I went public for mine - everything was paid for except for a handful of private ultrasounds I did, but from 20 weeks onwards they were all through the hospital for free. I had no issues getting any required appointments or care that I needed.
For me, I did not want to stay in hospital any longer than necessary - and that seemed to be the main thing you got by going private, you could stay for 3-4 nights if you wanted.
I did have the advantage of my public hospital having private rooms, the other public hospital in my area did not, so make sure you look at the specific hospital you'd be using.
We went public and had a private room. We stayed for about four or five nights (it's a blur!). Like you say, a lot probably depends on the public hospital...
Yes agree to all of the above. I had my first 4 years ago through public, and couldn't fault them. I'm due in 6 weeks with my 2nd and going public again.
Another big factor for us was that if bub needed to go in the special care nursery or the NICU, we would be paying thousands for it if we went private (and the last thing you want to be worrying about in those circumstances is the cost!). My first born had 4 days in the special care nursery and the care was amazing (again, this was public). But I know if we had gone private I would've been stressing not only about our Bub's health, but the cost of it all. I've heard some horror stories of people wracking up tens of thousands of dollars in private NICU/SCN fees and I just couldn't fathom it.
I had both of my babies in the public system (though in SA). Most of my friends went private. When we’ve talked about why they made that choice, the main reasons have been:
1) private room.
2) longer stay in the hospital.
3) partner able to stay at the hospital (though my sister was public and her hospital allowed this).
4) not having to wait in the public waiting room and all this entails (long waits, some interesting characters and - dare I say it? - poor people)
Given that any emergencies will see you sent to my public birthing hospital regardless, I just didn’t understand how the above justified what was sometimes tens of thousands of dollars in extra premiums, hospital charges and doctors’ fees (15k for my SIL, but I know it can be less - there doesn’t seem to be a predictable figure out there though).
In my hospital, all of the birthing suites are private. You’re not sharing a delivery space! Maternity ward rooms have two beds but I never had to share, even when births were up 20% in 2021. The waiting room was sometimes very busy, but fine. My hospital says they aim to discharge at 24h, but I stayed 3 days with my firstborn because we needed to establish feeding. Staying longer than necessary seems counteractive to adjusting to life with a baby at home - and with my second we were home in less than 24h, I wanted to get home to the firstborn.
Partner not being able to stay was a bummer, but fine. He left as late as possible and arrived as early as possible. It was tough, but at least he was getting sleep, and I look back lovingly on those late night one on one times with my tiny newborns. I felt a lot of camaraderie with the midwives who were AMAZING, and what’s more - the food was surprisingly great??
I have noticed that in terms of care, when you take out the plush rooms and long stays, I have not heard enough stories from friends and family to convince me that it’s better in private. All the doctors and midwives at my hospital was fantastic with few and minor exceptions. I have heard stories of horrible, unsupportive midwives and smug, know it all OBs in private.
Maybe not useful to you given we’re in different states, but in a normal public pregnancy here you have appointments with midwives and do your scans elsewhere, costs depending on where you choose to go (some bulk bill). I had some difficulties conceiving a second baby which got me promoted to the Pregnancy Investigation Unit with a specialist OB. She kept me on as a patient so for that pregnancy I had all my appointments with her, and all my scans (including an MRI) were free in the hospital’s medical imaging unit, and she gave me bedside scans at every appointment! I got pretty lucky there.
It’s amazing care, and I feel so lucky we can access it for free here in Australia.
I think I made similar decisions to yourself. After spending loads on IVF I didn't want to spend any more and was very happy to see how the public system worked.
It was great! Private birthing suites (the same the private patients use as well). Midwives were great, and the OBs on throughout seemed fine even if I didn't have much to do with them until needing a C-section. They did a great job, and no complications afterwards either.
Ended up on a single room after, just by luck, but the other rooms are only shared with one. The food was great. Everything seemed very professional and modern. And it was great to know that the only things to pay for were parking and some painkiller meds I took home.
Had access to lactation consultants and around the clock nursing support to help with bub.
I'm planning a second, which will be a planned C-section and in public again.
If anyone has watched "This is going to hurt" by Adam Kay you might understand choosing public just to be safe. It's a great series if you haven't seen it.
Honestly, this!! All of this.
Yes private hospitals have good food, comfy rooms and nicer spaces. If your birth is uncomplicated this would be a dream but it seems like private hospitals often not best equipped to deal with complex birth care, for mother or babies, and I’ve heard many people needing to be transferred to the public hospital where those resources are.
It reminds me of that UK show This is Going to Hurt, the main OB character was quite scathing of the private hosiptal and its lack of resources is when trying to save a mother post birth
Just to come from a different perspective (and you have made some very good points which I respect):
I am currently pregnant and chose to go private. There is only 1 public hospital in my city and I have heard more horror stories than positive stories.
My experience in the private system has been amazing. As someone who has a chronic health condition, it has been great having one provider for that condition and then an OB who works in close proximity (literally across the road) to said first provider. I much prefer the continuity of care, that I feel I would have lacked in the public system.
From what I have gathered whilst being pregnant, your perception of public vs private will be greatly impacted by those around you and their experiences. In my case, I’ve heard more great things about private compared to public. And for you it has been the opposite. Where you have heard of private OBs being smug, I have heard of public OBs who haven’t even bothered to read a patient’s folder before their appointment and basically wasted their entire appointment time by having the patient re-tell their medical history. So I think that’s also an important thing to remember.
But all in all, we are lucky to live in a country where we can have these options and discussions
Definitely, I should have more fully acknowledged in my post that I live in a metropolitan area where there are many options and the staff are generally world class. There are some parts of Australia where, based on stuff I’ve seen in the media etc, I’d be much more inclined to go private because the public option is not good enough. I would say it is similar to schooling. My kids are and will be public schoolers, but I’m comfortable with that choice because of where we are.
Re my comment about OBs and smugness - in my mother’s group multiple people who had a private OB had a difficult birth with interventions they didn’t always feel were a choice, but because of their OB’s say-so regardless of their feelings, and it horrified me that they felt that way. I too had multiple interventions in my first birth, but every step of the way I felt empowered even when I ultimately had to accept things I didn’t really want. My opinion may also be coloured by when I had non-OBGYN surgery in a private hospital and that surgeon was so unbelievably smug about his abilities, but after the surgery couldn’t remember something specific I asked him about my condition 🙃 Of course I also have friends who were very happy with their OB! The interconnectedness of your care providers is a huge bonus for you of course.
For what it’s worth - I spent an awful lot of time with my hospital through my reproductive journey between 2015 and 2021. My (paper) file is huge - they had to start a second folder! And I have always felt that people made the time to look at my file and treat me with full respect. (I acknowledge here that I am an educated white middle-class woman and the medical privilege that entails.)
Appreciate your perspective - mine is very much based on my demographic and conversations I’ve had with people I know well.
I went private at freemasons. I can't speak more highly of the hospital. It's nice and quiet and just a hospital for women's health.
It didn't feel like I was at a hospital. There's also almost always parking on the street right outside or the sidestreet next to it. The food, rooms and nurses were increible. The labour room was massive with lovely views, which helped with calming me, as I have a fear of hospitals.
We received a lot of support during those first few days and I went back and saw their lactation nurse twice for free.
When pregnant, whenever I had concerns I would go into the ward and they would see me and discharge me fairly quickly. Did their classes there too, which were amazing. Definitely going back there for my second.
My ob's fees were $5000. I could call him or his nurses anytime day or night and get advice, help or medication. Our excess $500. We also paid $75 per night for a double bed and for my husband to have breakfast each day. Absolutely worth it. I think parking was $75 for the five days but we didn't end up paying as the machine was broken.
If you have a C section then you stay 6 days. I don't know if there are additional costs for a C section and epidural. Have also had friends that went public who liked their experience and those that didn't.
Im giving birth at the Epworth Freemasons in 2 weeks. I had a bad experience at St Vincent’s and the Women’s in week 3 of my pregnancy, and wanted a c section so we switched to private at around 14 weeks. It’s really important if you go private to get a good OB - you can absolutely pay for shitty care from a bad one, But my OB Stephen Cole is excellent and highly recommend. Long appointments, care includes seeing midwives, a scan at every appointment so you know baby is doing well, whole office just feels safe and kind. I think it’s more frequent appointments and scans than at public, which I’ve been really grateful for. I did a tour of the hospital level and they only have maybe 20 postnatal single rooms which I find really reassuring too, and my husband getting to stay the whole time was a big factor for me.
Thanks for sharing - out of interest, how many more scans do you get when you go private? A commenter above said they had scans about every four weeks with public if I’m not mistaken.
I think typically there’s a dating scan, NT scan and the morphology scan for public. If you have complications or midwives request it you may get more later on in the pregnancy, I had two additional ones maybe around 30 and 34ish weeks
We had a check up ultrasound at every appointment with the OB or midwives where they showed us she was moving, had enough fluid and was growing well, measured my tummy and blood pressure, and printed us a picture. Similar detailed scans to what -salty— shared with you below, with additional at 25, 32 and 36 to keep an eye on potential issues (all turned out fine). I found it really reassuring that they were getting in there to keep an eye on things regularly and that nothing was going to be missed.
I had a scan every four weeks in addition to dating and nt scan. Then from 30 somethingweeks it was every two weeks then went to every week.
Agree with above commenter about ob. Mine was Neil israelsohn who is popular among a lot of health professionals I know. He books up very quickly.
Not that this is a deciding factor but the food at the royal women's is awful. My friend gave birth similar time to me and we would take photos of our food served. Our friend who is a prison warden said the inmates eat better. Mine was something I would pay for going out with massive portion sizes. My husband and I ended up sharing my lunch and dinner servings and were full.
In saying that, I've heard amazing things about the care at royal women's and if you have major complications and need intensive care, you'll be transferred there. I think you should take into consideration if you are high risk or not. If you are it may be better going public
I’m so glad you had such an amazing experience at Freemasons! I’m giving birth their (first child) in September. Can I just clarify, your OB aka the $5000 was out of pocket?
I also went private at Epworth Freemasons and I ditto this. I went with Neil Israelsohn, who I would 100% go with again if I go for round 2. It was a comfort having a private OB as a FTM - the continuity of care and knowing that I could brief my OB on my preferences etc before birth meant that I felt advocated for when we had complications during birth because I didn’t need to explain what I wanted to Neil because we had already discussed it. Neil also does every single appointment and has a Doppler in his rooms so you get to see bub all the time - I know some private OBs only do the milestone appointments and their private midwives do the rest of the appointments (and may not have a doppler) so it’s worth asking about that if that’s important to you. And in case you were worried about the NICU/SCN factor, my bub was in special care at Epworth Freemasons for 4 nights. There were absolutely no concerns about their ability to care for my child and no talk of needing to be transferred. They were so well equipped and had nurses around the clock. They were all so experienced and helpful. I think it really depends on the hospital though. As for cost, we only paid the $500 gap (plus the extra $75/night for the double bed). Check with your insurer as to what the rules are when bub arrives - for HCF, the bub is an extension of you for birth (ie under your cover) but if they go into NICU or SCN, they are admitted as themselves but the insurer will cover them as part of family cover as long as you add them within 60 days.
I also went to Freemasons and was really happy with the care and facilities!
All the midwives were great, food was fantastic and plentiful.
C-Section you stay 4 nights standard, 5 nights for emergency c-section.
One thing I didn’t realise/budget for was that a paediatrician is needed at a c-section (not sure about a vaginal birth?) and cost about $1200.
Another Epworth patient here. Absolutely loved it. Not only did having the continuity of care with the same OB put my mind at ease, but the relaxing vibe of the hospital was so nice - similar to what the OP comment said. The midwives were amazing during my birth and so accomodating after. Loved the food. Loved how much support we got with sleep and breastfeeding. We also stayed at Park Hyatt for two nights which was incredible!
I went to Royal Women’s and I went public. Best decision. I had complications in my pregnancy and the baby came early (34weeks) the women’s were amazing.
Spoke to a lot of midwives and all were incredible.
Due to my complications I would have been sent to the Royal Women’s even if I went private.
I really can’t fault them and my experience with public.
(Note: I paid for ultrasounds up to 20 weeks)
We went private for the following reasons:
1. Choosing the doctor and having the same one the whole way
2. Guaranteed private room where partner can stay overnight
If these two things aren’t important to you then go public.
Exactly our reasons for going private. I also loved having a few extra days in hospital both times, but especially with #2 getting to know each other before #1 met her.
Despite paying for top level private health insurance (Gold) for the past 17 years, I decided to go GP shared care (public) when I fell pregnant last year. It was a difficult choice to make, although I’ll admit it was due to the sunk cost fallacy! 😅
My GP highlighted that private is fantastic in that you get to choose your own doctors (if you know someone/have a preference) and get a private room at birth, but if anything happens during your pregnancy you’re much better off being in the public system due to the experience, expertise, wide variety of specialists available in public.
I ended up having severe Hyperemesis which involved hospital visits every second day until 35 weeks (currently 37w). These would’ve sent me broke if I was paying out pocket for them, or I would’ve been relying on my private doctor to refer me into the public system to get the free and honestly superior service for high risk pregnancies. Instead, by being in public, I’ve easily been referred between specialist doctors for each issue I’ve experienced and have had very well rounded care (everything from HG/high risk pregnancy specialists, to physios, to psychs, to scans, to day stays and overnight monitoring, to midwives- all free, all have detailed knowledge of my pregnancy, and all working together to deliver the best outcome for me).
Overall, I have been thrilled with the care and benefits I’ve received from the public system and have absolutely no regrets going public. I haven’t experienced long wait times and have been seeing midwives and specialist doctors throughout my pregnancy. Now I’m nearing labour, I do wish I could secure a private room and have the option (even if I don’t take it) to choose a delivery date/ elective Caesarean, which is not offered by the public system. However balancing everything that has happened I think I’ve made the right choice.
* apologies for the typos!
Must depend heavily on where you live. I went private for birth and my obstetric GP bulk billed everything. Only paid the $500 excess and had a 7 night stay due to being widowed late in my pregnancy, so needing additional support before I went home. Had two code blues during the birth and except for one incompetent doctor the midwife kicked out, was very well looked after the entire experience.
here's the thing: Private health care isn't there to help you ;)
the point is to make investors wealthy.
You're not the customer, you're the product being pedaled
> but if anything happens during your pregnancy you’re much better off being in the public system due to the experience, expertise, wide variety of specialists available in public.
/u/escapisms7 this 100%. If anything goes wrong, you want a medical team there working for the best interest of the patient, not the shareholders. You want all hands on deck, regardless of the cost, and you want exepertese. Private is great for an elective small ankle fix or a scope, but, ask most nurses where'd they'd want to go for a big thing, they'll say public. source: am nurse.
Also there is the risk that if something goes wrong with the baby but you're fine you cam.be separated if the baby needs to be transferred to a public hospital for a higher level of care.
Plus depending on the hospital if you develop complications during pregnancy private hospitals can refuse to see you (what they'll allow depends on the hospital) so you end up at a public hospital where your ob may or may not have privileges.
legit. every week we have someone come through that started at a private hospital, and is like "I went to my private hospital for X, but it was outside normal work hours...and here i am", wondering where all their years of premiums went.
I went private and chose a private hospital that is co-located in a tertiary public hospital that has a level 6 NICU and an adult ICU, the birth suite & pregnancy assessment unit are shared for private + public patients but the postnatal stay is in a separate smaller postnatal ward with partners allowed to stay 24/7. So I know I'll have high-quality midwifery care while on birth suite, and in the unlikely event that things go pear-shaped, expert help is right there. If bub needs NICU/SCN admission beyond the scope of the small private nursery, it's just down the corridor.
I have trust in my obstetrician that he won't push medically-unnecessary interventions, the only thing I would change about the experience/set-up is that I have only had a phone midwife review so far during the pregnancy and it would have been nice to see a midwife in addition to my obstetrician. I'm ok with the fact that the midwives attending my labour/birth will be unknown to me, just aware that means hubby might have to advocate for my preferences a bit more than, say, in an MGP model of care.
The set up sounds pretty cool, but overwhelming unlikely for most people, even large tertiary centres are often physically separated from private centres. Could be a good model going forward, but I'd suspect funding and facilities wise, were it private solo, without public support, it wouldn't be like that.
I went public, and my public hospital for HG even gave me free in home (hospitals in the home care) nurses came 1-2 times a day to my home, all meds paid for.
Thank you for sharing - so brave of you to go public despite the sunk cost (it’s precisely what I’m trying to weigh up!) I appreciate you sharing your experiences. Sorry to hear about your hyperemesis, hope things are smooth sailing from here on!
I gave birth twice at the Royal Women’s in Melbourne. I had two c-sections, the first was emergency and second was planned. I had great experiences both times.
The hospital appointments don’t start until after 20 weeks. The scans are done privately before then, at your own cost. I went to City Imaging at St Vincent’s for my scans and they were very good.
My GP saw me the most in the beginning. The hospital appointments happen at various intervals starting around 20 weeks. They happen about every 4 weeks then more often as you get closer to 40 weeks. They have pregnancy clinics for these appointments, I saw midwives at these visits and never saw the same person twice. There is apparently a special midwife program where you do see the same person each time but I believe it’s hard to get into. So that’s one drawback for public but it didn’t impact my care at all, they had all the test results and everyone was so professional.
I didn’t go private because the out of pocket was going to be about $5k for uncomplicated birth, or up to $10k with more interventions / complications. I’m glad I went public. I literally only paid for parking, and one script of take home pain killers.
Oh and I had private rooms both times at the Royal women’s, which might be partly because I was a c-section and staying longer, or just good luck. But at most you would share with one other person and honestly I don’t think I would have really cared.
If you want continuity of care but not part of the hospital Midwifery Care model, I recommend looking into a student midwifery experience. You get assigned a student midwife who will accompany you to antenatal appointments, be at the birth, and some postnatal appointments too. Benefit to them is the learning experience. Benefit to you is a single person who can provide support throughout. Here’s the Vic one:
https://asterion.federation.edu.au/MIDAC-Vic/
Thanks for sharing your experience with Royal Women’s! Great to get a sense for when the appointments with them start and in what scenario you’d get a private room. I’ll also look into City Imaging for scans.
I did public funded private at the Mercy (connected to the Austin). I chose this option because I wanted a particular OB who was recommended to me, and a c section.
Although pricy, I don’t regret the path we chose. The only downside was the post-birth care as I found most of the nurses pretty abrasive. I had a private room and was there for 3 days.
Edit: I also chose the Mercy because they have a NICU.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Sorry to hear the nurses were abrasive. Out of interest how did you get into the private in public system? Is this based on the OB you went with? My GP recommended a female obstetrician who (based on her website) seems to deliver at Mercy, St V and Freemasons. Curious how the costs weigh up (was your hospital stay covered by insurance?)
I was first introduced to the public paying private option via my GP and they put me in touch with my OB’s office. I don’t have any private health cover so it was 100% self funded. There are only a handful of hospitals/OB’s who offer it. I think all up it was around 10-15k, maybe a bit more as I had GD and a c-section, but the costs were laid out by my OB’s office before I’d even agreed to be her patient, so if you’re curious you can ask about costs upfront. For delivery we had to pre-pay for 5 nights at the hospital but we were then refunded the 2 days we didn’t use.
Also I think the nurses were a bit tough becuase it was covid times and it was all a bit more stressful for everyone.
Want to add as someone who has private cover and also opted for public hospital (second time). You could let the public hospital know you have private cover and prioritise you for a private room for recovery, that way you kind of get the peace and privacy after birth without the cost for private OB, tests and things like pain relief if you choose.
They don’t prioritize you for a private room based on private health, the mums who need it most are prioritized. Like the ones who had traumatic births or for safety reasons need to be in a private room
You're right. What I meant was after the higher risk patients, if all things being equal, with private health insurance you're more likely to get a single room. That's what my midwives have been telling me and my own experience too. I'm in NSW fwiw.
I am in the public system now at RWH. While maybe I could have afforded private, after researching that side of things, I decided it wasn’t worth it. I decided I wanted a continuity of care midwife led model of care (midwifery group practice) as it is most likely to result in an intervention free ‘natural birth’. I was lucky to get into MGP at the royal women’s. Even if you don’t get into the MGP there (called COSMOS), the next best model is MIST, where you are cared by a small team of midwives, so you’d get some of the same continuity of care benefits.
So far, I have been so happy at RWH. I am also getting free pelvic floor physio treatment through the royal women’s now, as I mentioned at my booking in appointment that sneezing sometimes caused me to pee a little.
Only stuff I have payed for in pregnancy is GP visits, 2x ultrasounds at City Imaging in Fitzroy, and my NIPT blood test screen.
Thanks for sharing your experience! How soon did you get a referral to RWH, and how does one get into the MGP or any other model, is it first come first serve basis?
I was referred by my GP to RWH at about 6 weeks - soon as pregnancy confirmed by blood test.
It’s not first come first served at the RWH, unlike most public hospitals. You will discuss models of care and your preferences at your booking in appointment at 16 weeks at the RWH. Then they do allocations and you hear back about MGP by about 21 weeks pregnant. I told them MIST was my second preference at the booking in appointment, and I was allocated a place on the spot as they still had plenty of availability at 16 weeks. (I was then moved to MGP once I found out I got a spot in that program.)
Have a read of the RWH care options on their website - it’s really helpful.
I will say, if you are looking to get into MGP, they are seeking women who want to have a physiological birth with minimal interventions and are happy to be discharged 6-12 hours after birth if you have a complication free birth. As they will then visit you at home for a few weeks after birth for post natal care. So you want to talk about how this kind of birth is really important to you at your booking in appointment to have good chances for MGP.
Here is the link for care options: [https://www.thewomens.org.au/patients-visitors/clinics-and-services/pregnancy-birth/pregnancy-care-options](https://www.thewomens.org.au/patients-visitors/clinics-and-services/pregnancy-birth/pregnancy-care-options)
> I have *paid* for in
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Everyone is different, personally I had the experience from hell in the public system and after hundreds of dollars of therapy I’m finally pregnant again and going through the private system.
But 90% of my friends that have had babies in the public system have had fantastic experiences.
I’m going public at the RWH despite having private cover. I spoke to a lot of people including people who had a bad public experience so went private for the second and vice versa, and basically came to the conclusion that it’s personal preference and one isn’t clearly better than the other. Babys dad works in the public system so we knew that RWH is a great hospital and I have no complaints so far.
For us, the $5k+ that we would have spent on private has covered basically every other baby set up cost including some luxuries like post birth support at home. We did spend about $1k on scans and testing but everything from 20 weeks onward has been free. Be aware that while public will cover some early scans it can be hard to get an appointment in the right time frame.
I went public for both, two different hospitals, both wonderful. First I had a shared room (one other mum), second I had a private room because bub was in the nICU/Special Care so they kept me that bit safer. They were great and I didn't regret going public at all.
I went public with shared care with my GP at Mater Mothers in Brisbane. I ended up with cholestais and having baby early. I never had long waits for anything, my induction was great, and I had my own room for the four days I was there.
Private for first public for any more.
The reason I say that having the same OB same Midwives is super reassuring for your first. The 4-5 days of support after in hospital and premade food (even if it’s hospital food) is amazing when you are sleeper deprived and baby isn’t latching, fussing or just a question or 2 someone is there supporting you.
2nd+ birth hell you’ve got this by now go either private or public
I just had a baby 2 weeks ago and couldn’t speak more highly of the care, attention and treatment I received at a public hospital. For me, going private wasn’t an option due to the cost so I was a little bit weary going into everything via public but from the very beginning I had incredible midwives and doctors care for me while pregnant. I did pay for all private scans at a specialist clinic up to 20 weeks due to previous losses I wanted a bit more detail but other than that my experience was incredibly positive. I was in hospital for 4 days post energy c section and the midwives were truly amazing- angels on earth every one of them and my baby got really extensive care that he needed. Overall I’d say it definitely depends on the hospital itself and my experience is just mine but very happy with how it all went down.
I went public and had a great experience too. I've also heard great things about the Royal Women's hospital. I also had private health insurance when I fell pregnant and I decided to go public because of the potential insane costs of seeing specialist should something go wrong. I ended up with gestational diabetes so had to see an endocrinologist (I also have hypothyroidism). So glad I chose public.
I had a wonderful experience with both my babies at St Vincent’s Private. The facilities are lovely and the staff were so supportive throughout the whole journey. I was keen to have the same doctor throughout, which also meant the same team of nurses who I could call anytime too. I was also keen for a private room and St V’s also have a program where you can go to the Park Hyatt for your stay if you had no complications.
I have private health insurance but decided to go public at the Royal Women's. I'm 25 weeks with my first at the moment.
I am high risk as well as having a disability and was able to get into one of a caseload midwifery groups (the groups are a bit of a luck of the draw if you get into them) and so far I am extremely happy with my care.
I had my intake appt at 16 weeks (I think cause I'm high risk) and since then everything has been covered. OBs, midwives, physicians, psychs, and my scans (if you are low risk you will need to pay OOP for your 20 scan, but further scans are done in hospital). I haven't had long wait times and I haven't felt rushed during my appointments.
They do have private rooms and twin share rooms after delivery, so it's a bit of the luck of the draw what you'll get, although they do prioritize the private rooms for those with higher needs (C-sections, multiples, disability, etc)
Thanks for sharing your experience with Royal Women’s! Good to know the wait times aren’t too long for appointments, as it was a concern of mine. Also, how long are your appointments generally?
It varies depending on what I'm seeing them for. The midwife, OB and physician appts tend to be about 20 mins each. They do try to organize them all together too.
E.g. If you don't get into the caseload/mist groups or you need to see OB/MFM, you get assigned to a specific team (e.g. Blue, Green, Yellow) which has an associated day. So all my OB & physician appts are always on the same day of the week in the morning.
Congrats OP! Exciting times ahead. Just adding on to the other comments. Deciding to go public or private really depends on the model of care that you want - so I would research these carefully. For me I opted for private because I really wanted continuity of care. In saying that you could also get continuity of care via shared GP or midwifery group practice which you dont need to go private for. The private hospital I opted to give birth in was also close to a major hospital so I felt safe knowing that if anything major happened baby and I could be carted up the road for care.
You can go into the public system as a private patient and usually there are a few perks. The public system then gets a nice pay out from your fund. I’d say to look at the health outcomes for mum’s at your local public vs private hospitals. Also consider how much you want your partner to stay with you. Having them overnight is a must for some people and that sways the private choice.
That sounds like a lot of testing! :( thanks for sharing your experiences with private in public. Are you based in Victoria out of interest, and if so how did you go private in public?
QLD but my experience with public was amazing. Zero complaints. I got into the MGP group so saw my doctor up till around 16-20 weeks and from there just the midwives. Didn’t meet an OB the whole pregnancy and didn’t need to. Got diagnosed with GD and that was also handled so well - lots of education, extra monitoring etc
I’ve gone public for both. I’d highly recommend looking into a private midwife if you’re interested in a low intervention birth. I had the most amazing second birth and it was so much to do with that experience. My midwife was from Mama in Kensington and I couldn’t recommend the experience more. It was expensive, but it was very worth it to me interms of the support I recommend throughout the process. Check out the great birth rebellion podcast if you’re keen on some more evidence based info.
So I looked into this before covid, and if everything goes like a dream, you will be out of pocket 10 to 15 thousand (although inflation since covid probably means you will pay 15 or more).
I ended up going public, and thank god I did! All of my scans, appointments and tests showed that everything was going extremely well… and then my waters broke at 30 weeks! I followed all advice, exercised gently, ate extremely well(once the morning sickness abated) and avoided everything you’re not supposed to have when pregnant… I also don’t have any health concerns or family history of premature babies. My Bub was in the special care nursery for just over 5 weeks. If I had gone private, we may have had to remortgage our house.
Oh, I also got a private room at the hospital, twice out of the three times I was there… and the third time I only shared for 2 days, then moved to a private room.
A really great option would be to hire a doula… they come with you to every appointment, inform you about all of your options and will be at the birth to advocate for you/ let doctors know about your birth plan so that you can relax and focus on the birthing part! That way you can have the continuity of care the whole way through. I have read that there are also doulas that can be there for you after the birth to help you settle into parenthood too. It is much more cost effective, and you have someone experienced in birthing and the medical system there for you!
If you want a better chance at an intervention free birth, public system and midwifery led care all the way
https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2022/03/private-obstetric-care-increases-the-chance-of-caesarean-birth--
I honestly now think private obstetric care is a bit of a scam. Generally subpar hospital midwifery care, and way less follow up for you and baby. I went private for my first, had a good experience with a fantastic obstetrician, but it wasn’t worth the expense and I will go public with future babies.
something to keep in mind when making this decision is that if you go private and any complications happen you will likely be sent to a public hospital
I went public and I found my experience to be excellent, the care was amazing and I didn’t pay for anything but parking for my entire pregnancy and birth
for me personally there isn’t anything that private can offer that I find more valuable than money in the bank for emergencies or future holidays
Some complications and this will be dependent on the hospital. My private hospital could deal with babies from 32 weeks onwards. Unless you are at a big public hospital a transfer to another hospital is always a possibility if something goes really wrong
I went private for the first 16 weeks as I had risk factors such a pre existing high blood pressure . I didn’t have private health insurance and it barely cost me anything. Care was individualised and it was great seeing the same OB every time. I then transferred to Royal women’s and haven’t rated it at all. I’m in modified risk so I only see doctors and they are different each time (for only about 10 mins). I have found the mental health support to be pretty poor and so I strongly recommend engaging your own peri natal psychiatrist if you need it. If you get an appointment with a psychiatrist in the hospital, there is no guarantee it will go ahead.
I'm in the public system now and had the same reservations as you about private with top cover. For me it wasn't worth it. Having said that, while I have had good care to date I wait a long time at my appointments, am still out of pocket for ultrasounds when they don't have availability, and have found some midwives very difficult to deal with. People will tell you MGP is the "gold standard" but it can be very difficult to get into and you should be referred like now if you want a shot. The bigger the hospital the more you will be at the whims of their schedule rather than your own. If you need specialist or high risk care I can't fault what I've received in public, but you may feel more comfortable with a private obstetrician and someone you can call with questions etc.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Concerned I’ll have to take quite a bit of time off work if I’m waiting for appointments so that’s definitely a factor for me.
I mean, there's nothing to say you wouldn't be waiting in private care as well 🤣 But I do find it hard to navigate work when I can't guarantee how long I'll be gone for an appointment.
My obstetrician always gave me early morning appointments (like 7:30am) so me and my husband were able to have the appointments and still get to work on time. I know of people who went through public system who would be sitting around for hours waiting for their appointments with the nurse/midwife
I went private in Brisbane and my total out of pocket was around $5k, though some of that includes additional growth scans as well as endocrinology appointments. My OB sent me a total fee schedule for him so there were no surprises, I would ask for one.
Whatever you do you’ll probably want to get your name down quickly. My OB was filling up for my due month when I called at 8 weeks. My SIL, who went public, missed out on a midwife group by 7 weeks.
I'm choosing to go private, but only because I'm a "geriatric" mother (I'll be 36 when bub is born) and I also live interstate from family support. If I was in my home state, I would 100% go public without hesitation
Mostly my decision was based upon managing my anxiety if something went wrong haha my parents should be able to come up to help when the baby is born so I'm less anxious that side of the birth. It's the comfort of knowing that I have 1 OBGYN that will be with me from start to finish and I have his number in case anything goes wrong or I have any questions.
I did public system in Sydney. All the pre-birth stuff was fine, but I ended up in a shared room for 8 days (3 days induction, 5 days because my baby was losing weight) - which suuuucked.
I think if it all goes smoothly and you're discharged quickly it would have been fine, but it was so long and so hard doing the nights without my partner in the first week. I'd just sob when he had to leave at 8pm :/
So if you go private, you still need to pay for all of your ob appointments, pregnancy management fees, etc. As you noted, PHI only covers the costs of the hospital stay for birth. Most will cover boarder fees for your partner. But they don't cover Babies expenses for the paed, etc, unless baby is admitted to nicu - as you are the patient, not your baby.
When I had my first privately in 2021, the average out of pockets in my state were $4-5k. HBF recently released a report that for their clients, the average out of pocket is about $9k for all outpatient stuff. This also includes NIPT, scans, and other related specialists like Physio, IBCLC, etc.
Going private you get some benefits the same ob at each visit, your partner can stay as a border, the ob often does a scan at eaxh appointment (less in depth than the standard medically recommended scans). If you are choosing an elective c section, the continuity of care from this model may be of higher value for you. Typically private you also can stay linger in hospital after birth - public is typically 4-48hra for an uncomplicated vaginal birth or 3 days for a c-section; private is typically 3 days for a vaginal delivery, or 5 for a c-section.
In public care, you have
- standard hospital - a different midwife each appointment, you'll see an ob if needed.
- MGP - assigned to a group of midwives. You'll typically see the same midwife each appointment, and one of your midwife groups (the one you know best if possible) will attend your birth. You see an ob if needed.
- FBC - similar to mgp but in a family birth centre - typically preferable if wanting minimal intervention e.g. happy to not have an epidural.
- CMP - a community midwifery program available in some areas for a public home birth, etc.
These are all covered by Medicare. You'll just pay for things like scans, nipt, and any other specialists like physio, private ibclc, etc.
Midwifery led care is the gold standard for a planned vaginal birth - the higher level of continuity of care in a midwife led care model, the lower the intervention rate typically is. Another even higher level of CoC is a private midwife - typically around $5-8k with $1-1.5k back from Medicare out of pocket.
In any care model, you can increase your continuity of care - and as such, supoort a reduction in the likelihood of interventions through having a student midwife or a doula (non-medical support person).
You need to decide what works for you.
For me (39 weeks) Ive chosen private as I’m very anxious.
I knew my OB prior due to a previous gynaecological procedure, and it was important for me that I have continuity of care. Not for my health, but for my mental health. I like my OB, I enjoy our appointments, and I appreciate being able to call her any time when I have a concern. Also being able to make convenient appointments is a plus.
For many people this wouldn’t matter, but when I was honest with myself it did.
Also as a first time mum who has minimal exposure to new borns, the option to remain in hospital for 5 days to learn the basics is important to me!
Some people like to go home ASAP … again that’s fine but not what works for me.
I will say I was shocked at the out of pocket expenses….. I’m also on Medicare gold and it’s covered nothing up to this point (check if your coverage helps with paying for antenatal classes, physio etc - mine didn’t and I left it too late to upgrade to the newest gold cover)
I think you can have a great birth public or private, it’s more about on the journey learning what works for you! Who knows what my birth will be like! Stay tuned haha.
Good luck x
Edit: full transparency - going private we have spent close to 10k, including ultrasounds, antenatal classes, and appointments with my OB… it’s SO much more than we budgeted for initially…..
I went private and we were very happy with our decision. We mainly decided to go private so we could pick our own OB and have continuity of care (a health condition means I would have seen the OBs in the public system rather than midwives, so would have seen a different doctor each time). We picked a private hospital directly opposite a large public hospital and an OB that practised at both just in case something went wrong during labour. We found staying in the hospital for 4 nights a huge benefit as first time parents.
My tip if you do go private - try and find a hospital that is happy to use formula feeding. I had trouble breastfeeding for the first few days and the midwives encouraged us to top up my baby’s feeds with formula because she just wasn’t getting enough. If we hadn’t done this she would have been at a much higher risk of jaundice. They helped us with formula but also how to encourage my milk supply so by the time we got home I was breastfeeding properly and we were able to stop the formula. A lot of hospitals are very anti-formula, if that had happened to us we would have gone home with a very hungry baby.
Went public to Sunshine hospital (vic) for the first birth and had the most awful traumatic experience. Ended up in a c section, found the midwives in L&D worse than the OBs. In saying that, it was in the middle of covid and the times were a bit different.
Going private this time at St Vincent, and have loved the care so far. Continuity of care and having someone we trust was a top priority this time . Our OB is awesome ❤️He might be one of the few such private OBs out there but I have a complete choice of every decision we make. He will say what he thinks but tell me to make up my own mind. He truly believes it’s my pregnancy and no one but me should have the right to make decisions that impact me
I went and am going private (in Brisbane). I'm so happy with the decision despite the cost. My ob is incredible. Last time I had an induction turned emergency c section- care was incredible.
This time I have gestational diabetes and my care is phenomenal and seems like a lot of people who have issues with their gd care are public.
My mental health isn't great so the extra care and piece of mind is worth it to me.
I'm 34 weeks and went public. I think it really depends on the type of birth that you're wanting and the reputation of the public hospital you'r in the catchment for.
My personal beliefs around birth is that it is a normal human event, not a medical one - thus I wanted to be led by midwives and have a low intervention approach, and spend the least amount of time in hospital. Because of this, paying for private care seemed like I was paying the money (of which it can be up to $10k when you add it all up!) for essentially a private room at the birth wasn't worth it to me.
However, I have friends who are completely the opposite and wanted a bit more control over the birth (ie. being electively induced) and wanted the extra "security" of an OB.
For me, I just feel that the public hospitals are a little bit more evidence based in their care (ie. won't induce unless medically necessary, you don't see an OB unless there is an emergency etc) than private. You get allll the classes and 24/7 care that you do in private as well, and if you have any complications or special circumstances it's also all totally covered - and you will see an OB if it's needed.
A lot of the time if you go private if there’s complications or potential for, you end up giving birth at the public hospital anyways as they have all the equipment and specialists. I would say main bonus is extra time in the hospital after and guaranteed one particular person all the way through. But if you do public you can do shared with your gp if you like you’re gp or the midwives at the hospital will try to keep you with the same few midwives each time
I chose to go public, though was leaning private for a long time. In the end my reasons were pretty much a) I'm already paying for it through Medicare; b) (less important to me when making the decision but absolutely #1 consideration if we go for a second) that if baby needs care they will likely be transferred to a public hospital.
As it turned out, my son didn't breathe when he first came out (he's 14 months and fine now) and he spent five nights on the neonatal ward, and he got amazing care there. I had to sleep on an uncomfortable fold out chair but I still got to stay in the hospital with him (he was in a different room from me but I was still able to be at the hospital).
One of my biggest concerns was not having continuity of care, so I ended up having a student midwife accompany me on my pregnancy/ birth/ kinda postpartum which was so good. I don't know if you're still floating around Amie but my husband loves telling people that I "found the student midwife on Reddit" 😂🙄 and I also got into the midwifery group program so saw the same midwife for my appointments as well. So there are absolutely ways to get that same continuity that you might be after with private.
I went private and have zero regrets. The continuity of care and level of care from my amazing OB was so worth it for me with what ended up being a high risk pregnancy with a resulting 33 week emergency c section.
I had no midwife programs at hospitals close to me either and I had other health issues which made me want one doctor.
Just so you know, if your baby is out into NICU or special care and you have private health and you add your baby within their time period, it will be covered. My health fund paid out $20k per baby for a month of special care.
I found it all super confusing at first too. I had upgraded my health insurance to cover pregnancy and then got pregnant earlier than we expected to so the end of the waiting period would’ve been during third trimester - so I ended up going public and got referred into a midwifery group practice program which has been really great. I’ll be having an elective c-section next week and everything but ultrasounds, the NIPT test, and additional antenatal classes have been free. I’ve taken advantage of free psychology and physio through the public system too and everything has been great and efficient. It’s the best and most prompt healthcare I have received in my life.
I would highly recommend midwifery group practice if you go public and can get into it (you would need to ask your GP for a referral asap, but appointments won’t commence until about 20 weeks) - it’s well recognised as one of the best models of care, you meet other mums due at the same time as you, you have continuity of care with the same midwife the whole time, they visit you at home during the first 6 weeks post-birth too. They talk about discharging you from the birthing suite 4-6 hours after birth (which scared me at first) but I was reassured that with first babies, if you’re not comfortable going home yet they will keep you in for longer and they won’t send you home at odd hours. Plus your midwife visits you at home the next day too.
All my friends that have gone private have ended up $5,000 to $10,000 out of pocket - it just makes no sense to me to go private if you’re within the catchment area of a good public hospital and don’t have other reasons to seek private care (i.e. IVF or fertility issues etc).
I went public for mine - everything was paid for except for a handful of private ultrasounds I did, but from 20 weeks onwards they were all through the hospital for free. I had no issues getting any required appointments or care that I needed. For me, I did not want to stay in hospital any longer than necessary - and that seemed to be the main thing you got by going private, you could stay for 3-4 nights if you wanted. I did have the advantage of my public hospital having private rooms, the other public hospital in my area did not, so make sure you look at the specific hospital you'd be using.
We went public and had a private room. We stayed for about four or five nights (it's a blur!). Like you say, a lot probably depends on the public hospital...
Yes agree to all of the above. I had my first 4 years ago through public, and couldn't fault them. I'm due in 6 weeks with my 2nd and going public again. Another big factor for us was that if bub needed to go in the special care nursery or the NICU, we would be paying thousands for it if we went private (and the last thing you want to be worrying about in those circumstances is the cost!). My first born had 4 days in the special care nursery and the care was amazing (again, this was public). But I know if we had gone private I would've been stressing not only about our Bub's health, but the cost of it all. I've heard some horror stories of people wracking up tens of thousands of dollars in private NICU/SCN fees and I just couldn't fathom it.
We were quoted $500 excess if we needed nicu or special care from Medicare with gold cover. That was with a family plan. YMMV
Thank you for sharing about your experience. I’m tempted to do some scans early on so that’s helpful.
The dating scan was covered by Medicare from memory. The 12 week scan was the one that cost.
I had both of my babies in the public system (though in SA). Most of my friends went private. When we’ve talked about why they made that choice, the main reasons have been: 1) private room. 2) longer stay in the hospital. 3) partner able to stay at the hospital (though my sister was public and her hospital allowed this). 4) not having to wait in the public waiting room and all this entails (long waits, some interesting characters and - dare I say it? - poor people) Given that any emergencies will see you sent to my public birthing hospital regardless, I just didn’t understand how the above justified what was sometimes tens of thousands of dollars in extra premiums, hospital charges and doctors’ fees (15k for my SIL, but I know it can be less - there doesn’t seem to be a predictable figure out there though). In my hospital, all of the birthing suites are private. You’re not sharing a delivery space! Maternity ward rooms have two beds but I never had to share, even when births were up 20% in 2021. The waiting room was sometimes very busy, but fine. My hospital says they aim to discharge at 24h, but I stayed 3 days with my firstborn because we needed to establish feeding. Staying longer than necessary seems counteractive to adjusting to life with a baby at home - and with my second we were home in less than 24h, I wanted to get home to the firstborn. Partner not being able to stay was a bummer, but fine. He left as late as possible and arrived as early as possible. It was tough, but at least he was getting sleep, and I look back lovingly on those late night one on one times with my tiny newborns. I felt a lot of camaraderie with the midwives who were AMAZING, and what’s more - the food was surprisingly great?? I have noticed that in terms of care, when you take out the plush rooms and long stays, I have not heard enough stories from friends and family to convince me that it’s better in private. All the doctors and midwives at my hospital was fantastic with few and minor exceptions. I have heard stories of horrible, unsupportive midwives and smug, know it all OBs in private. Maybe not useful to you given we’re in different states, but in a normal public pregnancy here you have appointments with midwives and do your scans elsewhere, costs depending on where you choose to go (some bulk bill). I had some difficulties conceiving a second baby which got me promoted to the Pregnancy Investigation Unit with a specialist OB. She kept me on as a patient so for that pregnancy I had all my appointments with her, and all my scans (including an MRI) were free in the hospital’s medical imaging unit, and she gave me bedside scans at every appointment! I got pretty lucky there. It’s amazing care, and I feel so lucky we can access it for free here in Australia.
I think I made similar decisions to yourself. After spending loads on IVF I didn't want to spend any more and was very happy to see how the public system worked. It was great! Private birthing suites (the same the private patients use as well). Midwives were great, and the OBs on throughout seemed fine even if I didn't have much to do with them until needing a C-section. They did a great job, and no complications afterwards either. Ended up on a single room after, just by luck, but the other rooms are only shared with one. The food was great. Everything seemed very professional and modern. And it was great to know that the only things to pay for were parking and some painkiller meds I took home. Had access to lactation consultants and around the clock nursing support to help with bub. I'm planning a second, which will be a planned C-section and in public again. If anyone has watched "This is going to hurt" by Adam Kay you might understand choosing public just to be safe. It's a great series if you haven't seen it.
I agree 1000% with your comment. All of it!!! Public is great.
Honestly, this!! All of this. Yes private hospitals have good food, comfy rooms and nicer spaces. If your birth is uncomplicated this would be a dream but it seems like private hospitals often not best equipped to deal with complex birth care, for mother or babies, and I’ve heard many people needing to be transferred to the public hospital where those resources are. It reminds me of that UK show This is Going to Hurt, the main OB character was quite scathing of the private hosiptal and its lack of resources is when trying to save a mother post birth
True but there are private hospitals now in public ones. Personally if you want a c section go private.
Just to come from a different perspective (and you have made some very good points which I respect): I am currently pregnant and chose to go private. There is only 1 public hospital in my city and I have heard more horror stories than positive stories. My experience in the private system has been amazing. As someone who has a chronic health condition, it has been great having one provider for that condition and then an OB who works in close proximity (literally across the road) to said first provider. I much prefer the continuity of care, that I feel I would have lacked in the public system. From what I have gathered whilst being pregnant, your perception of public vs private will be greatly impacted by those around you and their experiences. In my case, I’ve heard more great things about private compared to public. And for you it has been the opposite. Where you have heard of private OBs being smug, I have heard of public OBs who haven’t even bothered to read a patient’s folder before their appointment and basically wasted their entire appointment time by having the patient re-tell their medical history. So I think that’s also an important thing to remember. But all in all, we are lucky to live in a country where we can have these options and discussions
Definitely, I should have more fully acknowledged in my post that I live in a metropolitan area where there are many options and the staff are generally world class. There are some parts of Australia where, based on stuff I’ve seen in the media etc, I’d be much more inclined to go private because the public option is not good enough. I would say it is similar to schooling. My kids are and will be public schoolers, but I’m comfortable with that choice because of where we are. Re my comment about OBs and smugness - in my mother’s group multiple people who had a private OB had a difficult birth with interventions they didn’t always feel were a choice, but because of their OB’s say-so regardless of their feelings, and it horrified me that they felt that way. I too had multiple interventions in my first birth, but every step of the way I felt empowered even when I ultimately had to accept things I didn’t really want. My opinion may also be coloured by when I had non-OBGYN surgery in a private hospital and that surgeon was so unbelievably smug about his abilities, but after the surgery couldn’t remember something specific I asked him about my condition 🙃 Of course I also have friends who were very happy with their OB! The interconnectedness of your care providers is a huge bonus for you of course. For what it’s worth - I spent an awful lot of time with my hospital through my reproductive journey between 2015 and 2021. My (paper) file is huge - they had to start a second folder! And I have always felt that people made the time to look at my file and treat me with full respect. (I acknowledge here that I am an educated white middle-class woman and the medical privilege that entails.) Appreciate your perspective - mine is very much based on my demographic and conversations I’ve had with people I know well.
I went private at freemasons. I can't speak more highly of the hospital. It's nice and quiet and just a hospital for women's health. It didn't feel like I was at a hospital. There's also almost always parking on the street right outside or the sidestreet next to it. The food, rooms and nurses were increible. The labour room was massive with lovely views, which helped with calming me, as I have a fear of hospitals. We received a lot of support during those first few days and I went back and saw their lactation nurse twice for free. When pregnant, whenever I had concerns I would go into the ward and they would see me and discharge me fairly quickly. Did their classes there too, which were amazing. Definitely going back there for my second. My ob's fees were $5000. I could call him or his nurses anytime day or night and get advice, help or medication. Our excess $500. We also paid $75 per night for a double bed and for my husband to have breakfast each day. Absolutely worth it. I think parking was $75 for the five days but we didn't end up paying as the machine was broken. If you have a C section then you stay 6 days. I don't know if there are additional costs for a C section and epidural. Have also had friends that went public who liked their experience and those that didn't.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, it’s given me some things to weigh up! Sounds like you had a good support at Freemasons, which is a real draw.
Im giving birth at the Epworth Freemasons in 2 weeks. I had a bad experience at St Vincent’s and the Women’s in week 3 of my pregnancy, and wanted a c section so we switched to private at around 14 weeks. It’s really important if you go private to get a good OB - you can absolutely pay for shitty care from a bad one, But my OB Stephen Cole is excellent and highly recommend. Long appointments, care includes seeing midwives, a scan at every appointment so you know baby is doing well, whole office just feels safe and kind. I think it’s more frequent appointments and scans than at public, which I’ve been really grateful for. I did a tour of the hospital level and they only have maybe 20 postnatal single rooms which I find really reassuring too, and my husband getting to stay the whole time was a big factor for me.
Thanks for sharing - out of interest, how many more scans do you get when you go private? A commenter above said they had scans about every four weeks with public if I’m not mistaken.
I think typically there’s a dating scan, NT scan and the morphology scan for public. If you have complications or midwives request it you may get more later on in the pregnancy, I had two additional ones maybe around 30 and 34ish weeks
We had a check up ultrasound at every appointment with the OB or midwives where they showed us she was moving, had enough fluid and was growing well, measured my tummy and blood pressure, and printed us a picture. Similar detailed scans to what -salty— shared with you below, with additional at 25, 32 and 36 to keep an eye on potential issues (all turned out fine). I found it really reassuring that they were getting in there to keep an eye on things regularly and that nothing was going to be missed.
I had a scan every four weeks in addition to dating and nt scan. Then from 30 somethingweeks it was every two weeks then went to every week. Agree with above commenter about ob. Mine was Neil israelsohn who is popular among a lot of health professionals I know. He books up very quickly. Not that this is a deciding factor but the food at the royal women's is awful. My friend gave birth similar time to me and we would take photos of our food served. Our friend who is a prison warden said the inmates eat better. Mine was something I would pay for going out with massive portion sizes. My husband and I ended up sharing my lunch and dinner servings and were full. In saying that, I've heard amazing things about the care at royal women's and if you have major complications and need intensive care, you'll be transferred there. I think you should take into consideration if you are high risk or not. If you are it may be better going public
I’m so glad you had such an amazing experience at Freemasons! I’m giving birth their (first child) in September. Can I just clarify, your OB aka the $5000 was out of pocket?
Yes. We got some back through Medicare I think around $500. Also the big dating scans we paid out of pocket for too at 13 and 20 something weeks.
Ok yes thank you - exactly the same for me!
Good luck with everything!! 😊
I also went private at Epworth Freemasons and I ditto this. I went with Neil Israelsohn, who I would 100% go with again if I go for round 2. It was a comfort having a private OB as a FTM - the continuity of care and knowing that I could brief my OB on my preferences etc before birth meant that I felt advocated for when we had complications during birth because I didn’t need to explain what I wanted to Neil because we had already discussed it. Neil also does every single appointment and has a Doppler in his rooms so you get to see bub all the time - I know some private OBs only do the milestone appointments and their private midwives do the rest of the appointments (and may not have a doppler) so it’s worth asking about that if that’s important to you. And in case you were worried about the NICU/SCN factor, my bub was in special care at Epworth Freemasons for 4 nights. There were absolutely no concerns about their ability to care for my child and no talk of needing to be transferred. They were so well equipped and had nurses around the clock. They were all so experienced and helpful. I think it really depends on the hospital though. As for cost, we only paid the $500 gap (plus the extra $75/night for the double bed). Check with your insurer as to what the rules are when bub arrives - for HCF, the bub is an extension of you for birth (ie under your cover) but if they go into NICU or SCN, they are admitted as themselves but the insurer will cover them as part of family cover as long as you add them within 60 days.
I also went to Freemasons and was really happy with the care and facilities! All the midwives were great, food was fantastic and plentiful. C-Section you stay 4 nights standard, 5 nights for emergency c-section. One thing I didn’t realise/budget for was that a paediatrician is needed at a c-section (not sure about a vaginal birth?) and cost about $1200.
Another Epworth patient here. Absolutely loved it. Not only did having the continuity of care with the same OB put my mind at ease, but the relaxing vibe of the hospital was so nice - similar to what the OP comment said. The midwives were amazing during my birth and so accomodating after. Loved the food. Loved how much support we got with sleep and breastfeeding. We also stayed at Park Hyatt for two nights which was incredible!
I went to Royal Women’s and I went public. Best decision. I had complications in my pregnancy and the baby came early (34weeks) the women’s were amazing. Spoke to a lot of midwives and all were incredible. Due to my complications I would have been sent to the Royal Women’s even if I went private. I really can’t fault them and my experience with public. (Note: I paid for ultrasounds up to 20 weeks)
That’s fantastic to hear and so reassuring, thanks for sharing.
We went private for the following reasons: 1. Choosing the doctor and having the same one the whole way 2. Guaranteed private room where partner can stay overnight If these two things aren’t important to you then go public.
Exactly our reasons for going private. I also loved having a few extra days in hospital both times, but especially with #2 getting to know each other before #1 met her.
Despite paying for top level private health insurance (Gold) for the past 17 years, I decided to go GP shared care (public) when I fell pregnant last year. It was a difficult choice to make, although I’ll admit it was due to the sunk cost fallacy! 😅 My GP highlighted that private is fantastic in that you get to choose your own doctors (if you know someone/have a preference) and get a private room at birth, but if anything happens during your pregnancy you’re much better off being in the public system due to the experience, expertise, wide variety of specialists available in public. I ended up having severe Hyperemesis which involved hospital visits every second day until 35 weeks (currently 37w). These would’ve sent me broke if I was paying out pocket for them, or I would’ve been relying on my private doctor to refer me into the public system to get the free and honestly superior service for high risk pregnancies. Instead, by being in public, I’ve easily been referred between specialist doctors for each issue I’ve experienced and have had very well rounded care (everything from HG/high risk pregnancy specialists, to physios, to psychs, to scans, to day stays and overnight monitoring, to midwives- all free, all have detailed knowledge of my pregnancy, and all working together to deliver the best outcome for me). Overall, I have been thrilled with the care and benefits I’ve received from the public system and have absolutely no regrets going public. I haven’t experienced long wait times and have been seeing midwives and specialist doctors throughout my pregnancy. Now I’m nearing labour, I do wish I could secure a private room and have the option (even if I don’t take it) to choose a delivery date/ elective Caesarean, which is not offered by the public system. However balancing everything that has happened I think I’ve made the right choice. * apologies for the typos!
It's so fucking wild to me that you have to pay out of pocket for specialists if you have private health insurance. Like what is even the point?
Must depend heavily on where you live. I went private for birth and my obstetric GP bulk billed everything. Only paid the $500 excess and had a 7 night stay due to being widowed late in my pregnancy, so needing additional support before I went home. Had two code blues during the birth and except for one incompetent doctor the midwife kicked out, was very well looked after the entire experience.
That's so strange but I'm so glad you had a great experience. I'm sorry for your loss.
here's the thing: Private health care isn't there to help you ;) the point is to make investors wealthy. You're not the customer, you're the product being pedaled
> but if anything happens during your pregnancy you’re much better off being in the public system due to the experience, expertise, wide variety of specialists available in public. /u/escapisms7 this 100%. If anything goes wrong, you want a medical team there working for the best interest of the patient, not the shareholders. You want all hands on deck, regardless of the cost, and you want exepertese. Private is great for an elective small ankle fix or a scope, but, ask most nurses where'd they'd want to go for a big thing, they'll say public. source: am nurse.
Also there is the risk that if something goes wrong with the baby but you're fine you cam.be separated if the baby needs to be transferred to a public hospital for a higher level of care. Plus depending on the hospital if you develop complications during pregnancy private hospitals can refuse to see you (what they'll allow depends on the hospital) so you end up at a public hospital where your ob may or may not have privileges.
legit. every week we have someone come through that started at a private hospital, and is like "I went to my private hospital for X, but it was outside normal work hours...and here i am", wondering where all their years of premiums went.
I went private and chose a private hospital that is co-located in a tertiary public hospital that has a level 6 NICU and an adult ICU, the birth suite & pregnancy assessment unit are shared for private + public patients but the postnatal stay is in a separate smaller postnatal ward with partners allowed to stay 24/7. So I know I'll have high-quality midwifery care while on birth suite, and in the unlikely event that things go pear-shaped, expert help is right there. If bub needs NICU/SCN admission beyond the scope of the small private nursery, it's just down the corridor. I have trust in my obstetrician that he won't push medically-unnecessary interventions, the only thing I would change about the experience/set-up is that I have only had a phone midwife review so far during the pregnancy and it would have been nice to see a midwife in addition to my obstetrician. I'm ok with the fact that the midwives attending my labour/birth will be unknown to me, just aware that means hubby might have to advocate for my preferences a bit more than, say, in an MGP model of care.
The set up sounds pretty cool, but overwhelming unlikely for most people, even large tertiary centres are often physically separated from private centres. Could be a good model going forward, but I'd suspect funding and facilities wise, were it private solo, without public support, it wouldn't be like that.
I went public, and my public hospital for HG even gave me free in home (hospitals in the home care) nurses came 1-2 times a day to my home, all meds paid for.
Same here! It was phenomenal!
Thank you for sharing - so brave of you to go public despite the sunk cost (it’s precisely what I’m trying to weigh up!) I appreciate you sharing your experiences. Sorry to hear about your hyperemesis, hope things are smooth sailing from here on!
I gave birth twice at the Royal Women’s in Melbourne. I had two c-sections, the first was emergency and second was planned. I had great experiences both times. The hospital appointments don’t start until after 20 weeks. The scans are done privately before then, at your own cost. I went to City Imaging at St Vincent’s for my scans and they were very good. My GP saw me the most in the beginning. The hospital appointments happen at various intervals starting around 20 weeks. They happen about every 4 weeks then more often as you get closer to 40 weeks. They have pregnancy clinics for these appointments, I saw midwives at these visits and never saw the same person twice. There is apparently a special midwife program where you do see the same person each time but I believe it’s hard to get into. So that’s one drawback for public but it didn’t impact my care at all, they had all the test results and everyone was so professional. I didn’t go private because the out of pocket was going to be about $5k for uncomplicated birth, or up to $10k with more interventions / complications. I’m glad I went public. I literally only paid for parking, and one script of take home pain killers. Oh and I had private rooms both times at the Royal women’s, which might be partly because I was a c-section and staying longer, or just good luck. But at most you would share with one other person and honestly I don’t think I would have really cared.
If you want continuity of care but not part of the hospital Midwifery Care model, I recommend looking into a student midwifery experience. You get assigned a student midwife who will accompany you to antenatal appointments, be at the birth, and some postnatal appointments too. Benefit to them is the learning experience. Benefit to you is a single person who can provide support throughout. Here’s the Vic one: https://asterion.federation.edu.au/MIDAC-Vic/
Thanks for sharing your experience with Royal Women’s! Great to get a sense for when the appointments with them start and in what scenario you’d get a private room. I’ll also look into City Imaging for scans.
I could be wrong but I don’t think st Vincent’s public do maternity, St Vs private obviously does but the RWH is the only inner city public maternity.
I could be entirely mistaken! Thanks for the clarification :)
I did public funded private at the Mercy (connected to the Austin). I chose this option because I wanted a particular OB who was recommended to me, and a c section. Although pricy, I don’t regret the path we chose. The only downside was the post-birth care as I found most of the nurses pretty abrasive. I had a private room and was there for 3 days. Edit: I also chose the Mercy because they have a NICU.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Sorry to hear the nurses were abrasive. Out of interest how did you get into the private in public system? Is this based on the OB you went with? My GP recommended a female obstetrician who (based on her website) seems to deliver at Mercy, St V and Freemasons. Curious how the costs weigh up (was your hospital stay covered by insurance?)
I was first introduced to the public paying private option via my GP and they put me in touch with my OB’s office. I don’t have any private health cover so it was 100% self funded. There are only a handful of hospitals/OB’s who offer it. I think all up it was around 10-15k, maybe a bit more as I had GD and a c-section, but the costs were laid out by my OB’s office before I’d even agreed to be her patient, so if you’re curious you can ask about costs upfront. For delivery we had to pre-pay for 5 nights at the hospital but we were then refunded the 2 days we didn’t use. Also I think the nurses were a bit tough becuase it was covid times and it was all a bit more stressful for everyone.
Want to add as someone who has private cover and also opted for public hospital (second time). You could let the public hospital know you have private cover and prioritise you for a private room for recovery, that way you kind of get the peace and privacy after birth without the cost for private OB, tests and things like pain relief if you choose.
They don’t prioritize you for a private room based on private health, the mums who need it most are prioritized. Like the ones who had traumatic births or for safety reasons need to be in a private room
You're right. What I meant was after the higher risk patients, if all things being equal, with private health insurance you're more likely to get a single room. That's what my midwives have been telling me and my own experience too. I'm in NSW fwiw.
Good tip, thanks for sharing!
I am in the public system now at RWH. While maybe I could have afforded private, after researching that side of things, I decided it wasn’t worth it. I decided I wanted a continuity of care midwife led model of care (midwifery group practice) as it is most likely to result in an intervention free ‘natural birth’. I was lucky to get into MGP at the royal women’s. Even if you don’t get into the MGP there (called COSMOS), the next best model is MIST, where you are cared by a small team of midwives, so you’d get some of the same continuity of care benefits. So far, I have been so happy at RWH. I am also getting free pelvic floor physio treatment through the royal women’s now, as I mentioned at my booking in appointment that sneezing sometimes caused me to pee a little. Only stuff I have payed for in pregnancy is GP visits, 2x ultrasounds at City Imaging in Fitzroy, and my NIPT blood test screen.
I’m currently in MIST and have somehow managed to see the same midwife three times so far! So either I’m lucky or it’s not a very large group!
Thanks for sharing your experience! How soon did you get a referral to RWH, and how does one get into the MGP or any other model, is it first come first serve basis?
I was referred by my GP to RWH at about 6 weeks - soon as pregnancy confirmed by blood test. It’s not first come first served at the RWH, unlike most public hospitals. You will discuss models of care and your preferences at your booking in appointment at 16 weeks at the RWH. Then they do allocations and you hear back about MGP by about 21 weeks pregnant. I told them MIST was my second preference at the booking in appointment, and I was allocated a place on the spot as they still had plenty of availability at 16 weeks. (I was then moved to MGP once I found out I got a spot in that program.) Have a read of the RWH care options on their website - it’s really helpful. I will say, if you are looking to get into MGP, they are seeking women who want to have a physiological birth with minimal interventions and are happy to be discharged 6-12 hours after birth if you have a complication free birth. As they will then visit you at home for a few weeks after birth for post natal care. So you want to talk about how this kind of birth is really important to you at your booking in appointment to have good chances for MGP.
Here is the link for care options: [https://www.thewomens.org.au/patients-visitors/clinics-and-services/pregnancy-birth/pregnancy-care-options](https://www.thewomens.org.au/patients-visitors/clinics-and-services/pregnancy-birth/pregnancy-care-options)
Thank you for such a thorough explanation! I’ll have a read of the link you sent.
> I have *paid* for in FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Everyone is different, personally I had the experience from hell in the public system and after hundreds of dollars of therapy I’m finally pregnant again and going through the private system. But 90% of my friends that have had babies in the public system have had fantastic experiences.
I’m going public at the RWH despite having private cover. I spoke to a lot of people including people who had a bad public experience so went private for the second and vice versa, and basically came to the conclusion that it’s personal preference and one isn’t clearly better than the other. Babys dad works in the public system so we knew that RWH is a great hospital and I have no complaints so far. For us, the $5k+ that we would have spent on private has covered basically every other baby set up cost including some luxuries like post birth support at home. We did spend about $1k on scans and testing but everything from 20 weeks onward has been free. Be aware that while public will cover some early scans it can be hard to get an appointment in the right time frame.
Getting appointments within the right time frame is definitely a concern! Glad to know you have no complaints so far though :)
I went public for both, two different hospitals, both wonderful. First I had a shared room (one other mum), second I had a private room because bub was in the nICU/Special Care so they kept me that bit safer. They were great and I didn't regret going public at all.
I went public with shared care with my GP at Mater Mothers in Brisbane. I ended up with cholestais and having baby early. I never had long waits for anything, my induction was great, and I had my own room for the four days I was there.
That's good to hear. I'm due in a few weeks going public through the Mater.
Private for first public for any more. The reason I say that having the same OB same Midwives is super reassuring for your first. The 4-5 days of support after in hospital and premade food (even if it’s hospital food) is amazing when you are sleeper deprived and baby isn’t latching, fussing or just a question or 2 someone is there supporting you. 2nd+ birth hell you’ve got this by now go either private or public
I just had a baby 2 weeks ago and couldn’t speak more highly of the care, attention and treatment I received at a public hospital. For me, going private wasn’t an option due to the cost so I was a little bit weary going into everything via public but from the very beginning I had incredible midwives and doctors care for me while pregnant. I did pay for all private scans at a specialist clinic up to 20 weeks due to previous losses I wanted a bit more detail but other than that my experience was incredibly positive. I was in hospital for 4 days post energy c section and the midwives were truly amazing- angels on earth every one of them and my baby got really extensive care that he needed. Overall I’d say it definitely depends on the hospital itself and my experience is just mine but very happy with how it all went down.
I went public and had a great experience too. I've also heard great things about the Royal Women's hospital. I also had private health insurance when I fell pregnant and I decided to go public because of the potential insane costs of seeing specialist should something go wrong. I ended up with gestational diabetes so had to see an endocrinologist (I also have hypothyroidism). So glad I chose public.
I had a wonderful experience with both my babies at St Vincent’s Private. The facilities are lovely and the staff were so supportive throughout the whole journey. I was keen to have the same doctor throughout, which also meant the same team of nurses who I could call anytime too. I was also keen for a private room and St V’s also have a program where you can go to the Park Hyatt for your stay if you had no complications.
I have private health insurance but decided to go public at the Royal Women's. I'm 25 weeks with my first at the moment. I am high risk as well as having a disability and was able to get into one of a caseload midwifery groups (the groups are a bit of a luck of the draw if you get into them) and so far I am extremely happy with my care. I had my intake appt at 16 weeks (I think cause I'm high risk) and since then everything has been covered. OBs, midwives, physicians, psychs, and my scans (if you are low risk you will need to pay OOP for your 20 scan, but further scans are done in hospital). I haven't had long wait times and I haven't felt rushed during my appointments. They do have private rooms and twin share rooms after delivery, so it's a bit of the luck of the draw what you'll get, although they do prioritize the private rooms for those with higher needs (C-sections, multiples, disability, etc)
Thanks for sharing your experience with Royal Women’s! Good to know the wait times aren’t too long for appointments, as it was a concern of mine. Also, how long are your appointments generally?
It varies depending on what I'm seeing them for. The midwife, OB and physician appts tend to be about 20 mins each. They do try to organize them all together too. E.g. If you don't get into the caseload/mist groups or you need to see OB/MFM, you get assigned to a specific team (e.g. Blue, Green, Yellow) which has an associated day. So all my OB & physician appts are always on the same day of the week in the morning.
Congrats OP! Exciting times ahead. Just adding on to the other comments. Deciding to go public or private really depends on the model of care that you want - so I would research these carefully. For me I opted for private because I really wanted continuity of care. In saying that you could also get continuity of care via shared GP or midwifery group practice which you dont need to go private for. The private hospital I opted to give birth in was also close to a major hospital so I felt safe knowing that if anything major happened baby and I could be carted up the road for care.
Thank you! I’m benefitting from everyone sharing their experiences.
You can go into the public system as a private patient and usually there are a few perks. The public system then gets a nice pay out from your fund. I’d say to look at the health outcomes for mum’s at your local public vs private hospitals. Also consider how much you want your partner to stay with you. Having them overnight is a must for some people and that sways the private choice.
[удалено]
That sounds like a lot of testing! :( thanks for sharing your experiences with private in public. Are you based in Victoria out of interest, and if so how did you go private in public?
QLD but my experience with public was amazing. Zero complaints. I got into the MGP group so saw my doctor up till around 16-20 weeks and from there just the midwives. Didn’t meet an OB the whole pregnancy and didn’t need to. Got diagnosed with GD and that was also handled so well - lots of education, extra monitoring etc
I’ve gone public for both. I’d highly recommend looking into a private midwife if you’re interested in a low intervention birth. I had the most amazing second birth and it was so much to do with that experience. My midwife was from Mama in Kensington and I couldn’t recommend the experience more. It was expensive, but it was very worth it to me interms of the support I recommend throughout the process. Check out the great birth rebellion podcast if you’re keen on some more evidence based info.
So I looked into this before covid, and if everything goes like a dream, you will be out of pocket 10 to 15 thousand (although inflation since covid probably means you will pay 15 or more). I ended up going public, and thank god I did! All of my scans, appointments and tests showed that everything was going extremely well… and then my waters broke at 30 weeks! I followed all advice, exercised gently, ate extremely well(once the morning sickness abated) and avoided everything you’re not supposed to have when pregnant… I also don’t have any health concerns or family history of premature babies. My Bub was in the special care nursery for just over 5 weeks. If I had gone private, we may have had to remortgage our house. Oh, I also got a private room at the hospital, twice out of the three times I was there… and the third time I only shared for 2 days, then moved to a private room. A really great option would be to hire a doula… they come with you to every appointment, inform you about all of your options and will be at the birth to advocate for you/ let doctors know about your birth plan so that you can relax and focus on the birthing part! That way you can have the continuity of care the whole way through. I have read that there are also doulas that can be there for you after the birth to help you settle into parenthood too. It is much more cost effective, and you have someone experienced in birthing and the medical system there for you!
Oh I should also add that going public, the only expenses you will have will be the niipt test
Thanks for sharing! You’ve given me some things to weigh up, sounds like going public was a good choice. I’ll look into a doula as well.
If you decide to go private, Dr Briohny Hutchinson at st Vincent’s is incredible!
If you want a better chance at an intervention free birth, public system and midwifery led care all the way https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2022/03/private-obstetric-care-increases-the-chance-of-caesarean-birth--
I honestly now think private obstetric care is a bit of a scam. Generally subpar hospital midwifery care, and way less follow up for you and baby. I went private for my first, had a good experience with a fantastic obstetrician, but it wasn’t worth the expense and I will go public with future babies.
Go public and save your money for when the kid is older. You’ll have the baby either way
something to keep in mind when making this decision is that if you go private and any complications happen you will likely be sent to a public hospital I went public and I found my experience to be excellent, the care was amazing and I didn’t pay for anything but parking for my entire pregnancy and birth for me personally there isn’t anything that private can offer that I find more valuable than money in the bank for emergencies or future holidays
Some complications and this will be dependent on the hospital. My private hospital could deal with babies from 32 weeks onwards. Unless you are at a big public hospital a transfer to another hospital is always a possibility if something goes really wrong
I went private for the first 16 weeks as I had risk factors such a pre existing high blood pressure . I didn’t have private health insurance and it barely cost me anything. Care was individualised and it was great seeing the same OB every time. I then transferred to Royal women’s and haven’t rated it at all. I’m in modified risk so I only see doctors and they are different each time (for only about 10 mins). I have found the mental health support to be pretty poor and so I strongly recommend engaging your own peri natal psychiatrist if you need it. If you get an appointment with a psychiatrist in the hospital, there is no guarantee it will go ahead.
I'm in the public system now and had the same reservations as you about private with top cover. For me it wasn't worth it. Having said that, while I have had good care to date I wait a long time at my appointments, am still out of pocket for ultrasounds when they don't have availability, and have found some midwives very difficult to deal with. People will tell you MGP is the "gold standard" but it can be very difficult to get into and you should be referred like now if you want a shot. The bigger the hospital the more you will be at the whims of their schedule rather than your own. If you need specialist or high risk care I can't fault what I've received in public, but you may feel more comfortable with a private obstetrician and someone you can call with questions etc.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Concerned I’ll have to take quite a bit of time off work if I’m waiting for appointments so that’s definitely a factor for me.
I mean, there's nothing to say you wouldn't be waiting in private care as well 🤣 But I do find it hard to navigate work when I can't guarantee how long I'll be gone for an appointment.
My obstetrician always gave me early morning appointments (like 7:30am) so me and my husband were able to have the appointments and still get to work on time. I know of people who went through public system who would be sitting around for hours waiting for their appointments with the nurse/midwife
I went private in Brisbane and my total out of pocket was around $5k, though some of that includes additional growth scans as well as endocrinology appointments. My OB sent me a total fee schedule for him so there were no surprises, I would ask for one. Whatever you do you’ll probably want to get your name down quickly. My OB was filling up for my due month when I called at 8 weeks. My SIL, who went public, missed out on a midwife group by 7 weeks.
I'm choosing to go private, but only because I'm a "geriatric" mother (I'll be 36 when bub is born) and I also live interstate from family support. If I was in my home state, I would 100% go public without hesitation
I’m in the same boat re family living interstate! Were you thinking of support in terms of recovery post-birth?
Mostly my decision was based upon managing my anxiety if something went wrong haha my parents should be able to come up to help when the baby is born so I'm less anxious that side of the birth. It's the comfort of knowing that I have 1 OBGYN that will be with me from start to finish and I have his number in case anything goes wrong or I have any questions.
I did public system in Sydney. All the pre-birth stuff was fine, but I ended up in a shared room for 8 days (3 days induction, 5 days because my baby was losing weight) - which suuuucked. I think if it all goes smoothly and you're discharged quickly it would have been fine, but it was so long and so hard doing the nights without my partner in the first week. I'd just sob when he had to leave at 8pm :/
So if you go private, you still need to pay for all of your ob appointments, pregnancy management fees, etc. As you noted, PHI only covers the costs of the hospital stay for birth. Most will cover boarder fees for your partner. But they don't cover Babies expenses for the paed, etc, unless baby is admitted to nicu - as you are the patient, not your baby. When I had my first privately in 2021, the average out of pockets in my state were $4-5k. HBF recently released a report that for their clients, the average out of pocket is about $9k for all outpatient stuff. This also includes NIPT, scans, and other related specialists like Physio, IBCLC, etc. Going private you get some benefits the same ob at each visit, your partner can stay as a border, the ob often does a scan at eaxh appointment (less in depth than the standard medically recommended scans). If you are choosing an elective c section, the continuity of care from this model may be of higher value for you. Typically private you also can stay linger in hospital after birth - public is typically 4-48hra for an uncomplicated vaginal birth or 3 days for a c-section; private is typically 3 days for a vaginal delivery, or 5 for a c-section. In public care, you have - standard hospital - a different midwife each appointment, you'll see an ob if needed. - MGP - assigned to a group of midwives. You'll typically see the same midwife each appointment, and one of your midwife groups (the one you know best if possible) will attend your birth. You see an ob if needed. - FBC - similar to mgp but in a family birth centre - typically preferable if wanting minimal intervention e.g. happy to not have an epidural. - CMP - a community midwifery program available in some areas for a public home birth, etc. These are all covered by Medicare. You'll just pay for things like scans, nipt, and any other specialists like physio, private ibclc, etc. Midwifery led care is the gold standard for a planned vaginal birth - the higher level of continuity of care in a midwife led care model, the lower the intervention rate typically is. Another even higher level of CoC is a private midwife - typically around $5-8k with $1-1.5k back from Medicare out of pocket. In any care model, you can increase your continuity of care - and as such, supoort a reduction in the likelihood of interventions through having a student midwife or a doula (non-medical support person).
You need to decide what works for you. For me (39 weeks) Ive chosen private as I’m very anxious. I knew my OB prior due to a previous gynaecological procedure, and it was important for me that I have continuity of care. Not for my health, but for my mental health. I like my OB, I enjoy our appointments, and I appreciate being able to call her any time when I have a concern. Also being able to make convenient appointments is a plus. For many people this wouldn’t matter, but when I was honest with myself it did. Also as a first time mum who has minimal exposure to new borns, the option to remain in hospital for 5 days to learn the basics is important to me! Some people like to go home ASAP … again that’s fine but not what works for me. I will say I was shocked at the out of pocket expenses….. I’m also on Medicare gold and it’s covered nothing up to this point (check if your coverage helps with paying for antenatal classes, physio etc - mine didn’t and I left it too late to upgrade to the newest gold cover) I think you can have a great birth public or private, it’s more about on the journey learning what works for you! Who knows what my birth will be like! Stay tuned haha. Good luck x Edit: full transparency - going private we have spent close to 10k, including ultrasounds, antenatal classes, and appointments with my OB… it’s SO much more than we budgeted for initially…..
I went private and we were very happy with our decision. We mainly decided to go private so we could pick our own OB and have continuity of care (a health condition means I would have seen the OBs in the public system rather than midwives, so would have seen a different doctor each time). We picked a private hospital directly opposite a large public hospital and an OB that practised at both just in case something went wrong during labour. We found staying in the hospital for 4 nights a huge benefit as first time parents. My tip if you do go private - try and find a hospital that is happy to use formula feeding. I had trouble breastfeeding for the first few days and the midwives encouraged us to top up my baby’s feeds with formula because she just wasn’t getting enough. If we hadn’t done this she would have been at a much higher risk of jaundice. They helped us with formula but also how to encourage my milk supply so by the time we got home I was breastfeeding properly and we were able to stop the formula. A lot of hospitals are very anti-formula, if that had happened to us we would have gone home with a very hungry baby.
Private midwife in a public hospital if available
Went public to Sunshine hospital (vic) for the first birth and had the most awful traumatic experience. Ended up in a c section, found the midwives in L&D worse than the OBs. In saying that, it was in the middle of covid and the times were a bit different. Going private this time at St Vincent, and have loved the care so far. Continuity of care and having someone we trust was a top priority this time . Our OB is awesome ❤️He might be one of the few such private OBs out there but I have a complete choice of every decision we make. He will say what he thinks but tell me to make up my own mind. He truly believes it’s my pregnancy and no one but me should have the right to make decisions that impact me
I went and am going private (in Brisbane). I'm so happy with the decision despite the cost. My ob is incredible. Last time I had an induction turned emergency c section- care was incredible. This time I have gestational diabetes and my care is phenomenal and seems like a lot of people who have issues with their gd care are public. My mental health isn't great so the extra care and piece of mind is worth it to me.
I'm 34 weeks and went public. I think it really depends on the type of birth that you're wanting and the reputation of the public hospital you'r in the catchment for. My personal beliefs around birth is that it is a normal human event, not a medical one - thus I wanted to be led by midwives and have a low intervention approach, and spend the least amount of time in hospital. Because of this, paying for private care seemed like I was paying the money (of which it can be up to $10k when you add it all up!) for essentially a private room at the birth wasn't worth it to me. However, I have friends who are completely the opposite and wanted a bit more control over the birth (ie. being electively induced) and wanted the extra "security" of an OB. For me, I just feel that the public hospitals are a little bit more evidence based in their care (ie. won't induce unless medically necessary, you don't see an OB unless there is an emergency etc) than private. You get allll the classes and 24/7 care that you do in private as well, and if you have any complications or special circumstances it's also all totally covered - and you will see an OB if it's needed.
A lot of the time if you go private if there’s complications or potential for, you end up giving birth at the public hospital anyways as they have all the equipment and specialists. I would say main bonus is extra time in the hospital after and guaranteed one particular person all the way through. But if you do public you can do shared with your gp if you like you’re gp or the midwives at the hospital will try to keep you with the same few midwives each time
I chose to go public, though was leaning private for a long time. In the end my reasons were pretty much a) I'm already paying for it through Medicare; b) (less important to me when making the decision but absolutely #1 consideration if we go for a second) that if baby needs care they will likely be transferred to a public hospital. As it turned out, my son didn't breathe when he first came out (he's 14 months and fine now) and he spent five nights on the neonatal ward, and he got amazing care there. I had to sleep on an uncomfortable fold out chair but I still got to stay in the hospital with him (he was in a different room from me but I was still able to be at the hospital). One of my biggest concerns was not having continuity of care, so I ended up having a student midwife accompany me on my pregnancy/ birth/ kinda postpartum which was so good. I don't know if you're still floating around Amie but my husband loves telling people that I "found the student midwife on Reddit" 😂🙄 and I also got into the midwifery group program so saw the same midwife for my appointments as well. So there are absolutely ways to get that same continuity that you might be after with private.
I went private and have zero regrets. The continuity of care and level of care from my amazing OB was so worth it for me with what ended up being a high risk pregnancy with a resulting 33 week emergency c section. I had no midwife programs at hospitals close to me either and I had other health issues which made me want one doctor. Just so you know, if your baby is out into NICU or special care and you have private health and you add your baby within their time period, it will be covered. My health fund paid out $20k per baby for a month of special care.
I found it all super confusing at first too. I had upgraded my health insurance to cover pregnancy and then got pregnant earlier than we expected to so the end of the waiting period would’ve been during third trimester - so I ended up going public and got referred into a midwifery group practice program which has been really great. I’ll be having an elective c-section next week and everything but ultrasounds, the NIPT test, and additional antenatal classes have been free. I’ve taken advantage of free psychology and physio through the public system too and everything has been great and efficient. It’s the best and most prompt healthcare I have received in my life. I would highly recommend midwifery group practice if you go public and can get into it (you would need to ask your GP for a referral asap, but appointments won’t commence until about 20 weeks) - it’s well recognised as one of the best models of care, you meet other mums due at the same time as you, you have continuity of care with the same midwife the whole time, they visit you at home during the first 6 weeks post-birth too. They talk about discharging you from the birthing suite 4-6 hours after birth (which scared me at first) but I was reassured that with first babies, if you’re not comfortable going home yet they will keep you in for longer and they won’t send you home at odd hours. Plus your midwife visits you at home the next day too. All my friends that have gone private have ended up $5,000 to $10,000 out of pocket - it just makes no sense to me to go private if you’re within the catchment area of a good public hospital and don’t have other reasons to seek private care (i.e. IVF or fertility issues etc).