the Coombe or the Rotunda hospital?

baszia

hi,
i just wondering if anybody can help me decide between the coombe or the rotunda hospital. This is my first pregnancy and i'm just gone 10 weeks now! i have an appointment for both and want to cancel one as soon as possible. I'm Polish so i have no experience of Irish hospitals and i was wondering what i need to bring for my first appointment and so on.
any help would be very appericated

baszia

January

Which is closest?

I've been in both and I can honestly say I enjoyed my experience in the Coombe more. Shorter wait times for appointments, mini scan at every appointment (I was with the consultants team though not sure if you get one with the midwives team...), the ward only had four beds after I gave birth (some have up to 8 though). Clean, meals were nice(ish! for hospital food!).

How Strange

I've heard good things about the Rotunda but I've no direct experience. I'm attending the Coombe and I really can't say a bad thing about them. I'm with a consultant probably because I'm over 35. My last appointment was at 8.45 and I was out in 30 mins; normally 1hr or so and that's as a public patient.

I'd agree that you should pick your hospital based on proximity to where you live because there's little point on driving past one hospital to get to another especially in 9 months time bearing in mind traffic etc.

Congrats and good luck

Amberjack

I'm with the Rotunda (private) first baby and think they are great. Public is a different ball game though. I find the staff very friendly and helpful, but probably more under pressure in the main hospital than the private clinic.

xzanti

I'm attending the Rotunda Public and can't praise them enough.. I have no experience with other Hospitals but they have been nothing but great to me..

I attended there on my last pregnancy which I unfortunately lost and they were very attentive and supportive and they saw me straight away at the EPU on this one for a 'reassurance scan'.. I've had scans at all of my visits except the last one as I was seen by the Midwife..

I've also had a couple of dashes to the ER and they have always given me the utmost care and attention however trivial my problem was.. Had pains which turned out to be a false alarm a couple of weeks ago and my GP sent me in and they spent ages with me, left no stone unturned before sending me home..

I have no complaints whatsoever

How Strange

Amberjack welcome and congrats! Sorry this is a bugbear of mine. Going public in our maternity hospitals is absolutely fantastic. The level if care you receive is excellent. Waiting times prob vary between hospitals but the longest I've waited is 1.5hrs. To put in context I've waited 45mins to see my gp and about the same at dentist appointments.

Good luck to anyone who has the money to go private; I'd consider it if I had the money but I don't. However we are very lucky to have a free public antenatal service with excellent standards of care which we are all entitled to access. Who knows if the country goes belly up we might not have that choice in a few years and all care will be privatised.
Getting off my soap box now!

Amberjack

Hi How Strange,

Baby is an ivf miracle, so going private after all we've been through, to keep an eye on junior. Just more scans etc, also the consultant we are with guided us through ivf, so feel really comfortable with him.

I just think with the baby boom etc, public is under a lot more pressure and really just wanted reassurance with regular scans etc, we get one every visit which is on a 4 week basis. So that's my reason for going private and yep, money is on the tight side, but really feel comfortable with our consultant.

How Strange

I'm certainly not having a dig at you personally Amberjack or questionning the type of care you've chosen but the opinion that the public ante-natal is terrible has come up time and time again. I admit I was a little afraid of what it would be like when I first registered but honestly considering they have limited resources and a huge demand it really is great.

Sorry mods I know that's slightly off topic.

senordingdong

My g/f and I are going to the Coombe, (first time) and I have to say it's been great.

bulmersgal

loved loved the coombe

When i went in for 12 weeks scan, i got asked straight away did i wanna be part of a research trial, I said yes. Got a big scan every 4 weeks till I was 6 months then every 2 weeks then and every week for last 6 weeks.

When i went into labour I found them great, got a semi private room after. Got told I could stay 3 days if I wanted, only choose the 2 days. I had her over the easter bank holiday and got treated so nice. I had never held a baby before I had her and midwives where lovely showed me everything without judging.

Also the food was lovely lol