Hello,

I just wanted to contribute my own QMH experience for anyone who might want a little insight. Of course there are women's past experiences that range from excellent to awful. Here's some background info about me: my water broke 4 weeks early, I am Korean-American (lived in HK for about 3 years, cannot speak Cantonese) and this was my first baby. My son was born on 7th November. Basically I divide it into 3 parts:
1) I was admitted in the pre-labor ward,
2) then I had an emergency Cesarean,
and lastly 3) admited to the post delivery ward.
Oh, and 4) the neonatal department.


Pre-labor and post delivery wards:
Things that weren't ideal but I could deal with it:

1. Little privacy. It's a maternity ward, not rooms. About 8 beds per section (this year has been very full! in fact, next month is booked to 200% capacity. yikes!).
2. The toilets/bathrooms were not the most hygenic (in one of them, there was blood smeared on the tiled wall from the toilet paper holder down to the floor- it was there during my entire stay. Gross! and this is a hospital!)
3. If you're not used to the HK culture, the staff can seem very forward, even rude and authoritative.
4. The food is no better than airplane food but it's sufficient. While I was there, it always consisted of a section of rice, a meat portion that is cooked with a thickened light sauce and one type of steamed veggie.
5. Many of the staff members don't like you to ask questions; especially the "senior" nurses or doctors. Some of them seemed irritated.

Pre-labor ward specifics:
*see my thread on "Do the staff tend to intervene at QMH?"

Cesarean section delivery:
The nurses told me that I would go into surgery around 3 or 4pm. I had a couple hours to kill so I listened to my iPOD and practiced my relaxation techniques, visualization, etc. Around 2pm, a nurse came rushing over and told me to "Hurry up!" It's time!, get on the gurney and take off your underwear! Hurry, hurry! You must be quick". I said, "Okay, I'm coming! Let me put my iPOD away." So much for the relaxation exercises! I didn't even have a chance to phone my husband who was planning to be outside the ward (no visitors except visiting hours 12-1pm, 6-8pm). When he arrived around half past 2, he couldn't find me. He used the intercom to try to ask the nurses where I was but all they said was that he had to wait until visiting hours. So, he saw another patient/expecting mother in the hall and asked her if she could go into the ward to see if I was still there! Eventually he found out that I was already in the operating room and a short time afterwards saw a baby being rushed out. He said, "Wait, is that my baby??" They told him to meet them in the neonatal department.

As for the operation itself, it was like clockwork. You could tell that they've done thousands of them. I have no complaints about this part except one (read on). It was a bit production line but at least I felt safe and trusted them. The anesthesiologist was very good. When I was curious about what was going on (there was a fabric divider so you can't see anything), he answered my questions willingly. Because my son was born preterm, he was rushed to the neonatal department immediately. They showed him to me for about 3 seconds, literally, but I had to turn my head sidways and backwards so I couldn't really see him. After they finished "sewing me up", I spent about 2 hours in the ICU before being discharged to the post delivery ward. The one complaint that I do have is that about a week after my Cesarean, I went to my GP to get my stiches removed. When the GP removed the dressing, I could see in his face his immediate reaction which was not good. He studdered and while nodding his head he said, "Yes, this is the work of QMH....Usually for an incision this size, you'd get 7 stitches; at least 5. It would've only taken a few moments." The surgeons at QM gave me 3 huge stitches!! Only 3! And they didn't align the skin properly so there will be a bad scar. Well, I accpet it but it's a bit annoying when taking "a few moments" to patch me up better would've saved me an big ugly scar. Obviously my GP did not approve.

Post delivery ward: one complaint but a major one.
1.