By Casey Neill
Carlee Tamme was born at Healesville Hospital.
“I still see the same doctor that delivered me. He’s in Healesville too,” she said.
She gave birth to her first child at the Angliss, but her second son arrived at home.
“We were living in Wandin. I went into labour about midnight,” she said.
“I thought I was OK because my last son took me 26 hours to have.”
Carlee called the hospital in the morning and told them her contractions were still sporadic, ranging from two minutes apart to 20 minutes, so they told her to hold tight.
But at 9.11am she called an ambulance and at 9.35am her son entered the world.
“I gave birth at the bottom of my staircase with my other three children at home,” she said.
“My partner was freaking out.”
The ambulance arrived moments before Carlee gave birth, and took her to the Angliss.
She’d given birth to her first child there.
At the Angliss, she saw the same doctor and midwife throughout her pregnancy but had neither when the birth rolled around.
“I walked in blindsided,” she said.
The hospital had also sent her home when she first presented.
“I ended up having him five hours later,” she said.
“Once again I had to get an ambulance.
“It was the closest hospital. That’s all it came down to.
“I didn’t want to go to Box Hill because you can never predict the traffic going to Box Hill.
“You’re only left with one choice.
“You don’t have more than one option.”
Carlee said she would have chosen to give birth at Healesville had it been an option.
“I think it’s more of a local environment,” she said.
“Everybody knows everyone so you feel more comfortable.
“It’s more local for people.
“If you’re going all the way from Waburton…you have to have a birth plan, but even then things can go wrong.
“All it takes is for one thing to go wrong.”
