Will the private ob deliver you in a public hospital? If not, you will also be looking at private hospital fees, which are very expensive without PHI. Then there is the consideration of whether either of your babies will require SCN, which will cost more again in a private hospital. Ambulance transfer from private to public hospital if either baby requires a NICU... a whole heap of possible additional costs.
If your ob of choice will attend to you in a public hospital, have you checked whether the hospital is agreeable to that? A public hospital usually uses whichever ob is on duty/call if required. I'm not sure whether most hospitals would be agreeable to making arrangements for you to be attended by your own ob? If the ob has delivery rights at the hospital, I imagine it is possible, but I would certainly investigate before paying any money to the ob.
Lastly, Medicare only rebates a small amount from the obstetricians fee. From memory, we got a total of less than $500 back from Medicare for my obs management fee. We were OOP about $6K... with top PHI.
Well, that was a bit of a downer... sorry! I would encourage you to investigate all options and possibilities before you commit to a plan for the birth of your babies. How lovely of your MW to waive her fee! I hope you have a beautiful birth.
Of course how you want to birth remains important, and when you are higher risk it can be even more important to trust your caregiver. My suggestion would be to make an appointment with your local public hospital to discuss care options for you, and find out if there is any way you can enter a caseload midwifery team so you have continuity of carer and the knowledge that a known caregiver will form part of your decision making team. You may find there are midwives with a specific interest in multiple births and who will be delighted to caseload you. If your private midwife is still willing to support you as a doula then you may find this is all the support you need.
For my own twin birth I made an appointment with my designated OB in an NHS hospital and we came up with a plan that involved midwife led care with an OB to step in if certain conditions were met (preterm birth, bleeding, etc). If everything remained normal they he was happy to stay away because he knew I had made informed choices and that I would be "reasonable" if there were complications. I expected a fight, I did not get one. It's worth asking the questions and if you get a yes answer from an OB at the public hospital then ask them to sign your birth plan and detail their name so that subsequent doctors will see your plan and know it has been discussed and okayed by a senior member of their staff.
Good luck and I hope you find the answer for your care that you are looking for.
Perhaps it would be worthwhile exploring the options available to you, as traveller suggests?
I guess perhaps your husband is thinking about this in terms of money, rather than your care and sense of security. If you talk more, perhaps you can help to reframe the discussion for him so he can see it from your perspective. Money-wise, is there any way you could make things a bit easier for him to take it (things to sell, budgeting?).
I hope you can find a way to feel safe and happy with your care
Bellany, double check that you won't have to pay a bed fee for the hospital even though it is public. That is what usually happens if you use your own OB. Also check anaesthetists costs are covered.
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