Tshwane District Hospital / Steve Biko Academic Hospital - Maternity.

Please bear with me as this is a long review of my experiences at Tshwane District Hospital and Steve Biko Academic Hospital

When I found myself unable to afford private care during my pregnancy, I was understandably nervous about receiving public healthcare. However, my experience at Tshwane District Hospital / Steve Biko Academic Hospital completely changed my perspective.

From my first appointment at Eersterust Clinic to continuing my journey at Tshwane District Hospital, their commitment to ensuring a safe delivery was unwavering. It's not about how early you arrive, but about the extraordinary care and support they provide throughout your pregnancy journey. You have to be patient at all times. I was greeted with warmth and compassion. The dedicated staff went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of my care was handled with utmost professionalism. Despite being a busy public hospital, the level of attention and support I received made me feel like a valued individual rather than just another patient.

Yes, the journey of becoming a mother can be exhausting, but let me tell you, it was absolutely worth it. The nurses at this hospital treated every mommy-to-be with utmost respect and provided guidance that went above and beyond. What truly amazed me was when they included all of us in their morning prayers and gospel. It created an atmosphere of warmth, welcoming, and peace. And attending the Breastfeeding Month event on 5 August 2022 added an extra touch of community support that made me feel even more connected to the hospital and staff

And let's not forget about my incredible doctor, whose name escapes me but whose care and dedication will forever be in my memory. Despite the challenges of being overdue by 42 weeks, they went above and beyond to ensure both myself and my baby were well taken care of. His kindness and genuine concern for every patient is truly inspiring. Little did I know that my journey would soon lead to induction, testing the limits of my pain tolerance.

When I arrived at the labour ward to get the process started, I was greeted with warm smiles and an impeccable level of care. The staff went above and beyond to ensure that I felt comfortable and supported throughout the entire process. Not only did they provide me with a delicious meal and tea, but they also allowed my loved ones to visit and drop off essentials for me and my precious son.

My labour started much later, and all I can say, aside from the wonderful experience of being pregnant and the excellent care and service of others, is that induction was extremely tough, Oral Cytotec was administered, and I've never experienced pain like I did that night, during that time I wanted to run away, fell in and out of sleep, had several nurses monitoring me, and witnessed a few births in the same ward, with the curtains closed of course, but you could hear the agony of some mothers and then the beautiful cries of their little bundles of joy!

I couldn't consume anything as I was in too much pain and felt extremely tired and hot, I wasn't dilating very well so they contacted Steve Biko Academic Hospital for assistance, the ambulance came the next morning around 7:30am and I was on my way to Steve Biko for a possible c-section, the contractions were getting worse and I was begging for painkillers, I was attended to by a very straightforward no nonsense nurse, she was fantastic and guided me along the way.

My doctor at Steve Biko was also top notch, a very calm guy, but very composed and helpful. They wanted to observe me and my son before scheduling a c-section, but after a long while I was only 8 cm dilated and they decided to take me to the OR for the c-section since I had already been in labour for 30 hours, which was around 6:30pm or later on August 6, 2022.

I was very well taken care of throughout the process and had no anxiety about the spinal anaesthesia or anything related to the c-section. I was calm and remember very well how the pain disappeared in an instant after the spinal anaesthesia. It was a matter of seconds and my beautiful son was born, absolutely beautiful, healthy and happy! I was then moved to another room to recover a bit, my husband met my son for the first time in the hallway and I was admitted to ward 8.3 with my baby. From there I was told to nurse my son and sleep a little and not move for a long time, and I did, it felt wonderful to hold my boy in my arms!

I was woken up afterwards by one of the nurses to get up and go to the restroom. This was extremely hard and I know of three night nurses who were a bit fussy, but I quickly learned to ignore them and move on by going for a walk, resting and just cuddling my little boy. Yes, they come and wake you up to check on you and also to check on the baby, it's mandatory, and yes, it's exhausting, but that's the way it is. I took everything as it was because we received excellent care and treatment from most of the staff and all of the doctors. The food was really good and extremely delicious, breakfast, lunch and dinner were excellent! I was quite afraid of being alone as I was the only white female and was a little afraid of problems or drama, but I shook it off after a while and made a few friends along the way. It was a tough 5 days from the beginning at Tshwane Hospital to the end at Steve Biko Hospital, but I really can't complain, I am happy and healthy and my son is happy and healthy!

If I could give anyone advice when it comes to public health care, treat the staff with respect and kindness. Not all public health care workers are bad, in fact I know private health care workers who are far worse than public workers.

I am really grateful to Tshwane Hospital and Steve Biko Academic Hospital for all the advice, respect, support, compassion and effort they provided

Thank you all so much for your patience and care!