Pregnancy Diary: Week 9. Choosing a Hospital

With Lachlan, I went completely private. I remember booking in with an obstetrician and a private hospital as soon as the word go. With Lucas, I went to a public hospital under a private obstetrician because I knew I was having an elective Cesarean Section. Both times, I had the same obstetrician and was completely happy with him. Comparing the two hospitals, I really have no preference to which one is better. Both have their pro's and con's.

In a private hospital, you have the luxury of a private room, where you can fill the entire room with flowers, relatives, guests and free biscuits. You have your own TV and your husband can stay the night. The bed is soft and fluffy, which worked to my disadvantage. I had a C-section and it was difficult to get in and out of bed. There are so many midwives and nurses waiting on you, and sometimes you get a lot of "interference" with your recuperation. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate what they do, but every time there's a changeover of nurses, a different person comes in and offer a different advise as to how to breastfeed your child, and it could get a little annoying.

When I had Lucas, right after he was born and after I was stitched-up, he was just plonked on my bare belly, naked, left to his own devices. He found his own way to my nipple and started suckling rightaway. That, was the most beautiful thing in the world. He stayed there for a good 4-5-6? hours, I could not even remember, until I raised my arm and said to one of the nurses... errr, there's a baby under my covers? The nursing staff was supportive and accommodating. The one thing with my public stay was that I shared a room with a drug user on the Methadone program, a young mother who had a baby with shoulder dystocia who wouldn't stop screaming, a mother who gave birth in the morning and wanted to check out the same day, a plethora of weird and wonderful people. 3 days/nights to me, wasn't such a big deal. I saved heaps of money!

This time *deep breath*, I am going completely public! I called a friend I used to work with, someone whose work I've always admired, who has such lovely work ethics and demeanor. I lightly joked with her one day that when I have my babies, I will come to her. She wasn't quite ready when I had the two boys but now she is. She will be performing my third C-Section in a public hospital. Having worked in a public hospital and knowing how the system works, I am a little nervous but at the same time, having done this the third time round, what matters is that the baby is safely delivered. Who cares if the lady next door is snoring. Aahh, why do we pay for our private health insurance anyways????

To read the entire pregnancy diary, click here.