Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick

**AngelGirl** · 04-12-2006 07:03

I was thinking of going in as a private patient at the Royal Hospital for Women. I looked at their website last night and there is tonnes of info on the maternity ward and all the birthing options available. They even conduct a tour of the hospital for couples who have just found out their a pg and looking a hospital options. I'm not sure whether other hospitals do this or openly advertise it but I think it's a wonderful idea.

Does anyone have any first hand experience they may like to share??

**Pixie** · 04-12-2006 07:09

I had my DD there as a public patient they were great I went through the birth centre, ended up with an emergency c/section but excellent care.

**Beany** · 04-12-2006 07:16

I went in as a private patient and had my boy there in August. The care was wonderful, the staff were nice, the food was awful

I loved that they offered classes and talks everyday - stuff like "how to settle your baby", "breastfeeding basics" and so forth. They also had hands-on demonstrations to teach parents how to bathe their newborns.

If I have another, I'll be having it there again.

**danielle13** · 04-12-2006 08:29

I was a public patient there, to be honest I was very disappointed with the level of care. I used the team midwifery service, and laboured in the delivery suite, but ended up with an emergency c/s.
Of the team of 8 midwives, I got on with 3 of them, who were great. There was alot of *****iness with the rest, moaning about eachother etc. I got alot of conflicting info etc at my antenatal appointments, but as I said, 3 of them were great, I'd "use" any of them again as independant middies. (I can PM you their names if you like)
During labour they intervened alot, the hospital was extremely busy in June this year and I have a feeling they were trying to rush me along to free up the room. I hold them responsible for me needing the c/s.
The after-birth care was shocking. No breastfeeding support, day 2 they forgot our meds and obs altogether, and I had to leave before I felt ready in order to qualify for the home-midwifery service.
As I said though, I went public, and we were there in one of their busiest months ever, that probably did make a difference.
Something I will give them though - their baby care and birth classes are great, and they hold a large range of different classes for mums and dads.
I personally would only birth there again if I could choose one of the 3 middies I mentioned before to be my sole carer, and I'd go private so I could get a room to myself and so dp could stay.
All the best with whatever choice you make.

**Buddha Bubbas** · 04-12-2006 10:24

i had ds in the public section. the middies were great. i had a c/section and was in acute care for 4 days. they were absolutely fantastic there. but when i went down to the ward OMG it was horrible. it was like a train station. Nurse told me i did not need pain relief after my c/s

i only stayed in the ward for a few hours then went back up to acute care because it was soooo bad. if i knew it was going to be like that i would have went private. but in saying that i wasnt in a good state so it probably made everything 10 times worse.

**danielle13** · 04-12-2006 10:31

Originally Posted by Buddha Bubbas

Nurse told me i did not need pain relief after my c/s

.

That's something I forgot to mention - I had this issue aswell. I had my c/s on Monday night, had the epi in place til Tues morning, then pethidine all of Tues. Wednesday 6am I requested some pain relief, finally got given some PANADOL at midday, and was told that I shouldn't need anything by now!!

**Beany** · 04-12-2006 11:00

How weird ...

I had a vaginal delivery and needed an episiotomy. As soon as I got onto the ward, the first midwife in asked if I was in pain, when I said yes, she gave me some panadeine forte. From thereon in, every couple of hours, someone came along to do a baby check-up (make sure he was feeding and weeing and so forth) or a mummy check up (pretty much the same thing only they had a gander up the old fanny, too) with some pills. If they didn't come along of their own accord, I buzzed and asked.

**theycallmemum** · 11-12-2006 10:49

I had my baby there in the first week of July this year. I would never ever ever go in there as a public patient again! The difference between public and private has changed dramatically since I'd had a baby there 7yrs earlier as a public patient also.

I had the most horrendous time in there this time, even though I'd had a c/s I was put in a shared room with a girl who would not shut up, she was constantly on the phone or had people in the room even during no visitor time. By day 2 I was out of my mind so the doctor tried to send me home! I had only been out of bed twice, had a temperature and my baby wasn't feeding properly. I got down to the discharge desk and collapsed and ended up having to stay for another week. Fortunately the midwife they sent down to get me understood the situation and took me upstairs and gave me a private room for the rest of my stay. Most of the midwives are great, there was a Russian or Polish one who is fantastic! Tough but bloody great, she got me back in the right headspace because I was getting really depressed.

The food ladies are horrible horrible horrible, they will not bring you your food no matter what. I went a whole day with nothing to eat because each time it was meals time I was trying to breastfeed my son and I wasn't strong enough to carry him and walk to the food hall.
They woulld come around and yell at you you had to come eat, by dinner time I was in tears and told her I couldn't and she just said well I'll mark down you refused to come! Day 4 post c/s and trying to breastfeed, no wonder I had no milk!

If you have private cover use it, I'd probably go to a proper private hospital though unless you think you might need the NICU which most private hospitals don't have.

After my experience I honestly hope I never have to go to hospital again.

**theycallmemum** · 11-12-2006 10:52

I think it depends who you get, I had very good pain management also, they were on top of it but the girl in my room was only given panadol 24hrs after her c/s and I was on much much stronger stuff. She was in lots of pain and couldn't understand why I had such different meds to her.