Public vs. Private Hospitals

I pondered this for a while when planning for Moo Moo, and when I went to my doctor to confirm the pregnancy, she had already booked a private hospital for me to give birth. The booking isn't confirmed until we put down a deposit before my 20th week. My 20th week came and went, and I decided to go public this time.

I gave birth to Ethan at a private hospital, but I was really annoyed about their breastfeeding practices (or lack of - you can see my first two entries for that whole saga). In all private hospitals close to where we live, the baby must always be kept in the nursery. A main reason for this policy was the outbreak of SARS a few years ago as well as their extended visitors hours. In public hospitals, the baby sleeps next to the mother, and visiting hours are only for two hours a day. I really want to be able to breastfeed this time, and I hope that this environment will help.

Then there's the cost difference. What I'll pay for public is only 1 percent of what I would have to pay for private care, and the difference in care isn't really that much. My sister-in-law says it's more status than anything else to deliver at a private hospital. I figured I might as well take advantage of the public health care system and socialized medicine since we don't have it in the States. The main gripe here about government hospitals is the wait time, mostly because people abuse the system for the slightest of aches. Not really applicable to me since I won't be able to wait for the baby to come out. I'll also have the option of getting an epidural as opposed to holding out the last time due to the out-of-pocket costs. I'm undecided about it though since I'm afraid I might lose control over the birthing process.

I'll still continue to see my private doctor, but she won't be able to deliver my baby. I'm not too worried since Ethan's birth was pretty standard. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that the same will be for Moo Moo. (On a side note, both second deliveries for my mom and Herb's mom were much more difficult than the first - are the odds stacked against me?)