HELP! Matilda and Adventist fully booked?!

[kellyst]

for booked days, i think we are referring to induced labour (babies who are late already)... or scheduled c-section. don't think we are referring to natural delivery for particular booked dates.
i was told to go pay the deposit at adventist now to 'confirm my spot', office hours only.. this is getting so ridiculous

[peainpod]

Here's what I heard from my dr. Each hospital takes a certain number of registrations for each month. Once the quota is full, they will tell you they are "fully booked". But since they can't control which day the natural-birth registered moms will be delivering, they can't "book" you for a certain day or period of that month. It will all depend on whether your delivery coincides with many of the other registered moms. If their beds are already filled, there's nothing they can do. On the other hand if you happen to come in during a period when others aren't delivering, they'll take you in of course. So there's an element of chance for natural deliveries.

For elective c-sections, drs who regularly deliver at those hospitals have some priority in making the booking a month or more ahead (since they can determine the exact dates of your hospital stay). Thus, the hospital will hold those beds for the scheduled c-section ahead of the natural delivering moms (since the hospitals also make more money from the c-section patients.) In the case of the adventist, i heard from my dr. that they were sol aggressive in taking bookings (lots of mainland moms?) that even scheduled c-sections are not always guaranteed a room - hence the turnaway.

[kellyst]

yes experiencing the same thing peainapod is referring to at adventist. i have a scheduled c and it's still not guaranteed. also, i heard sanitorium has a new maternity ward? much bigger, so better chances over there?

[kcinhk]

I've just heard from my Doctor's clinic that the Adventist has started a new policy of paying the deposit to secure your "booking".
I'm booked at the Adventist (natural birth) back in April to be due in December 07, but only receive the notice now that they require a HK20,000 deposit!
Has anyone else heard of this new policy?

for booked days, i think we are referring to induced labour (babies who are late already)... or scheduled c-section. don't think we are referring to natural delivery for particular booked dates.
i was told to go pay the deposit at adventist now to 'confirm my spot', office hours only.. this is getting so ridiculous

[Geo]

I had mine booked at Canossa, paid the $20K deposit....and opting for normal delivery so no dates firmed. On the wee morning when contraction came, canossa said no normal rooms available even though deposit paid. Only the 1 person suite left. That is hell lot of expensive. But what can I do?

They said I could go to Queen Mary hospital immediately cos I live nearby but you have to check beforehand if your doc does his delivery there. And whether you get back your deposit is negotiable with Canossa.

I ended up at the suite in Canossa Hospital cos contraction already started. And with a big bill. So normal delivery at private hospital is not at all recommended with this type of silly hospital schedule...sigh.

[capital]

It sounds like the hospitals are all about making money. Did you get your deposit back?

[kellyst]

Adventist just started this new deposit policy, i think due to large number of rejections they are doing. i know Canossa has been doing it all along. i don't have a backup hospital so we just went to pay the deposit right away, was told that that would at least guaranteed that we'll be admitted (no guarantee for which class of room tho). a bit easier for us coz we are on scheduled c.

if your are on natural delivery, you should ask before you pay to see what the 'refund' arrangement is if you're forced to go elsewhere when the time comes.

[beautifulday]

i think its crazy. My doctors said that they have booked me into matilda on the 1st of July 2008, but I'm having a c section and due at 38 weeks which is the 13th of June. The doc said that they had to book a date because all of June is booked but when the time comes they'll let me give birth on June 13...bloody mental. How do I know that they won't turn me away.....