Thanks hannah, that's really helpful ... you can write as much as you like! I am trying to know as much as I can now so i know what my options are once we fall pregnant as i don't want to be worrying about it when I am pregnant. I'm going "public" for our 1st baby to see what it's like... my DF is a theatre nurse (registered nurse) and he knows the equipment is excellent in public hospitals as is the staff there too, just as good as private hospitals so we are going public... hence no fortnightly payments! haha

Seeing the midwives at the hospital each time for the checkups sounds good... are they just as thorough as a GP would be if you saw your local GP at the family clinic each time??? Do they all do the same stuff?? Sorry I'm so uneducated about all this so far!

Sounds like i might enjoy going to the hospital and seeing midwives each time... so just see GP for initial consult like you did.... i'll be going to the Tweed Heads Hospital, northern NSW (border of QLD) if that's the case... it's closest to us. The Gold Coast Hospital is 30mins up the road, bit too far....and overcrowded from what i've heard???

Another question : the midwives that you see at your appointments each time at the hospital, are they the same midwives you have during the birth? Or could they be different each time??? Depending on their shifts of course...???

Just trying to get organised early....!