Public in rotunda & health insurance

missjuly

Hi ladies

I was wondering if anyone who has had a baby in the public system in the Rotunda if they could tell their experiences of the postnatal wards? I have actually had my baby by section there two years ago and was on the public system so I have experience of the clinics but they put me in a semi private room. I would really love to have another baby soon but I'm really worried about the wards after I have heard some horror stories... I will have to have a section again and I think if I was having a natural labour I wouldn't be as worried ( not about the labour but post labour, fair play to all the natural labour mommas). I wasn't in a great way after my section and was very upset and teary and felt very trapped the first night as had catheter in was still numb etc so would feel very vulnerable trying to take care of my baby if there are 9 other people who weren't so nice beside me.

My other option is to take out health insurance wait a whole year and pay for semi private which would be ok except for the bloody year wait. But then I'm so anxious about the thought of the section and then the ward maybe is the best option!? I would really appreciate some of your honest experiences and opinions ( please be nice ha ha)!

Love2love

You aren't guaranteed a semi-private / private room even if you have health insurance.

I had my daughter public in Holles Street and ended up on a semi-private ward because public was full However if you are going to have a section, you are going to be there for at least 3 nights so they will eventually move you into a semi-private ward when one becomes available.

I've never had a section so I don't know about the after care but I really understand where you're coming from, I actually left as soon as I could as I felt very exposed and vunerable in the semi-private ward because it was full. On my son, I was public and only had 2 in the ward with me :rolleyes: but again, I left after 6 hours! I guess what I'm really saying is, that either way, you can't predict where you'll end up so if you can afford it and it gives you piece of mind that you may end up in a semi private room then go for it.

Beanybabog

Love2love wrote: »

I've never had a section so I don't know about the after care but I really understand where you're coming from, I actually left as soon as I could as I felt very exposed and vunerable in the semi-private ward because it was full. On my son, I was public and only had 2 in the ward with me :rolleyes: but again, I left after 6 hours! I guess what I'm really saying is, that either way, you can't predict where you'll end up so if you can afford it and it gives you piece of mind that you may end up in a semi private room then go for it.

6 hours after he was born? I'd love that. I know technically you can discharge yourself, but do they make a fuss if you want to leave that quick and are healthy? I heard it can take ages for a doctor to come and sign you off as being well enough to leave ?

uck51js9zml2yt

My wife had 2 public in the rotunda. The first she was put im semi private, the second was public.
Couldn't fault either.
One thing I noticed was that in semi private the midwives were reduced in numbers and run off their feet looking after both private and semi.
They have a domino scheme depending on where you live with midwife visits in your locality during the pregnancy, a quick discharge and follow up at home for a few days.

January

Everlee Straight Rag wrote: »

My wife had 2 public in the rotunda. The first she was put im semi private, the second was public.
Couldn't fault either.
One thing I noticed was that in semi private the midwives were reduced in numbers and run off their feet looking after both private and semi.
They have a domino scheme depending on where you live with midwife visits in your locality during the pregnancy, a quick discharge and follow up at home for a few days.

You're precluded from the domino scheme if you have a previous caesarean birth. Your care will be consultant led. (Unless you get them to sign off on it if having a vaginal birth after caesarean.) I have had two c births and been public both times (well public on all 4 births) and the first time was torture. Second time was not too bad as was only there for three days but it wasn't very busy. You're not guaranteed a semi-private room anyway. You can get up and walk with a catheter in fact, it's recommended you get up and walk as soon as you feel able to afterwards, on my first I didn't get up for 24 hours and felt terrible. On my second I got up a few hours after the birth and walked a little bit and it definitely aided my recovery.

LirW

Beanybabog wrote: »

6 hours after he was born? I'd love that. I know technically you can discharge yourself, but do they make a fuss if you want to leave that quick and are healthy? I heard it can take ages for a doctor to come and sign you off as being well enough to leave ?

I chose to have the combined care, so I have midwife-led appointments in an outpost (Ballymun in my case because it's the closest) with occasional scans at my GP. To do that it's just important that you don't have a high-risk-pregnancy.
After birth, they discharge you 6-24 hours after birth (depends on the time of birth) and the local midwife will come and check on you at home.

I discharged myself early after I had my son, this wasn't in Ireland though. I'm not going to spend a minute longer in the hospital than I have to, I'm actually very happy that I don't even have to go there for appointments anymore. :pac:

Oh yeah and I'm with Rotunda too

missjuly

Thanks for your reply Love2Love. That's exactly it I don't want to feel exposed and vulnerable like you felt, it's great you were able to leave soon after. As you say though your not guaranteed a semi private room anyway. It would be a bit of a killer to pay health insurance, wait a year to even try to conceive and then the fee for semi private and not get the room!!

Tatranska thanks for your reply. Yeah I was a public patient the last time and I couldn't fault the care I received. But as someone else said I wouldn't be eligible for the domino scheme due to C section.Though I did leave after three days and they wanted me to stay longer so they did the "early release" programme and the midwife's visited me for a few days. But I'd still need to stay there days. How many beds where in your wife's ward do you know?

Ah January you poor thing do you mind me asking why the first section was torture? I didn't get up for 24 hours after either when the midwife told me I could and she took the catheter out, I felt terrible!! Though I did have a bleed a few hours post op so maybe that's why I didn't get up. Honestly when I think back I was very out of it the first day, was horrible. I'm hoping it will be a bit better second time round I'm more prepared...I hope. I think I'll try get up much earlier post op hate feeling trapped in bed and would be great if it helped recovery. How did you find the wards?

Thanks for all the replys

uck51js9zml2yt

missjuly wrote: »

Thanks for your reply Love2Love. That's exactly it I don't want to feel exposed and vulnerable like you felt, it's great you were able to leave soon after. As you say though your not guaranteed a semi private room anyway. It would be a bit of a killer to pay health insurance, wait a year to even try to conceive and then the fee for semi private and not get the room!!

Tatranska thanks for your reply. Yeah I was a public patient the last time and I couldn't fault the care I received. But as someone else said I wouldn't be eligible for the domino scheme due to C section.Though I did leave after three days and they wanted me to stay longer so they did the "early release" programme and the midwife's visited me for a few days. But I'd still need to stay there days. How many beds where in your wife's ward do you know?

Ah January you poor thing do you mind me asking why the first section was torture? I didn't get up for 24 hours after either when the midwife told me I could and she took the catheter out, I felt terrible!! Though I did have a bleed a few hours post op so maybe that's why I didn't get up. Honestly when I think back I was very out of it the first day, was horrible. I'm hoping it will be a bit better second time round I'm more prepared...I hope. I think I'll try get up much earlier post op hate feeling trapped in bed and would be great if it helped recovery. How did you find the wards?

Thanks for all the replys

On our first she was SP with 3 beds and got 4 days.
Our second was in neo natal for 3days , so she had 5 days in total. There were 8 beds but she was up and down with feeds for junior so it didn't make much difference to her. I thought it was quiet enough. I felt the care was better in public as there were more midwives in and out due to more people.
Just don't have the baby at the weekend! Less staff on:)

The domino team came out to her for 4 days after she got home on the first even though she couldn't avail of the full scheme due to medical issues.
We also got in touch with cuidiu and had access to their breast feeding consultants who helped her with feeding junior. In the end she mixed breast feeding and expressing on them both.

January

Just being stuck in hospital, no one to help once my husband went home, I was pretty much out of it on the morphine for two days (like I look back on pictures and I'm actually zonked in most of them), I had a general anesthetic on my first one so I think that may have had something to do with me being so zonked. I was also in for 5 days and I actually could not wait to get out, we went to Tesco on the way home so I could have a walk!