Need advice about choosing a hospital for birth
I've just found out I'm pregnant with baby no.2 and have to decide where to give birth.... We really don't want to pay $4000 for a home birth so it'll have to be either Flinders medical centre or the Women's and Children's. We live half way between the 2. I just read this thread about problems another mum was having (presumably with flinders) and am feeling a little freaked out.
Advice Needed - I'm stuck with the public health system
It sounds like I may not even be able to give birth in the birth centre at either hospital if it's already fully booked and anyway according to their website 30% of women who start out in the birth centre at flinders and up developing 'complications' and being transferred to the delivery ward for more medical attention - this seems an absurdly high figure!
I gave birth to dd at the WCH and it was OK but I'd had all my antenatal care at the QEH and didn't know any of the midwives at the hospital. I had several complications (most significantly a posterior bub, which entailed 8 hours of pushing to no avail and and epi and forceps in the end) and over the course of a long labour we went through 2 shift changes so we had no continuity of care which was disconcerting.
I am really desperate to have an active, natural birth this time, barring extreme emergencies, and I'd also like to have the option of having my 3yo dd at the birth in the care of a support person. TBH I think seeing me give birth would be less traumatic for her than being separated from me for a night!
Any advice about where I should go and what I should do? Is one hospital better than the other? At the moment I have an appointment at flinders, just because they were the only place that could fit me in before we go away for 5 weeks to India at the end of Dec.
Thanks!
Sarah