Hoobs, The risk assesment sheet they attached to my pregnancy record with Em did have an option for women with a parity of 5 or more, and having such high parity would mean birth centre is not an option.

This is becoming a problem south of Adelaide. the 2 closest hospitals with L&D to us are up to 45 minutes away, in opposite directions. The south is growing VERY rapidly and the major hospital is already crowded, and the other option is a small country hospital. The public transport is not keeping up with the growth of the area either.

Too many, if the local hospital is not set up with things like neonates and the parents want to be sure they do have the right to ask for a hospital that has those options. I think the biggest problem is that when people are booking in, it is often the hypochondriac 1st timers that want to be told how to do everything, and are very uneducated, that are requesting the Obs when they dont need them.

A MW is perfectly able to asses when you need to see an OB, and in my experience, the MW did more at the checkup!!! The Ob that I saw felt my tum and did BP, didn't do a doppler, and basically said that was it. I was waiting for 45 minutes to be in the office for 5 minutes! The MW I had did home checkups and was very good. She made sure I understood everything that I wanted and went through my Birth plan with me. I got a lot more support in having the birth I wanted from the MW that from the Ob. And I did get the birth I wanted, even though it was 'against hospital policy' They just made sure that before they filled the bath I knew the risks associated and had done the research.