choosing a maternity

fannette · Post by **fannette** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:07 pm

Hi! I'm living in Helsinki and i'm pregnant. i'm suppose to give birth on december, and i have to chose already now the maternity. i can choose between Naisten clinic (where i have been once to make a check, and they were not nice! Maybe that was just bad luck ...) or Katiloopisto.
It would be nice to let me know what you recommand me.

Thanks in advance

**Sponsor:**

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:36 pm

Choose Katiloopisto...
We had the best experience there for our first one...
We got a family room, a good tour ( Even though they had an english tour, I chose to take the Finnish one)..
and they had very good and professional mid-wives there..
BUT YMMV..( your mileage may vary)./.
Overall we had a good time there and they are supposed to have good reputation....

Amandine.K · Post by **Amandine.K** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:57 pm

It depends on what you want. If your baby need special care after delivery he will be transfered to Lasten Klinnika so in that sense I would rather go to Naisten Klinnika. I know a few midwifes there and they are lovely (plus their English is excellent).

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Mon May 28, 2007 11:20 pm

We stayed for 4 days after birth in a family room...and it was excellent..
moreover, post-natal care is similar in Katiloopisto also..

As she said that she already had a bad experience in naisten clinic...why take a chance again to get that same bad treatment when you have a choice..
We were lucky to get very good midwives both times...especially the second time at Tammisaari..

Lisa 15 · Post by **Lisa 15** » Tue May 29, 2007 9:19 am

I also recommend Katilönopisto. I had my 2 girls there and it went really well. Unless your pregnancy presents any special risks, I really recommend Katilönopisto.
Plus you can also register there for Häikäränpesä which has even nicer service. You have then to take the tour and class in finnish but you get this very personnel treatment with an appointment before birth to discuss with a midwife everything you want and don't want for the birth (such as epidural or not, laughing gas, husband around, episiotomy ect...)plus that you have a real family room with a double bed, personnal shower/wc.
Of course they can't garanty that you get it since it's first arrived first served and due date are uncertain, but it really worth trying, in my opinion

fannette · Post by **fannette** » Tue May 29, 2007 7:27 pm

Thanks to all of you for you reply and the details. i'm just very suprised about one thing in the last answer: they give you laughing gaz

that's quite uncommon, i've never heard that. But if this can help, why not.

The family room have to be requested at the midwife of the Nevola or at the hospital directly? For the moment i'm registered at Kätilöopisto hospital, that's where i'll have the 12weeks ultrasound next week (it will be actually 13 weeks...) I might change depending on how this goes on.

Nobody mentioned a private clinic. Doesn't this exist in Finland?

EP · Post by EP » Tue May 29, 2007 8:25 pm

Nobody mentioned a private clinic. Doesn't this exist in Finland?

Sure there are: Mehiläinen, Eira Hospital etc. Nobody mentioned them because nobody usually uses them for giving birth.

Rosetta · Post by **Rosetta** » Tue May 29, 2007 9:07 pm

I've given birth in Kätilöopisto (in 2002), and I have to say I didn't have a very pleasant experience... Meaning mainly the stay in the Maternity ward, after giving birth. That was just 3 days too much. The midwifes/nurses were quite rude & grumpy (and I'm a native myself, so that's saying a lot

), especially the one that was personally assigned to me & my baby...

My best friend gave birth in Naistenklinikka in 2005, and it seemed like a nice place, but of course I don't have personal experience about it.

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Tue May 29, 2007 9:15 pm

I gave birth in 2005 in Naistenklinikka. I have no complaints about it...though I have nothing to compare it to.

All my midwives spoke English very well. Everything I needed was provided including clothes for the baby. I ended up in a room with 3 other women all of whom snored like pigs with microphones. They kept waking sophie so I had to put her in the nursery. The food was good and the care was great.

I di leave after 48 hours though as I just wanted to go home and sleep without the snoring pigs next to me.

Good luck

Hannah

Rosetta · Post by **Rosetta** » Tue May 29, 2007 9:28 pm

scoobymcdoo wrote: They kept waking sophie so I had to put her in the nursery.

This just reminded me, in Kätilöopisto there is no nursery where you can leave the baby (at least not in 2002, and I doubt that's been changed), unlike in Naistenklinikka, so that wouldn't be an option there...

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Tue May 29, 2007 9:40 pm

The nursery was excellent, they came and woke me when she woke needing a feed. It gave Sophie a good night sleep which was great- shame she never learnt to sleep in the day!
Hannah

Rosetta · Post by **Rosetta** » Tue May 29, 2007 9:56 pm

Yes, Hannah, I really missed something like that in Kätilöopisto - not only the baby gets a good night sleep but also the mother

(I was completely trashed on the first night after the birth, as I hadn't slept the previous night at all (due to labour starting)...)

fannette · Post by **fannette** » Wed May 30, 2007 9:05 am

Very interesting this about the nursery... i have to think about this and check if they maybe now have one. This is quite an important decision factor!

Why nobody gives birth in private clinic? Do you think they dont have the know-how? Or is it because this is too much expensive?

EP · Post by EP » Wed May 30, 2007 1:05 pm

Why nobody gives birth in private clinic?

Because it doesn´t make sense. Why pay €€€€€€ when you get the same quality care with €?

bavarian-girl · Post by **bavarian-girl** » Wed May 30, 2007 3:08 pm

I was at Naistenklinikka and it was a very good experience.

There is already a detailled description:
bb/viewtopic.php?t=22200

They are prepared for all cased that might appear and everyone I met spoke excellent english.

All the best for you
Andrea

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