# Cost of having a baby



## kiwijbob

I've recently found out that we're expecting twins, great 
news  but now I've been quoted €3,500 for the 
consultant's fees.  I'm trying to find some way of knowing 
is this good/bad or compariable to others?  we were given 
no options by anybody so if anyone can offer some guidance 
we'd be very grateful.  Should we request a semi-private 
fee? as i assume the fee above is for fully private care, 
what is fully private care anyhow as we're on Plan B + options...
...very confused


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## terrysgirl33

It depends on what hospital, and what consultant you are attending.  Semi-P is available only in the Dublin hospitals, and not in Mount Carmel, AFAIK, Semi-p is about €500.  Your best bet is to ring the hospitals and ask, they are used to this and very helpful.

The price you quote seems about right.

Edited to add, CONGRATULATIONS!!!


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## demoivre

This thread might be of interest to you.


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## Squire

Last year a private consultant in the Coombe was €2500. But two years before a private consultant in Portlaoise was €1700. 

Do they charge extra for twins? You'd think you'd get a bulk discount 

Don't forget to claim it back on your Med1 next year.

Congratulations by the way.


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## matc66

Just to inform you that your antenatal and delivery care would really be no different public versus private. Just different waiting rooms. 
As for you delivery nowadays most twins are delivered by caesarean and for twins a consultant would almost certainly be present.
The main difference public vs private is your postnatal care, i.e. number of people to a ward. Private you have your own room, semi roughly four to a room and public about six, I think. 
So care wise it's roughly the same, but convienience post delivery private is much nicer.
It depends on how much that is worth to you.


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## demoivre

Squire said:


> Do they charge extra for twins? You'd think you'd get a bulk discount



 We did - our gynecologist charged the same fee for our single and multiple (twins ) births - mind you we didn't get a discount for the fact that he never arrived in time for our  single births  -  maybe next time  .


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## Thirsty

> Just to inform you that your antenatal and delivery care would really be no different public versus private. Just different waiting rooms.


 
In terms of urgent medical care, I would agree (just about); but outside that, would have to disagree.

If you can afford it/have insurance cover, private care is the way to go.

My own choice (for what it's worth) would be Mt Carmel or home birth (not always an option with twins it has to be said - many independent midwives will not do a home delivery with twins).


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## foxylady

kiwijbob said:


> I've recently found out that we're expecting twins, great
> news  but now I've been quoted €3,500 for the
> consultant's fees. I'm trying to find some way of knowing
> is this good/bad or compariable to others? we were given
> no options by anybody so if anyone can offer some guidance
> we'd be very grateful. Should we request a semi-private
> fee? as i assume the fee above is for fully private care,
> what is fully private care anyhow as we're on Plan B + options...
> ...very confused


 

Why not go public as you will receive exactly the same care, and still have your 3.5k which will come in handy for your twins future i.e education etc.
My friend had twins, went public and received great care, was always going for check ups ie every couple of weeks as this is the norm for expecting twins.
Congrats by the way.


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## Cuppa

From Experience Go to Mt Carmel  

Think of your mental health you need the best care at this big moment in your life. It can be traumatic had my first in public hospital and was very poorly cared for.  Mt Carmel were 100 time better and worth every penny.

We spend more on cars 
Look after No 1.

Good Luck and Congratulations


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## kiwijbob

thanks to all for the congrats, 

we feel really compelled to go towards the private option, 
you hear so many scare stories about maternity hospitals 
recently that to be honest I'd be worried about going public, 
we do have the 3.5k (very luckily!) but we're not by any 
means 'well off' so i'd rather spend the money on the new 
car we'll need along with all the additional costs that go 
along with twins not even counting *childcare* .

but am I correct in thinking the only differences are:
*privatecare*          @ €3.5k = private room on your own
*semi -privatecare* @ €500 = semi private room with 4 beds
*public                       *@??      = public ward

assuming same level of care and attention from staff for all the above?


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## teddyk

Hi kiwijbob,

I'm confused.  In your first post that the consultant's fees would be €3500.  In your last post you seem to be of the opinion that the €3500 covers all your private care.
I would have thought that the consultant's fees would only be a part of the overall cost.
I would advise you to ask your consultant what his/her fee covers exactly, and also what other fees you might be liable for for pre-natal care, birth, post natal care etc.
Then ask your health insurer what they will cover (based on your insurance plan).

Best of luck.

teddyk


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## foxylady

kiwijbob said:


> thanks to all for the congrats,
> 
> we feel really compelled to go towards the private option,
> you hear so many scare stories about maternity hospitals
> recently that to be honest I'd be worried about going public,
> we do have the 3.5k (very luckily!) but we're not by any
> means 'well off' so i'd rather spend the money on the new
> car we'll need along with all the additional costs that go
> along with twins not even counting *childcare* .
> 
> but am I correct in thinking the only differences are:
> *privatecare* @ €3.5k = private room on your own
> *semi -privatecare* @ €500 = semi private room with 4 beds
> *public *@?? = public ward
> 
> assuming same level of care and attention from staff for all the above?


 

MY friend ended up in a room on her own as they the public ward was not insured to have twins at one bed.


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## Marie M

Hit the nail on the head there kiwijbob, there is no difference in care or labour wards when you deliver, just a difference in appointments and how many you share the ward with afterwards I was semi private last year, there was so many semi private arriving at the same time that we all ended up in public, but I could not fault the care given.


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## terrysgirl33

It's worth bearing in mind that there may be downsides to private too.  I know of someone who was left pretty much on her own, in spite of the fact that she had two babies and a c-section.  I've had two babies on semi-p, the first time I ended up on a semi-p ward which I found very noisy.  The second time I ended up on a public ward as they were busy, but it was much better, and because there were more women, there were more nurses available, and they used to take the babies at night for a few hours, and feed them to give the mothers a break.  This never happened on semi-p.


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## ClubMan

Kildrought said:


> In terms of urgent medical care, I would agree (just about); but outside that, would have to disagree.


On what basis? 


> If you can afford it/have insurance cover, private care is the way to go.


Or semi-private?


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## aircobra19

Seems to me the experience in a hospital is pretty random regardless of payment plan. It can be good or bad. Just depends who working at the time, how busy they are etc. If you are in somewhere like Mt Carmel and theres a problem you'll be transferred to one of the larger hospitals regardless.


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## Vanilla

Think you might have to pay extra for going private in a private hospital too. You can ring the hospital and ask them. You can claim back tax relief on all fees ( VHI or whatever health care provider may pay a certain amount towards your fees too).

Other differences that I recall:

-depending on your consultant and his set up it is more likely that you will have to wait for a shorter period to see him in private care rather than public.
-It is more likely that your consultant will attend to you during the birth if private- if public they may pop head in but it is often likely to be a registrar that will attend to you or indeed the midwives them selves. I have no problem with the midwives myself- actually think they are better in ways- however to be very blunt there are certain things I would prefer to be attended to by my consultant rather than a registrar. Anyone who has given birth might have an idea what I am talking about! 

It might very well be that because you are having twins that you would get special treatment as a public patient? Ie that the consultant would be more likely to be present for your giving birth? If you know anyone on the ward they should be able to advise.

By the way- congratulations! I hope the whole experience will be as joyful for you as both of my pregnancies and children have been for me.


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## plaudit

What health region are you in kiwijob?

I don't understand you fully, if you are in the VHI then you should get a semi private or private room, however if its busy it can be tough luck, this is the case regardless of whether you pay a private consultant or not.

My relation in Donegal found the hospital excellent for private care, different menus and vastly superior service from the nurses but in Limerick we found that the hospital treated everybody moew or less the same except that if we are lucky we might get a semi private or private room

On the other hand the relation in Donegal found the private consultant she used to be useless but in Limerick we found ours excellent.

I think unless we know what region and hospital you are likely to attend we will be giving you a lot of useless information.


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## Irish Fire

aircobra19 said:


> Seems to me the experience in a hospital is pretty random regardless of payment plan. It can be good or bad. Just depends who working at the time, how busy they are etc. If you are in somewhere like Mt Carmel and theres a problem you'll be transferred to one of the larger hospitals regardless.


 

Slightly wrong there if there is a problem with the baby, the baby will be transfered to Holles St. but you will not.... and also from experience We used Mt Carmel first and then Holles St (because of the treatment etc.. there were several reasons) and found Holles St. _*FAR*_ better that Mt Carrmel.


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## Thirsty

> On what basis


 
personal experience....


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## debs

I had twins in Holles Street two and a half years ago and went private.  When I initially discovered I was pregnant I booked in with the Community Midwives but once I found out it was twins they could no longer take me and I went back to the consultant I had my two previous kids with.

There is a twin clinic one morning a week in Holles Street and expectant twin mums attend, both public and private.  Dr. Stephen Carroll is the consultant assigned to twin/multiple births in Holles Street.

You will be scanned more frequently than with a single pregnancy to check babies' sizes, fluid level etc. and will have more appointments with your doctor.  My consultant charged the same for a twin pregnancy as for a single but I had three times as many visits with him.

I didn't have a c-section, but the consultant did miss the birth of the first baby arriving one minute after she arrived, but I didn't get a discount!!  Midwives more than capable of delivery but whether you're public or private the doctor on call in the hospital will attend a multiple birth.

Hope this is of some help but if you need anymore information, please pm me.


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## kiwijbob

PHP:
	

What health region are you in kiwijob?

 dublin

Forgive my ignorance but which of the following is correct:

I pay €3.5k for the consultants services but this has 
nothing to do with my bed?  I could be in a public bed 
or a semi-private civered by our VHI coverage.

or do i pay 3.5k and get a private room and a semi-private 
room if that is all that is available and maybe even 
a public bed if no SP rooms are available? 

so if VHI cover me for a SP room and do I then pay a 
seperate fee for the consultant?  does the consultant 
charge for his services on a private, SP basis with the 
option of his services on a public basis?


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## aircobra19

Irish Fire said:


> Slightly wrong there if there is a problem with the baby, the baby will be transfered to Holles St. but you will not.... and also from experience We used Mt Carmel first and then Holles St (because of the treatment etc.. there were several reasons) and found Holles St. _*FAR*_ better that Mt Carrmel.



Strange I was told it by Dr in Holles St. Maybe I misunderstood. I have mixed experiences in Holles St. Good and Bad. The building is well past its sell by thats for sure. That said we know it so well at this point, we'll be going back there.


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## debs

If you opt for private care, VHI will cover your hospital stay, blood tests, scans (but you have to pay for the first one or two yourself) and part (very small) of your consultants fees.  The €3,500 will cover the rest of the fees that the consultant charges.


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## aircobra19

debs said:


> If you opt for private care, VHI will cover your hospital stay, blood tests, scans (but you have to pay for the first one or two yourself) and part (very small) of your consultants fees.  The €3,500 will cover the rest of the fees that the consultant charges.



I don't get why you have to pay any of it. Just another way to get money out of you IMO.


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## debs

You don't _have_ to pay any of it - you can opt to go public.  I chose to go to a consultant that I knew and trusted and who had attended the births of my other children.


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## aircobra19

debs said:


> You don't _have_ to pay any of it - you can opt to go public.  I chose to go to a consultant that I knew and trusted and who had attended the births of my other children.



Maybe I should have been more specific. If you pay the VHI for a specific level of care, why do you still have to pay out additional fees, however small. Its not like these are optional services or products. These are things you have to get, there no avoiding them. Its always like this with the VHI. Everything is covered except....


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## huskerdu

"I pay €3.5k for the consultants services but this has 
nothing to do with my bed? I could be in a public bed 
or a semi-private civered by our VHI coverage."

This is the case. The fee you have been quoted is the consultant fee for antenatal care only.  This has got nothing to do with what ward you end up in. 

What do you get  for this ?
All antenatal visits to the consultant in their private rooms - More comfort, and usually shorter waiting times. The consultants also have small
scanners in their rooms. The consultant attends the birth ( assuming they
get to the hospital on time, if you have a very short labour). 

As  a public patients, you have no continuity of care during you pregnancy, and you dont know what doctor will attend the birth ( if any) but
the standard of care from the midwives is exactly the same. 

If you are a private patient of the consultant, you will also get charged a fee for the consultant to attend the birth,and fees for scans and 
blood tests, VHI/Bupa/VIVAS pay all of these. 
Assuming you have VHI/Bupa/VIVAS, they will refund all or most of the cost of a SP/Private bed. In the big public Dublin Maternity hospitals, you are not guaranteed a private bed even if you have booked one.  

A private bed is about 300 a night VHI/Bupa/VIVA pay for 3 nights, if the birth is routine. If you have a section or medical complications, they pay all the hospital charges. 

I hope this explains it. People have very strong opinions on this topic,
and you will hear horror stories and great stories from public and private patients. 
You can only decide foryourself. 

Good luck with your decision and the pregnancy, not forgetting the next 40 years of parenthood.


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## Irish Fire

aircobra19 said:


> Strange I was told it by Dr in Holles St. Maybe I misunderstood. I have mixed experiences in Holles St. Good and Bad. The building is well past its sell by thats for sure. That said we know it so well at this point, we'll be going back there.


 
We were told this by Mount Carmel


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## Trish2006

I went semi private.  SP in the rotunda is now €600 - claimable against med 1.  I pay that amount and vhi/bupa deal with the rest.
Private should mean private room but I know a few people who paid private and ended up in public for the first night ()first come first served - not many that I know of got private room for entire stay.  So if that 's the main reason for choosing private it may not work out the way you expect.

With semi-p you usually attend a team of consultants, visit will be with one of the team and when you deliver whatever consultant is on duty will be the one to help out if necesary - not needed for me, midwives did it all.
With regard to Mt Carmel, I have a friend who went there on her first but said she couldn't justify the expense again (approx 8k?) and had her other 2 in the coombe, went private and got a mix between semi-p and p rooms.

I was quite happy with the care I got semi-p and would do the same again.


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## Joe1234

Don't forget the end result - the baby/babies will be the same whether you are public, semi private or private.


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## michaelm

We have gone Private, Semi-Private, and Public(combined care/Coombe Clinic/Early Home) on various occasions.  Each has its merits.  If we were in your position (twins) we would definitely go Private in a Public maternity hospital (to consider a home birth would be insane in my view).  When carrying twins there is an increased possibility of complication so continuity of care with a specific Consultant would be worth the premium IMHO; the MED1 will take the sting out of the cost and your PHI should cover pretty much everything else.  Whether you end up in a private or semi room matters very little and the mid-wives are brilliant regardless of which route you take.


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## Joe1234

michaelm said:


> the MED1 will take the sting out of the cost and your PHI should cover pretty much everything else.



A low rate taxpayer will get back 20% of the cost, 41% for a top rate taxpayer.  PHI is only an option for those who have it, so it does not effect everybody.


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## plaudit

kiwijbob said:


> I pay €3.5k for the consultants services but this has
> nothing to do with my bed? I could be in a public bed
> or a semi-private civered by our VHI coverage.


 
In the Limerick maternity I believe this is the case, the VHI entitled us to a semiprivate or private room, we paid something like €2000 to a consultant who had his own rooms in town for scans and checkups etc.

If the hospital is too busy you end up in a public ward anyway, I think we spent one night in a public ward.


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## michaelm

Joe1234 said:


> A low rate taxpayer will get back 20% of the cost, 41% for a top rate taxpayer.  PHI is only an option for those who have it, so it does not effect everybody.


Can't argue with that.  kiwijbob has stated that they are on VHI Plan B + Options and this leads me to assume that they also pay tax at the higher rate.


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## deem

I agree, how can private medical providers, consider not covering the cost of outpatients care for maternity. The average bill here in midlands is approx €2000, BUPA will only reimburse €400 of it, they also cover 3 days in public hospital on private ward for a normal delivery, and include €830 for other expenses in the hospital, blood tests, epidural etc.

The most shocking thing i discovered is that most consultants want at least 3/4 of payment on or just after first visit

I was advised though, that for first child that if possible to go private.

My mum threw a hissy fit about the suggestion of public for her first grandchild, something to do with her consultant saving at least my brother if not herself also when she had a prolapsed cord, nearly 30 years ago


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## michaelm

deem said:


> The average bill here in midlands is approx €2000, BUPA will only reimburse €400 of it . .


I think you'll find that the €400 in your example goes to the Consultant not the Insurance holder.


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## Joe1234

michaelm said:


> kiwijbob has stated that they are on VHI Plan B + Options and this leads me to assume that they also pay tax at the higher rate.



I wish!  I am on VHI B option and wish I was earning enough to pay tax at the higher rate!


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## Joe1234

deem said:


> My mum threw a hissy fit about the suggestion of public for her first grandchild, something to do with her consultant saving at least my brother if not herself also when she had a prolapsed cord, nearly 30 years ago



Medical science has come a long way in 30 years.


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## RainyDay

My wife was in Holles St for a total of 20 days before our girl's birth, and she roomed with quite a few mums expecting twins who had been shipped in from Mt Carmel when their cases were deemed too tricky for Mt Carmel to deal with. The care wife & child got in Holles St was top notch.


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## michaelm

The Irish Times has an article today which draws from a survey to be published this month about maternity hospitals.  Mt Carmel seems to feature prominently in relation to the likelihood of having a caesarean section.


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## Towger

michaelm said:


> The Irish Times has an article today which draws from a survey to be published this month about maternity hospitals.  Mt Carmel seems to feature prominently in relation to the likelihood of having a caesarean section.



That is because a CS is operation, so the VHI cover the full cost of the birth. If you have any problems when will ship you to Hollis St. 

Towger


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## aircobra19

Towger said:


> That is because a CS is operation, so the VHI cover the full cost of the birth. If you have any problems when will ship you to Hollis St.
> 
> Towger



Maybe I'm mistaken but I think the michaelm is talking about the fact that somes hospital like Mt Carmel have a higher % of a CS than others. Not Holles St.


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## Vanilla

A colleague of mine warned me that solicitors/their partners have a higher chance of having a caesarean birth because if there is any chance at all that there is the remotest possibility of harm to mum or baby that they will ship you off pronto to the op table so you won't sue them. I don't believe it though. Well I only half believe it. I didnt have a CS either time, TG.


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## JMR

Save your €3.5K for something else. You will need it once the baby is born!!
The medical care is exactly the same whether you choose public, semi-private or private, private patients do not see a better / different doctor!
If you choose the private route you will still spend half the day in the waiting room waiting to see your doctor at your check-ups as they are just so busy these days.

The only difference is the accomodation afterwards and a lot of the time the hospitals are so busy that public and semi-private patients get lumped in together anyway.
You will in all likelyhood only stay in for one night anyway.

In my opinion it can sometimes be a snobbery issue, with people not wanting to admit that they are going public for fear that neighbours and friends will think that they are either too mean or cannot afford private care!


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## babydays

I went private on my first birth. Waiting times for the consultant were horrendus. Consultant wasn't around for the birth (although another one showed up just as babs was born - in time to catch my husband when fainting!). Consultant preferred to talk Golf with husband during visits than talk about expected baby. Visits were otherwise exceedingly short. Got private room on second night of stay - found I was left in the room on my own - felt very isolated. 

Went semi-private second time and now on third (and last!!!) pregnancy. Found the money spent on the consultant and bed 1st time round an utter waste. On SP only spent E500 - FOR EVERYTHING - everything else covered by basic BUPA membership. Found no less quality in care at all. Was happier being in a ward with 4 people - sharing experiences, also it meant if I had a shower or went to the loo a girl in the next room would look out for my babs.

3rd time around now also SP and now the SP team have a mini scanner in their room so can see babs at each visit. 

To be honest, I'd suggest that you  don't waste your cash on consultant fees. Put it into an education account!

Regarding care and attention I've learned that the best way to ensure you get attention is to put your foot down and ask the questions you want to ask (even if it means bringing in a notebook so you don't forget your questions during your checkups). Don't let them push you out until you are satisfied with answers. Otherwise the visits are very routine - and afterall so is birth!!!

CONGRATS and good luck!


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## Ceepee

deem said:


> The most shocking thing i discovered is that most consultants want at least 3/4 of payment on or just after first visit


 
To attend a consultant privately at the Rotunda, a deposit of €500 (which equated to 20%) is payable on the first visit, but the balance was not payable until after the baby was delivered - the bill was posted out about 2 weeks after delivery.  

The option to pay in instalments during the pregnancy is also offered there.  This might be of benefit when making an annual MED1 claim, if the baby is not due in the current tax year.


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## RainyDay

JMR said:


> Save your €3.5K for something else. You will need it once the baby is born!!
> The medical care is exactly the same whether you choose public, semi-private or private, private patients do not see a better / different doctor!
> If you choose the private route you will still spend half the day in the waiting room waiting to see your doctor at your check-ups as they are just so busy these days.
> 
> The only difference is the accomodation afterwards and a lot of the time the hospitals are so busy that public and semi-private patients get lumped in together anyway.
> You will in all likelyhood only stay in for one night anyway.


Very few mums get out after one night, particularly for first baby or after a section. There are other differences too. Without private or semi-private, you won't have continuity of care from the same doctor. You may well see a different doctor on every visit. With semi-private or private, you will at least have the security of seeing the same consultant and having the opportunity to build up a bit of trust in the relationship. Also, in case of emergency, the on-call doctors at the hospital will consult with your consultant by phone, so you will have that additional degree of supervision on your case. 

Having gone through a very difficult pregnancy with my wife (several emergency dashes into Holles St, 20 nights in Holles St before the birth over 3-4 different stays, delivery by emergency section), I feel we got great value from our relationship with our consultant and I wouldn't hesitate to do the same if we go again. There may well be less value in a routine pregnancy, but I guess you never can tell up front how things are going to work out.



babydays said:


> I went private on my first birth. Waiting times for the consultant were horrendus. Consultant wasn't around for the birth (although another one showed up just as babs was born - in time to catch my husband when fainting!). Consultant preferred to talk Golf with husband during visits than talk about expected baby. Visits were otherwise exceedingly short. Got private room on second night of stay - found I was left in the room on my own - felt very isolated.


I think the problem here is that you got a crap consultant!


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## kiwijbob

I take it that 





> continuity of care


 is the main reason I'll be 
paying the consultant his 3.5k in the coombe, we're going to be 
having twins (fingers crossed) and I'm sure we have a very strong 
chance of s CS birth so the consultant should be able to plan to be 
there.  If it were one baby then I'd consider public treatment but 
for our first experience and the fact that it's twins we will have to go 
for continuity of care option.  thanks all


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## aldark

We've had two kids privately in the coombe.  Both pregnancies had complications and one birth had complications leading to an emergency section.  The consultant charged a fair whack for his work - 2K first one, 3.5K 2 years later.  This fee covered all the ante-natal visits and the delivery -  a deputy consultant is nominated if yours can't attend.  In our case, we saw the consultant quite a lot - at least once a month where he scanned the foetus to check on health and progress etc.  (note that there is some debate on the safety of ultrasound scanning ) I must say that we were disappointed that the fee didn't eliminate long queues to see the consultant ie. an appointment for 5pm could mean actually seeing the guy at 7 etc.  We also paid another ultrasound specialist for the 24 week scan - this is a detailed exam of the foetus and not just a check cranial size & heartrate.

We could probably have got this care through public or semi-private, but without the continuity of care.  Don't underrate this, it means that if questions arise they are referred to a single person familiar with both mother and baby during the 9 months - not one of a team scrabbling through notes.  Although consultants are assigned to public and semi-p duties, you will mostly be seeing more junior doctors in p and s-p - how else does a consultant get the experience.

We had many episodes during each pregnancy requiring overnight hospitalisation for monitoring etc.  Consultants in hospital have many patients and hence a lot of competition for their attention and time, having your own consultant guarantees faster responses to emergency situations.  Maternity hospitals are reallly run by the midwives and they will oversee and manage the delivery, a consultant is only called when a) its all over or b) if there's a question or problem.  However, if you're p/s-p, then the doctor on call would attend ie. somebody with less experience than the consultant.

I also noticed that private patients seemed to be unfairly prioritised over p and s-p.  Could've been due to the difficult pregnancy and history but we always seemed to get seen quicker, get beds quicker and on the first delivery, definitely got the epidural first before more needy cases.  We did get private rooms after both deliveries, but understood that this was luck.

The consultants fee is expensive for what seems like 13x10 minutes over 9 months, but to us (and our babies) it was more than worth it - we could easily have lost both babies, the care and attention during the pregnancy helped manage the stress of it all.  

al


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## babydays

Reflecting on this question I might say that given an entirely routine pregnancy etc I'd go for s-p or public but given that multiples are slightly out of the ordinary and need more checks perhaps private might be the way to go. 

Rainy Day  - no, I don't think I got a particularly 'crap' consultant. Hearing from other women and friends who went private their experiences were very similar.


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## kellysayers

[

but am I correct in thinking the only differences are:
*privatecare* @ €3.5k = private room on your own
*semi -privatecare* @ €500 = semi private room with 4 beds
*public *@?? = public ward


private only means you will get a room if one is available. There is no guarntee you will see your consultant. If there is a golf game on or if he is on hols forget it. We had the choice of private or public and went public. I had a very rough pregnancy and the care I got was second to none. We used the money we saved to get the cord stem cells saved. My friend went private had a bad time in labour and the baby was delivered by c section by the same doc i had as her consultant as "not on Duty" that day. She ended up in a six bed ward as well. she was actually glad about this bit cause she was a first time mum and wanted reassurance - she got it from all the other women in the ward.

What ever you decide rest assured it will be the right decision for you. Now stop worring and enjoy the pregnancy. Good Luck you will love being a mum.


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## kiwijbob

kellysayers said:


> Good Luck you will love being a mum.



or a dad


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## AndyDub

I wanted to add to this thread although its an old one. 
We were seeing a consultant from Mt Carmel during my wifes pregnancy this year. To cut a long story short, the baby came early at 33 weeks, so baby had to be delivered in Holles street, and they were fantastic. 
Now it turns out the consultant we were seeing out at Mt Carmel is being VERY slow to return any of the fees which we had paid in advance. He was explaning to me on the phone last week that he'll only charge us 1,500 euro in our case... this is quite outrageous as we met him a total of 3 times for 10minutes maximum a visit, and still no sign of our refund.


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## Guest111

AndyDub said:


> I wanted to add to this thread although its an old one.
> We were seeing a consultant from Mt Carmel during my wifes pregnancy this year. To cut a long story short, the baby came early at 33 weeks, so baby had to be delivered in Holles street, and they were fantastic.
> Now it turns out the consultant we were seeing out at Mt Carmel is being VERY slow to return any of the fees which we had paid in advance. He was explaning to me on the phone last week that he'll only charge us 1,500 euro in our case... this is quite outrageous as we met him a total of 3 times for 10minutes maximum a visit, and still no sign of our refund.


 
You'll notice the rather nice silver Porsche parked outside Mount Carmel...


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## ClubMan

AndyDub said:


> I wanted to add to this thread although its an old one.
> We were seeing a consultant from Mt Carmel during my wifes pregnancy this year. To cut a long story short, the baby came early at 33 weeks, so baby had to be delivered in Holles street, and they were fantastic.
> Now it turns out the consultant we were seeing out at Mt Carmel is being VERY slow to return any of the fees which we had paid in advance. He was explaning to me on the phone last week that he'll only charge us 1,500 euro in our case... this is quite outrageous as we met him a total of 3 times for 10minutes maximum a visit, and still no sign of our refund.


Write to him asking for a detailed invoice and a refund of any outstanding payments to date.


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## AndyDub

ClubMan said:


> Write to him asking for a detailed invoice and a refund of any outstanding payments to date.


 
Good Idea, I'll need that anyway for my Med1 claim. I've called them twice a week now for 5 weeks, I get the 'it'll be in the post tonight' story every time.


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## ClubMan

Depending on the amounts involved you might want to consider getting legal advice sooner or later (or at least saying in the letter that you are considering this if warranted).


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## Mpsox

My wife experienced the Coombe twice, once after a miscarriage and a 2nd time after a car crash. On both occassions,whilst the quality of care as a public patient was excellent, we both found that there was something very impersonal about the hospital, not the staffs fault, overworked and under resourced but something cold and battery hen about the whole approach
Accordingly, when my wife was pregnant the 2nd time, we opted for Kilkenny. (we live in Naas). Logic here was we are both country people and also it dawned on us after the car crash, that we'd get to Kilkenny faster in the rush hour from Naas then any Dublin hospital
We went to Kilkenny as a public patient and I cannot fault them, they were fantastic. My wife was in labour for 15 hours, and even though the consultant handed over to another doctor once his shift was finished, he rang in around 10 pm to see what was happening, when told there were some minor issues, he came back in from home and delivered the baby himself.
Only downsides about being public are the waiting for scans etc and also you end up in a public ward, which can be noisy. My wife was not sleeping 2 days after the birth and asked could she discharge herself and go home. The midwife said she could, but also said there was no rush and if she wanted to stay in a couple of more days she could. 
And this was public not private!!!!!!!!


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## michaelm

Mpsox said:


> . .  we both found that there was something very impersonal about the hospital [Coombe] . . Accordingly, when my wife was pregnant the 2nd time, we opted for Kilkenny. (we live in Naas). Logic here was we are both country people and also it dawned on us after the car crash, that we'd get to Kilkenny faster in the rush hour from Naas then any Dublin hospital


Horses for courses I suppose but I'd be unconvinced by such logic, because you felt it was impersonal??  From Naas one could be at the Coombe in less than 30 minutes if the need arose (via hard shoulders and bus lanes, indeed the Garda could be called upon for a hospital escort).  Also, public patients in Kildare can attend the Coombe Clinic in Naas Hospital and needn't go near the Coombe until the birth, which is dead handy.  And again, for Coombe patients living in the Naas area there in an Early Home scheme where mother and baby can go home the day after the birth and a midwife will visit each day for four or five days.  We had five in the Coombe and they were great, although the first was a bit scary but probably because it was the first and we weren't au fait with everything that was happening.


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## bagoftricks

Kiwi

From my personal experience(7 weeks ago), I would go private without a shadow of a doubt. I would also go to Holles Street rather than mount carmel. 

In the unlikely event that there is a small difficulty, Holles Street is the best equipped to deal with your problem hands down. 

Private care does not give you a whole lot of difference before the bundles of joy are born but after it, boy are there differences. I think your wife will be quite exhausted after giving birth to twins and 5 or 6 days in a private room the Merrion Wing in Holles Street in peace and quiet would really help. The staff are amazing because they are only dealing with a small number of patients and very very attentive. 

The likelihood is your wife will have to go through a c section, after this as my wife was she will be very sore and not very mobile. You will not  question the money once you have experienced how the three most precious people in your life are being treated. 

I would also go with a private doctor, we were scanned somewhere in the region of 12 times during my wife's pregnancy and there was no signs of complications. Some hospitals when you go public from what i hear scan you once or twice. I know this sounds like no big deal but as you get more and more emotionally involved during the pregnancy the scans are a great way to put your mind at ease that every is ok and to really see the progression. It is a time to remember and enjoy. 

If you have any questions or want a recommendation of the doctor we used feel free to get back in touch with me. 

All the best 
Bag


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## Trish2006

Probably a bit late with the recommendation, bagoftricks, as by now I suspect the babies have probably already been born.  Thread started in March.
If kiwijbob is out there, any news?


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## c7144

If I am pregnant again, I will not got for private consultant.  I did not get the service with the money I paid for.  Did you have gurantee that you surely will have private room?  In my case, they told me due to limite of private room, they have first come first serve...


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## RainyDay

c7144 said:


> In my case, they told me due to limite of private room, they have first come first serve...


How else could they possibly do it?


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## Mack

My wife and I recently found out that we are expecting our second child, due in June 2008  
We are having the baby in Rotunda Hospital.

I am on the HealthManager scheme with Quinn Healthcare.  When I called to query about the semi-private options, she mentioned that the 600 euro deposit you pay during your first visit, you can claim 500 of this back?

I didn't realise this, but I think may be wrong.
Does anyone know if this is true?

Thanks
Mack​


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## ClubMan

www.rotunda.ie

[broken link removed]



> *PRIVATE PATIENTS*
> 
> ...
> 
> _A booking deposit of €1000.00            is payable at first antenatal visit.
> 
> _*SEMI-PRIVATE PATIENTS
> 
> *...
> 
> _A non-refundable deposit of €600.00              is payable at first antenatal visit._


 Some private health insurance policies may cover these. You should be able to claim _MED1 _tax relief on otherwise unreimbursed charges.


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## nesbitt

Cost of having twins can only be estimated on a 'perfect event' scenario. However, more care can and will be needed for a multiple pregnancy. We have VHI B Options, but chose to use public system when we had our twins. A lot of care was required through out the pregnancy and for the birth and aftercare. I dread to think what it would have cost had we gone the private route. Good care and attention, using public system. Kids are now 3 and doing grand


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## RainyDay

nesbitt said:


> Cost of having twins can only be estimated on a 'perfect event' scenario. However, more care can and will be needed for a multiple pregnancy. We have VHI B Options, but chose to use public system when we had our twins. A lot of care was required through out the pregnancy and for the birth and aftercare. I dread to think what it would have cost had we gone the private route. Good care and attention, using public system. Kids are now 3 and doing grand



I thought that the consultants work on a fixed-fee basis, regardless of the amount of care required. My wife had a very difficult pregnancy, with 3 or 4 emergency hospitalisations at Holles St and at least fortnightly checks with the consultant. I reckon he lost his shirt on our baby, but he more than gained it back with the other more routine pregnancies that he dealt with. When you see your consultant listed as an investor in the Four Seasons Hotel, you don't lose too much sleep over his financial status. I was hoping he might offer us a night in the hotel, but no such luck....


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