[kam_kamz]

When reading previous comments there are many that I agree with and ALOT that I dont. I went private with a very highly regarded Ob and to what I classify as one of the best private hospitals on the Northshore. The costs were obviously more than going public, but not as outrageous as what some other people have stated. Going by narti bear's breakup, my costs were as follows:

initial visit with ob - $175
each subsequent visit - Free
ob management fee - $3500
assistant surgeon - Included in hospital cover
anaesthetist - $800 - but I got about $400 back from MC
theatre fee - Included in hospital cover
blood tests/pathology approx - Covered by MC
padeatrician - $275
health fund excess - no excess
13 week scan/NTS testing approx - $200
20 week scan approx - $250 + $10 for DVD

So I think the important thing to consider if money is an issue is each fund and hospital are different. The money I paid above was more than worth it as I suffered quite serious complications which resulted in my son arriving at 36 weeks after an emergency cesarean. He had to spend a night in SCU (which was also covered under the hospital cover), but both him and I recovered well and were home within the week.

I am now pregant with number two and after the wonderful experience I had last time, there was no question that mine and baby's health is worth the money. I have the same Ob and am booked in at the same hospital again.

Ultimately I guess you need to do your research and find out which hospital (and Ob) in your area have the best reputation. There are plenty out there that have miracle/horror stories attached to them, and I don't think that anyone can tell you what is best for you except you.

To Emma and all EB members who read this thread I would like to say good luck with your decision making process and even more importantly good luck with the birth!! Parenthood is the most amazing experience any person can ever experience.....congrats!

[Cappie]

I went Private for a number of reasons, many of them were reasonably superficial i.e. the hospital maternity level felt more like a hotel than a hospital and that WAS something that mattered to me, it made the whole process a lot less scary for me. I was also keen to stay for a little longer than the time frame my sister had stayed in her Public Hospital (with complications) birth and I wanted the guarantee of my own room.

An even bigger deciding factor for me was the need to have an OB. I had a condition prior to conception that meant I had to have a cardiologist consulting throughout the pregnancy and it was much simpler to have the OB consult directly with him so I didn't need to do a million extra specialist appointments (it also worked out perfectly that they ended up having gone to University together). Over the duration of the pregnancy I came to adore our OB, I trusted him completely with both mine and my unborn child's life. He was just amazing. There were a few complications that occurred and the level of above and beyond care I received was unparallel. If my DH was unable to make any appointment he would often give him a call to chat about any concerns or questions he had to keep him in the loop, obviously with my permision and I love it as it meant that I didn't have to remember all the little questions DH had. He spent over 30 minutes with me at each appointment going over anything and everything, getting to know my views on everything and opening up discussions on all possibilities and easing my mind as much as he could. When the time came to deliver I was so calm and at ease due to the level of trust I had for our OB, DH could focus completly on me as we were both confident that OB had everything under control with my best interests at heart.

Despite not really requiring the additional length of stay the second time around I would definitly still go private, although I think I will have a breakdown if the time comes and my OB has retired... DH even joked that we need to have as many as possible in the next couple of years to make sure he is still practising.

As for cost, it really wasn't much more than the Management Fee and various scans that we were out of pocket for, but we also pay quite a bit more than $100 a month and that's with a substantial corporate discount, so not sure if perhaps there are various levels of maternity cover?

[TiredbutHappy]

I'm again going through the SAN and my costs were much the same as kam_kamz's except for the management fee and subsequent visits:

initial visit with ob - $175
each subsequent visit - Free $75.00
ob management fee - $3500 $2,200
assistant surgeon - Included in hospital cover
anaesthetist - $800 - but I got about $400 back from MC
theatre fee - Included in hospital cover
blood tests/pathology approx - Covered by MC
padeatrician - $275
health fund excess - no excess
13 week scan/NTS testing approx - $200
20 week scan approx - $250 + $10 for DVD

I would not consider going public as I loved the continuity of care, the special treatment and my OB is fabulous. In saying that a close friend had her baby at NSP, her OB refused to come in and see her even though she had been in labour for 13 hours (he was at a family BBQ), and was basically delivered by midwives who constantly tried to call her OB. Her birth was very traumatic and she had excessive bleeding for 3 months post birth. For this she paid around $6K all up. Another friend had her baby in public, the birth was okay but lay on the bed afterwards bleeding for 45 minutes whilst the staff argued over whose job it was to do the stitches. She left after 24 hours, with a promised follow up from the hospital which never eventuated. Needless to say she went private the 2nd time around.

It sometimes can be luck of the draw regardless of whether you chose public or private, especially if you don't know your OB or have no recommendations to go by.

[vlbally]

I think it is totally about where you feel comfortable, what you think will be best for you during labour and after the birth, and what suits your financial situation the best.

I had #1 through the public system and it was fine. We had been paying the private health leading up to the pregnancy, but decided to give public a go for two reasons - financially better, and the midwife service offered seemed fantastic. Overall, the care throughout my pregnancy was great, and after the birth of my daughter everything was fantastic. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was that during the labour I had a number of different doctors all examining me and needing 2nd/3rd/4th opinions, which lead to a lot of uncomfortableness for me and was a little bit stressful!

For #2 we decided to go through a private OB purely for the continuity of care - I didn't want 6 or so doctors doing internal exams during labour again!! We also chose to use private hospital as well as the stay after birth is generally longer which is what I wanted.

Overall, both were great and I would probably do either again, however these days with public hospitals discharging after anything from 24hrs, I will definitely be going private again - use the help from the midwives as much as possible and enjoy the fact you don't have to cook and clean for a few days - gives you some more time to get to know bubs and get your head around everything without having to worry about the house etc!! Also, I loved my OB so much I wouldn't want to go to anyone else! He was fantastic!!

[*lil*chil*]

I had my 1st in private and wasn't overly convinced it would be any different to treatment in a public hospital except I had my own room. What really sold me on the private system was the post hospital care bubs required and the cover allowed us to continue to see a private paed after the birth - def cost effective as private paed's can be upwards of $200 per visit.
I am in my 2nd preg. at the moment and following a miscarriage a few months ago I am glad to have the extra medical attention in the private system... If it where a regular pregnancy I would def. consider public as the idea of having a midwife with me through the pregnancy is just about as good as an ob. provided there are no complications!

[ubermum]

Private for my first births, public this time. I have noticed no difference in the level of care so far. If I have another v/b, my hospital stay will be much shorter, but as I have done this a couple of times before, I don't think I need the extra time in hospital. Deciding factor for us was the cost. Since the change to the Medicare rebates, the out of pocket expenses for my ob was going to be around $5K. Also, when you factor in obstetric cover on your health insurance, you can add quite a bit more over the year. I didn't think it was necessary.

I will be giving birth in a birth centre, co-located in a tertiary hospital. If necessary, NICU and SCN are available and I can also be transferred to normal labour wards, theatre and postnatal recovery wards if need be. I am confident that given any circumstance, I am in the best of hands. We also have private health insurance that will cover myself and the baby should we require the services of any private professional. We have just chosen not to use it for the birth.

[nataliej_cat]

Hi I had 2 public deliveries and could not fault the hospital or follow up or anything it was fabulous Ds1 was a long labour with an epi and Ds2 was completely natural. Midwife delivery for both babies and was part of the team midwife service which i loved. was visited at home for 3 weeks afterward for the 1st and 2 visits for 2nd. Would not have changed anything about either delivery.