If you have a paranoid DH I'd suggest you go public. Public hospitals can cater for all emergencies, some private hospitals can't but they wont tell you that.
Each hospital does things differently so it depends where you are intending on going. My public hospital did not provide any scans - just had to get those organised through my own GP or OB.
I had a private OB for all my appointments - cost $50 each visit for which I was out of pocket around $15 after the medicare rebate. My OB did not charge the pregnancy management fee which can be a couple of thousand. This was because I was going to a public hospital - if I'd been going private I would've been slugged with it.
It was pot luck which doctor I got when I went into labour but I got lucky and got a fantastic one who came to the rescue just when I needed him to. If I didn't have complications I would've just given birth with the assistance of the midwives. I hadn't met any of the midwives before (nor the doctor) but that didn't bother me at all.
I had an amnio and I had to have it done privately. It was done at another OB's office. I can't remember exactly how much we ended up paying as there were I think 4 different components to it but I think we were out of pocket about $80 for the scan and the procedure itself, $200 for the FISH results (results within 24 hours instead of having to wait up to 2 weeks) which are not medicare claimable and about $100 for the lab results so somewhere around $400. I've heard some people do get an amnio done publicly but I was never given that option.
I was very happy with my public hospital and bubs and I ended up staying 5 days (he was in special care) and we didn't incur any costs at all (apart from the TV).
I have to agree with Satya. My DP works in emergency medicine and I had this discussion with him when we fell pg with DS. He also told me that a lot of private hospitals can?t cope with a real emergencys and he knows of a lot of patients who have had to be transferred in the middle of labour or the baby rushed off to another hospital as soon as it?s born to hospitals where they can cope with the situation.
I did share care with DS which meant that I got a 12 week scan and the 20 week scan. I also had to have an additional scan and amnio at 14-15 weeks which was all covered under Medicare.
You can choose to have your baby in the public hospital and then transfer afterwards to a private hospital if you would prefer your own room. Check out your public hospital and private hospital before making the decision. Some public hospitals have single rooms anyway.
We chose to go with Private Health Insurance about a year before TTC so that we would be covered. We are with NIB and pay about $169 per month for full cover for family and this will include bump when he arrives all we have to do is call NIB so they put him on the policy. This covers all the private hospital costs including theatre if needed which can apparently get into the thousands. We only need to pay the $500 excess and pay extra if the annethestic guy is needed cause they get billed seperatley. Make sure your insurance covers special care nursery if baby has to be taken to baby intensive care. Apparently not all health insurance cover that. I asked my local public hospital about having the baby in public as a private patient and they were not that happy to do this and could not guarantee a private room. In fact I was so upset that they were so rude about it that is why I decided to go Private. My Ob is only one block away from my private hospital also, thats great cause I know if something happens I am close to him and the hospital. I have had a tour already of the hospital and it was lovely and quite and clean! A lot of public hospitals are a bit grubby, so keep an eye out for that when you decide.
Just wanted to update this thread with a not so positive private hospital experience I heard about on the weekend. A relative of my mum's neighbour discharged herself from a Melbourne private hospital 24 hours after giving birth.
She may as well have given birth in a public hospital as her OB didn't turn up for the birth and she got the one on call (who just happened to be my OB who she loved). She only saw her OB twice during the pregnancy (all other visits she just saw the midwife).
She left the hospital early because she was basically just left in her room and was not checked on or provided with water. Apparently the facilities for using bottles were not good in the room and the midwives were not at all helpful so she went home early as it just seemed easier.
Not a good experience allround, but she sure paid for it.
If you ask around, you will hear mixed stories about public vs private. One piece of advice I would give you, is that your own preparation is probably more important than where you birth. If you are well informed, then you will be able to make better decisions and in most cases this will lead to a far better birth experience.
It is amazing how many people rely on What to Expect and Up the Duff as their only sources of information during pg. Reading really good books on labour and birth are far more helpful IMO. I would start with something like New Active Birth. This will help you understand the birth process better, and learn how you can help your labour by being active and getting into positions which assist, rather than hinder, labour.
With the right information (and a little bit of luck) you can have a great birth anywhere.
There is always going to be different opinions on public vs private. I would suggest that you consider both and then do what you feel is right for you - do tours of the hospitals, speak to staff and other mums etc but in the end go with your gut feelings. I went private and think it was worth every cent, had an OB who I was confident in and who listened to me and my concerns. In the end I got the birth I wanted and a great hospital experience. I will be doing the same in the future.
Good luck, its great that you are getting prepared now!
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