In my experiences during a pregnancy I am currently in, I have visited BC Women's Hospital four times in just over six months and three of the four times in just over six months- and three of the four visits have resulted in a complaint, and the other visit was exceptional- with a pelvic floor physiotherapist. The Obstetric Doctors I've encountered have good bedside manners- both making me feel comfortable, and were personable, seemingly knowledgeable women. Yet, the information I received, and did not receive led me to do more research on Health Canada's website proving their advice to be wrong. And the prescription I received from another I was told by another doctor through 8-1-1 was over eight times the price of what I was told I needed for treatment. It took me two days to be able to pick up and afford the treatment, Now, with large hesitations of the care, and social-economic interests of more than one professional who works at BC Women's Hospital- I will be looking for an alternative environment to give birth.
Posted Date : 22/11/2021
Anonymous
The care and attention I received during my pelvic surgery was phenomenal. I am so thankful to all the doctors and nurses who helped me through my experience, they were incredible!
Anonymous
Terrible all round, doctors are rude and nurses are amateur. Low cost birthing at best. An insult to mothers in Vancouver BC, Canada.
Anonymous
I also had an absolutely terrible experience at this hospital. I traveled to birth there from another part of BC in 2010 because I have an autoimmune disorder that put me in a higher risk category than my community midwives were able to accommodate. I assumed I would be well taken care of because of the number of specialists that were available. The truth however, is that it it was traumatic and terrible on many levels.
First off, I arrived for a consultation with different teams of doctors. I was kept in a room by myself from 1pm in the afternoon until after 8pm. They kept taking my blood pressure and made me do multiple urine samples over that time. Well, I was super stressed, felt alone, afraid and neglected as the different doctors sat out in the main area and talked about me. I wasn’t even offered anything to eat or drink. I was 8.5 months pregnant and they didn’t offer me anything to eat or drink – no wonder my blood pressure kept going up while I was there (though it never reached the high mark)! They decided to admit me because my blood pressure was going up and said I would be induced the next day. When I was sent for an ultrasound, the student technician had never done an ultrasound before and got the measurements wrong. The measurements told them that my baby was HUGE. Nobody listened to me when i told them the measurements were off, so all of a sudden they were panicking and assumed I had gestational diabetes. I had my blood sugar tested three times a day for the next several days and it was not high even once…. but they kept treating me as if I did have diabetes. The tone that spoke to me with was constantly condescending as well. They wouldn’t listen to anything i said an they obviously weren’t reading each others’ notes either. The resident Neo-natologist said “we have to get this little fatty out of you” (Rude? Yeah.). When I was induced, I was lucky to have an AMAZING nurse that stood up to the other doctors that were swarming me and wouldn’t let them do all the interventions they wanted to do.
When I asked for nitrous oxide, the canister in my room was broken and my husband had to run around to all the empty birthing rooms looking for a hose that wasn’t broken. He then had to rip it off the canister and attach it to the one in my delivery room with his own zap straps.
When baby was born, he was perfectly healthy and strong – not gestational diabetes huge. Regardless, they proceeded to prick his heel to test his blood twice a day for the next three days until a visiting midwife empowered me to refuse to let them do it again. Of the 6 times they pricked my baby’s heel, he didn’t have blood sugar issues either.
On the maternity ward where I spent the next three days, it was explained to me that the reason why I got no warm water (let alone hot) to shower in was because it was the last room on the plumbing line. On top of that, the shower head was extremely calcified, so the cold water came out like sharp needles. All I wanted was some sort of comfort after having my baby and enduring everything I had dealt with and I couldn’t even have a warm shower. Yeah, cold needly water on my engorged breast? Torture.
Everything was awful about my experience except for the wonderful nurse in the birthing room and having a healthy baby.
Anonymous
I was registered to give birth to my son at BC Womens in late 2010, and the staff who helped with my labour and delivery were patient, knowledgeable, and kind. I was asked about my preferences every step of the way, and was given all the information I needed to make informed decisions on my own without feeling any pressure to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. My son required hospitalization while treating and monitoring his jaundice after he was born. We stayed for 3 days and nights at BC Women’s, and we never ceased to feel that we were getting the best care available, along with the best bedside manner from all medical and support staff. I would highly recommend BC Women’s Hospital and look forward to supporting them through annual donations in our son’s name.
Anonymous
I had a traumatic, and horrendous birthing experience at this hospital. When I was finally able to get a copy of my patient records, I saw the records reflected a very different reality than what actually happened. For example there was notes of places, I was never taken, Diagnostic notes for a test I know was impossible, there was a doctor who I know I did not speak with. 6 years later, some of the notes on a diagnostic were changed. It was a very very suspicious experience of a coverup for malpractice. My advise to anyone birthing at this hospital is take your camera and video everything that happens to you. You may be very thankful for your own accurate records if heaven forbid, a medical oversight occurs and you need to get someone to believe your version of what happened!