read in books, magazines, and bubhub.
On the plus side their food is fantastic and you get to place an order from an extensive menu that changes daily (Sanitarium is part of Adventist group).

And lastly the scariest thing is that no one asked us where we were going with a newborn baby when we were discharged in the maternity ward. I thought they were meant to escort you out of the building with the baby, no one even asked if we were the parents. It would have been so easy to pinch a baby when mum was in the loo (the bathroom door doesn't stay open so if you need to go you either have to leave bubs unattended in the room, take into the loo, or take to nursery).
Anyway, I honestly hope that no-one else goes through even some of the things that I did, it makes me really angry to think about now - not least because of how much that experience cost me both financially and emotionally.

[Chocolate Baby]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. And Mrs AJC, I'm very sorry for you that you didn't have the great experience we all so deserve :hugs: . I'm hoping that everything goes well for me, but if it doesn't I'll have no hesitation in saying something and I'm sure hubby will too.

I'm booked in for the antenatal classes to start in June. My one disappointment with them is the cost...$300. I wasn't really thrilled with that.

Thanks again for all the info, I'll be sure to post an update on the hospital when it's all over.

Kate

[Natsmummy]

Mrs AJC, I'm just wondering how long ago you had your baby there as they supply you with disposable nappies now.
I'm so sorry that you had such a terrible experience, nobody deserves to go through this. I wonder though if since you've had your baby there has been a bit of a change in the regime there as I was treated so wonderfully by everyone. The nurses, lactation consultant and everyone else I met gave me so much help and support, and were always there for a hug and a shoulder to have a little weep on if I needed it. The maternity ward was full to capacity when I was there but I was never kept waiting for very long.

[Mrs AJC]

DS was born Dec 2005. Maybe my letters and calls did the trick and they took a look at the way they were treating the new mums. The girl Cathy in the room next to me brought her own sposies and had daily arguments with the midwife staff because they didn't want her using sposies. She was like "WTF? I paid for them, I'm changing them, and it's my kid so back off". I really hope they are more aware now of how they come across, maybe I just had an unfortunate experience, as I said before I honestly hope no-one else has to go through that.

[mummy2sophie]

Nat's mummy: My DD was born 3 days after yours!! It was extremely busy during that week or so we both gave birth.

But I agree with you. The staff were outstanding. Very helpful and always made time for me, even though I was very demanding ;) I had so much trouble breastfeeding I really insisted whichever nurse was on supervise me and bubs attach! I sometimes had to wait, but never longer than 10-15 mins, and they were always sympathetic and nice.

[solarius]

Hi ladies, congrats on your new babies!

I'm going to SAN in October too and was wondering if you could give me any feedback on how the antenatal classes were - what was covered in them, was it worth the time and cost?

Thanks in advance!

[yummymummy18]

Hi Girlies,

I've just had my 2nd bub at the SANs Hospital, and couldn't recommend it highly enough. Both bubs were born by C section, (first was a breach birth) but I had completed the antenatal classes in preparation for a natural birth originally. I think the $300 was worth it, my husband in particular learnt a lot and I knew I would need him to help me make decisions if and when the time came. Some of the cost was covered by HCF. The staff are fabulous, the lactation consultants were great, and you are able to call them anytime up to 6 weeks after the birth for free. I put both my bubs in the nursery every night and was never made to feel guilty for doing so. My O.B. was Dr Chester Kent, and he was absolutely wonderful. Good luck to all you expectant mums.:cheerleader2:

[Blitzvinnig]

Hi Ladies
I haven't had a chance to do the tour at the SAN yet and was wondering if anyone had done the tour and found it worthwhile?
I'm only due late feb 2012 with my first and am still trying to navigate the Australian medical system, as i immigrated here 4 years ago.

[yummymummy18]

Hi blitzvinnig,

I did the tour of the SAN with my first pregnancy and it was included in the antenatal classes that I did there. I found it comforting to know exactly where I would be going, what the delivery suites looked like and seeing the nursery etc. The hospital is wonderful, I can't promote it highly enough. Good luck with your stay in Feb 2012 - you'll love it!!!!

[jalibali]

I have had 3 babies at the San in 2007, 2009 and 2011. They have all been fantastic, the first one in 2007 I found hard and I thought the midwives were a but full on, but looking back as it was my first I think I was just a bit overwhelmed!

I have had 3 c- sections, first emergency then 2 elective. My last c-section in Feb this yr was great, I wad allowed skin to skin straight away and bub and DH stayed with me all through recovery. For the previous 2 bub was looked after by DH while they sewed me back up.

I had lactation consultants, physios, midwives assisting me all the time. The rooms have also recently been refurbished, so the bathrooms are brand new and there are bar fridges and plasma tvs.