mum2be.ie - Pregnancy and Baby Forums

[pebbles]

hey hon, i think maybe the whole public/private question differs wherever you are! i hve private health insurance but i still wouldnt be able to afford to pay a couple of thousand. id rather put that towards the babs to be honest. a friend of mine had her baby in limerick over new years and it was so crowded so ended up giving birth in a room other than the labour ward, plus another girl there was due to check out soon so they took her babies cot away to give to another lady. what im saying is..if a hospital is overstretched or busy you' probably be less likely to get ur private room or that anyway.the major plus seems to be seeing ur consultant at a specific time? i dunno really. im going to wexford, and i know that even if i was private i wouldnt necessarily have a private room cos theres only 2-3 private rooms i think! im happy enough o be going public but thats just me. ive spoken to a lot of people who went public in wexford and had very positive experiences! could u put up a thread asking about peoples expereinces of going public in the limerick area? then you'd have some more detailed info! hope that helps!

[excitedmama]

Hi,
I went public and I have to say I am very impresed with the whole experience!!! I had a very difficult birth an doctors and midwifes were amazing!!!! I guess when it comes to sa problem they do not care if you public or private they will do everything to make sure that you and the baby are fine!
The difference is that if you go private you will have one doctor looking after you (that knows your whole history) instead of the team of doctors and midwifes and you probably wont have to wait sometimes few hours for your appointment..also you would get the private room. I personaly dont think it's worth paying thousands for it...

[Rathmineslady]

I am going semi-private in Holles Street, basically because I have been paying health insurance for years and have never had any need to use it. You do have to pay a certain amount towards your ante natal care but you can claim a percentage back at the end of the year. The staff so far have been brilliant in the hospital, and it's always the same nurses/doctors on duty. On a good day you might only have about 8 other ladies ahead of you. Have had a mini scan at every visit. Decided also to go semi private after seeing the public queue in The Coombe last year after i had a miscarriage. The amount of women waiting to be seen was frightening. But i guess every hospital is completely different.

[MarcsMrs]

Im going publin in Mayo General & I have to say the care & attention Ive been given is great! I suffered with hyperemesis at the start of my pregnancy & the consultant & the midwives couldnt have been nicer or more helpful to both me & my DH! There is a bit of queuing for ante-natal appointments but Ive never been there more than 30mins before being seen, which is very good in comparison to some places!
There are only 4/6 private rooms in Mayo General anyway so the chances of getting one when you give birth are slim anyway so Id rather not pay for that!

[exciteddotcom]

Im going public. Cant afford to go private but also because they is no guarantee that the counsultant you pick and pay will be available when you go in labour thats what put me off and Ill be having the baby in Limerick. No guarantee of a private room as they may be used by other patients with complications and that when your due. Really is a personal decision. weigh up all the pro and cons and if you can afford to pay 3000 before you make any decisions.