Thinking of having baby in 'Mount Carmel', Dublin. Any experiences?
- Thread starter adorado
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I've heard they deliver great babies
- To be honest I would be more concerned about geting the best gyneacologist for you and your baby rather than picking the hospital first! What does your GP recommend? Is this you first child? Where are you living?For what it's worth I have heard that Mount Carmel is very good and that their focus is very much on the mother whereas in other maternity hospitals the focus is on the child (eg Mt Carmel will take a newborn away from a mother for a night to give her a rest while in Holles street for example they will insist the baby stays with the Mother to bond properly - this example is not an absolute nor does it infer that medical care is inferior in one hospital when compared to another).
However, I believe (ie this is hearsay and not backed up with first hand evidence)that Mt Carmel does not have the full neo natal emergency staff or equipment so if there are difficulties with the birth or with the health of the child after birth the baby may need to be transferred to Holles Street (The National Maternity Hospital) which does have the full range of expertise, equipment and staff available. It is for this reason I believe that first time mothers are pointed in the direction of Holles street as statistically there is a greater chance of medical issues with a first birth.
I'm looking for somewhere where I will be well looked after. I have been in the maternity hospital a few times visiting friends that have had babies there, and to be honest, I was horrified.
I'm from another EU country, and have doctors in my family and when they hear some of the stories...or even the drugs they are using here, that are obsoletes there for the last 20 years...I'm quite scared of having a baby in a Public Hospital. I am sure there are also great people and great experiences to tell, but it is the first time and I prefer somewhere more "personal".
I can't fly to my country when I am heavily pregnant, so I will have to have the baby in Ireland.
Thanks a lot for your comments.
I'm from another EU country, and have doctors in my family and when they hear some of the stories...or even the drugs they are using here, that are obsoletes there for the last 20 years...I'm quite scared of having a baby in a Public Hospital. I am sure there are also great people and great experiences to tell, but it is the first time and I prefer somewhere more "personal".
I can't fly to my country when I am heavily pregnant, so I will have to have the baby in Ireland.
Thanks a lot for your comments.
I would suggest that you check out the website www.eumom.ie where Mount Carmel is discussed regularly.
Or www.rollercoaster.ie is a mine of information too.
aircobra19
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Adorado,
From my experience of Holles Street and the nurses and midwives there I believe that they would take great exception to your comments above - whatever about the physical age and layout of the hospital there is no way that they would continue to proscribe drugs or procedures that are medically unsound or "obsolete"; that is not the way they operate. I would suggest that you visit Holles Street and Mt Carmel and talk to the midwives there and if you do have concerns over certain procedures or drugs and the rationale for using them then raise them with the staff.
We've (ha ha) had 2 babies in Mt Carmel. No complaints. You are well looked after and the accommodation (in the broadest sense of the word) is good. More flexible on visiting etc. some people like that others are glad of the tighter hours elsewhere. One thing we found and it's probably true of all maternity hospitals is that you'll deal with many different nurses and midwives and they all have a range of opinions on how different aspects of the care should go. Best advice I can give on that score is try to have a good idea of how you want things to go and dont let nurses bully you (in the nicest possible way) into doing things differently if you dont agree. Bottom line: if we ever decide on number 3 we'll be going back to Mt Carmel.
Have a look at eumom as other posters have suggested but bear in mind it can get a little, hmmmm, "emotional", over there.
Have a look at eumom as other posters have suggested but bear in mind it can get a little, hmmmm, "emotional", over there.
Mt Carmel is private and if you compare the care and attenion given to private patients in public hospitals then i reckon you do get nigh on the same. If you go to public hosp as a private patient you risk having a bed in a semiprivate ward, if you go to Mt Carmel you risk having to have your baby and yourself transferred to public hosp with emergency facilities... this choice seems to be the difference.
Thank you very much for your comments!
R
r2d2
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I have heard this a few times as well, including from a doctor in Mount Carmel!
Towger.
We've had all our three kids in Holles Street (last August for the latest addition). Even though the decor is a bit dated the staff were great and really looked after us - not one complaint in that regard.... Our first was slightly complicated - breech birth - but my wife was still able to deliver naturally.....
If you go private you may get into the "Merrion Wing" which is the private section but space is limited in there so it depends on the number of arrivals....
If you go private you may get into the "Merrion Wing" which is the private section but space is limited in there so it depends on the number of arrivals....
pernickety
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not true any longer, at least not where I gave birth in France!
Had both of my children in Mt Carmel & would not go anywhere else. Mt Carmel does have a special care unit & an excellent paediatrician. However they are not equipped to deal with babies born before 32 weeks. If there is a chance your baby will be born before that you will be sent to Holles Street. In saying that I had preeclampsia on my first child who was born at 35 weeks & the care we both got was superb. The first grandchild of one of the gynaes was born there a couple of months ago - don't really think he'd let his daughter give birth there if there was any risk.
Another thing to bear in mind is that Mt Carmel is a general hospital & therefore is the only place in Dublin where if the mother needs to go to intensive care her child will actually be in the same hospital with her. If you give birth in any of the 3 maternity hospitals & need intensive care you will be shipped of to a general hospital & your child will be left in the hospital where you gave birth.
Another thing to bear in mind is that Mt Carmel is a general hospital & therefore is the only place in Dublin where if the mother needs to go to intensive care her child will actually be in the same hospital with her. If you give birth in any of the 3 maternity hospitals & need intensive care you will be shipped of to a general hospital & your child will be left in the hospital where you gave birth.
We had our first last year in the Rotunda and had no problem (other than an emergency CS and later with the billing/admin department as documented elsewhere on AAM). As it happens we were both also born there ourselves and obviously survived. Hope this helps.
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