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Have to say, I had two positive experiences at OLOL. Even though I was supposed to be private on my birth there, the consultant did not make it and we did not get into a private room – but as regards the birth itself the midwife we had was amazing and she totally looked after us. I did not need the consultant in the end, the birth was very straight forward so the bill for over 3,000 stung a bit – but I cannot fault the midwives, they were fantastic and the public ward was big and spacious, so I had plenty of room.
Then last year, when we had a miscarriage at OLOL, they could not have been nicer. They were kind, supportive and understanding and they included my husband at all times. They answered all our questions and took time to explain things to us.
When we had a birth and a miscarriage in Dublin, it was the total opposite, my husband was made wait outside on the miscarriage and sent home when I was in labour on our son. The staff were under so much pressure and we found it much more stressful in Dublin with how busy it is, whereas in OLOL at least they had time for us and looked after us.
Over all, to be honest, one of the hospital experiences were anywhere nearly as nice as our home birth so this is a good option for us. Its not for everyone but it is worth looking into, you feel very cared for in your own home with a midwife dedicated to you. I’m 22 weeks now and have my midwife coming to me every 4 weeks at home to check me and she is also on the end of the phone if I have any questions anytime. Its a great service and fully paid for by the HSE, which is fab!
Hi, i was going to the MLU but when i was 32weeks i had a scan and was told i wasn’t going home as had placenta previa, i was so upset and disappointed as i had my birth all planned and had just finished my classes with the MLU the evening before.
So now i was a public patient in hospital, i had never stayed over night in hospital before, i was so nervous. I was in a room of 6 beds and was there for 5 weeks, the midwives were thenicest women i had ever met and i got to know them really well, i can honestly say the treatment i got was second to none, as i was in so long i also made some really good friends in other patients that shared my room for some of the time.
Unfortunately this all changed in the 6th week after my c-section, i was put into another room after having my baby and i really felt like i was forgotten about or else my bell just didint work, i had a heavy bleed and was 35mins waiting for assistance after ringing the bell. Then i got a bad infection in my arm and was a day and a half waiting on the doc to come and have a look at it and im not even getting into the way i was treated after i was physically unable to breastfeed and tried so hard to d so for 3 days.
I have no idea if private would have been any better, maybe for after i had the baby but for what happened me being in those weeks leading up to the c-section i was glad i wasn’t in a room on my own as we kept each other going and helped each other through the hard days and to this day we are still helping each other. 🙂Coles mum thats terrible!!!! I was in on my ds for 1.5 weeks and i agree the midwives were like best friends, we knew who was going on a date taht night, what doctors they fancied….. we had late night snacks and hot chocolate on a bed in the corner, the midwives woudl come in for a laugh if not busy.
When you move over the other side it does really change, the staff seem more rushed and more work to do, but unlike yourself i was always very lucky and had constant care from midwives.
I really think if you stand up and speak up for yourself they know not to mess you about, i had a midwife telling me to use cotton wool and water not baby wipes…. eh, i WANT TO USE BABY WIPES!!! (pampers sensitive so just like water) she wasnt happy but i was going to do what I WANT with my baby… the same as breast feeding, i wasnt going to do demand feeding, one older midwive really pee’d me off she had ds in her hands almost trying to force him onto my boob, i said he wasnt due a feed for an hour and if she wanted to bf him go ahead but he wasnt getting my boob 🙄Colesmum, thats so sad for you. How are you now? Hope all ok.
Good to hear you got well looked after in the public ward, I found the public room grand, I was supposed to be private but it was fine for me and the company was nice too.
Hope if you go again you get properly looked after all the way through.
that is exactly what i feel Colesmum after you have had baby, mum is at bottom of heap..yes of course care of baby is more important but it doesnt hurt to give mum a bit of tlc after the birth….
My experience definitely would not put me off having more children, bad and all as it was he was worth every single second of it. He is 9 months old next week and a fantastic child, everybody comments on how good he is. I am fine, unfortunately i suffered with PND and still have the odd bad day, i dont know if this was due to the whole experience or if it would have happened anyway. I also think i will be going public again as i couldnt afford private!!
Hi Girls,
Just reading through your comments, very interesting.
I had a baby in June 2009 and another one in March 2011 and I must say the hospital has changed too much.
This time round I had a show was told to have a bath the bleeding continued for 2days had been to see my consultant was told to have another bath.
Went tothe hospital when I was having contractions every three minutes at 22:30pm was sent ho,e at 23:10pm same night.
The midwife checked me said I was only 2 cm dialated and to come back when I was 4 cm. I asked her how would I know and she said you will know.
My husband wasn’t allowed stay with me so she sent me home.
Before i left the hospital I asked the midwife when do you think my baby will be born and she replied before I finish my shift in the morning.
Anyway I went home used my Tenses machine for an hour had warm bath for near an hour.
Rushed back to the hospital before 2:30am husband had to drive through every red light had to get wheelchair couldn’t walk contractions happening every 30 seconds.
Sent straight to delivery suite had my daughter less than 3 hours later.
I must say my experience for the labour in my eyes was horrific.
I have contacted my doctor bout been sent home and my husband not been able to stay.My doctor said the hospital is too laxed.
When my daughter was born neither of us where checked by a doctor which I Thought was very strange my daughter wasn’t checked till hours later.
My experience this time round was a nightmare.
Too stressing and it was all unecessary as the hospital was very quiet with deliveries when I had my daughter.
If I was ever to have another baby it would be a homebirth.
In regard to the MLU it should be open to everyone to be given the chance to beable to have the opportunity of it.I must say the nurses in the ante natal clinic are fantastic and don’t get thanked enough.
I went home 6 hours after having my daughter as I had no problems.
Best of luck to all the pregant mammies and mams
Love and Light
Went private on my first, and with MLU in OLOL on my second. One of the advantages of going private was the accessability of the consultant. Also I had three scans as standard during my pregnancy, including an anomoly scan at 20 weeks. I think it’s totally inadequate, that as a public patient in the Lourdes you only get a dating scan (especially as public patients in other maternity hospitals get an anomoly scan as standard). On the other hand my consultant was on holidays when I went into labour and I didn’t get a private room after delivery (got a semi-private room though which was bigger and better!) The midwives in the Labour Ward were fantastic though and thankfully I had a really good birth experience.
The MLU was great, pretty much no waiting for appointments and a room to myself after the birth. As I mentioned above they only give you one scan in OLOL if the pregancy is normal. Because of this I went to a private clinic to get an anomoly scan myself.
Overall I have to say despite the expense I’m glad I went private on my first – having said that those where the days when you could get 40% back on the Med 1 and a few bob covered by insurance. The MLU is a great service, I wasn’t aware of it as an option on my first but I don’t think I would have had the confidence in myself to go that route on my first anyway as I didn’t know how I would handle the labour pain. I would certainly returnto the MLU if I were to have another child.
i didnt go private with DD in july 2006 could not afford to the only problem i had was the air conditioner in the ward was broke with 6 women and 6 babys on the ward . but i had the same midwifes the hole time so that was good and the same consultant they were all really nice .
I had our first baby last year at 33 wks, I had a hard pregnancyalot of bleeds and each time we did not no what was happening, I was public. One thing that really annoyed me was when I had my antinatal app’s it was next person, next person, any questions I would have or worries all the doctor would say was you are stressed, and of course I was with all that was happening but if my questions would have been answered it would have helped an awful lot.
My first scan was in the EPU and I must say the treatment I recieved each time I was in the EPU was brillant.
Giving birth the midwifes do a fantastic job helping us.
But after giving birth to a preterm baby and been sent up to a ward full of new mums and babies was awful, the special care was on another floor with ment I had to walk ( as I was breatfeeding ) up and down with my milk. This was not good after giving birth to a preterm baby as the labour was too fast and even after 11mths I am still suffering.
The wk before our baby was born and three days before hand I was in the hospital and told the doctor something was happening and he told me noting was and go home and yet baby arrived.
I have friends that have been private and yes the treatment they recieved giving birth and after was the same BUT the treatment before the baby arrived was fanastic compared to what I as a public had, waiting 3-4 hrs sometimes less for anti natal app, never seening the same doctor twice, and majority of the time the doctor could not speak english, and I have noting against doctors from different countrys working here at all but we do need to be able to speak to the doctor.
With the way the country is at present we can not afford private and are planning for baby number two, and the taughts of going through all the same thing again scarys the life out of me, but what can we do.We both can’t wait for more babies to follow.Hilton, sorry you had a somewhat negative experience but try not to let it deter you from going again. Hopefully you will not have the worry of a premature baby if you have another one, so that would make things easier straight away.
We went semi-private on our first and the care was not great, had long waiting times at appointments and never saw the same doc twice. Then on our second baby, went private, saw the same doc most of the time. She was not Irish and we found it hard to understand her sometimes. While she did take the time to answer our questions, we still had on average 2 hour waits to see her each time so not a speedy service. She was very nice but in the end, she was not at the birth and I still ended up in a public ward as there were no private ones available but we still got a bill for 3,500! So in my opinion, for what we got, it was not worth the spend.
Have you got a Midwifery Led Unit near you? This is a good option as there is a high level of care and less waiting time. That might be an option for you to consider?
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