Private vs Public

Hi, I am another with private insurance who decided to go through the public system. I chose this for much the same reasons as others have stated above, specifically the intervention rates in private hospitals. Like you, I was very happy with my public hospital experience.

One other thing to consider, you are not always guaranteed the personal room that so many people who are in the private system brag about. I had friends who went private (for the comfort of their own room and the chance for Dad to sleep over at the hossy among other reasons) but when their DD arrived, there was a bit of a baby boom that day so there was no room for them in the normal maternity ward. Usually they would be on the list for hotel stay at the Hilton but the Grad Prix was on in Melb so all of the hotel rooms were used by guests. Poor buggers got very dodgy room to share with others and no room for dad to stay which really put them out!

Worth considering?? :lol:

IMHO, I think if you didn't have a bad experience with your public hospital, and the only reason you want to go private is to shuv it in your friends face, then you're mad!
Do what is right for you and bub is all I have to say! :)

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Since then a friend has just had a baby girl in a private hospital, and i am cooonstanntly getting the 'bragging' sensation that they're so much better than us for going through private (sooo annoying!)

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We had friends who did this to us it is very frustrating but these frinds are always shoving their financial privileges in Dh face (I don't really see them that often for it to bother me so much).

I think at the end of the day you need to decide what will be best for you and your family. A private room for DH and little one to run around in OR a shared room with other new mums.

You're still a long way off to need to make a decision right now but I would go into your PHI provider and talk to them about it and sit and write a list of pro's and con's of going for either option and see what you come up with.

Tellytubby, it is your choice babe, and well worth investigating by ringing the hospitals or asking to go on a tour. See which facility you feel most comfortable with.
Personally, I am going public. I went public last time and it was fab. This time I'm at a different hospital and while I'm not guaranteed a private room, I know that I'm not going to be in there for very long! (unless, heaven forbid, something happens with baby or me, but I won't have a whole lot of choice in that regard. In that instance, I will be happy to be at a major public hospital with excellent facilities.) That's something to consider when you're in the public system - if you and your baby are healthy, they may want you to go home on early discharge to free up the bed. While that all sounds negative, here are my thoughts on it:
1. I would rather sleep in my own bed.
2. My DD can run around and do whatever she likes at home, but in hospital we will need to keep her under wraps - regardless of what hospital we go to.
3. Sometimes bfeeding can be hard to establish. Midwives can assist. HOWEVER: on early discharge the midwives still come to your home and visit you. Even so, if my baby and I have issues with breastfeeding, I would rather spend my money on a good lactation consultant who can help me at home than on staying in a private hospital so I could have the midwives on hand for longer. JMpreference. Last time in hospital I was taught how to attach DD to my breast a million different ways. I felt it only complicated things further and was happy to go home where we could just work on it together!
GL with whatever you choose :)

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Since then a friend has just had a baby girl in a private hospital, and i am cooonstanntly getting the 'bragging' sensation that they're so much better than us for going through private (sooo annoying!)

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We get that from SiL. As I keep reminding DH, she has 3 kids, and that was all she "was allowed" have (1 guess why, its all you need - got the "pelvis too small" excuse). And we had more money to spend on our kids when it was all over.

Just one quick thing: although I'm very pro public and especially poublic birth centre care, you can't lump all private hospitals together. Some have excellent low intervention rates and continuity of care. Selangor on the Sunshine Coast comes to mind.

I totally agree with what Amy (Snacks) has said about early discharge. There's no place like home. I don't find hospitals very relaxing places. Not even snazzy private ones.
And when ity comes to BFing support, I had lots of troubles in the beginning. But with a very patient and dedicated MW, we sorted them out. She even took me to see the best LC on the Coast when she was at her wits' end. I am proud to say, i ended up BF DD for 19 months - until she self-weaned.

Sasa

Oooh, I also wanted to point out (taken from your OP) that if you book into a public hospital as a private patient you are not necessarily given a private room. Might be something else that affects your decision.

oh really??
thanks snacks! i didn't realise that

TellyTubby
Only you can make your final decision. It’s what you will on Labour day, feel comfortable with.

The best thing would be to get all your options out there and see what actually is available to you. From your health insurance what you are and aren't entitled to, to what both the public and private hospitals have as options. Speak to a possible ob that would be covering your care also. Also the aftercare the hospital provides. Again, each hospital is different.

Even going private in a public hospital does not guarantee a single room, it’s the pot luck of your timing being in hospital ie other background of girls in the post natal ward at the time.

The intervention factor is relative to the Ob's, doc on duty at the time and midwives at the time. Remembering that every birth is different. I know of people that were not intervened with during their labour, and their outcome was less than ideal for their situation.

Again I can also ramble about how I chose to go private, but they were for my reasons and my reasons only. I was low risk, figuring that I had never done this before, so there was a risk of something going wrong. Labour was traumatic, and to the credit of my Ob, he could have given me a c/s at the first opportunity (and when I demanded it hehehe after I had had enough), he stuck with me and I had a wonderful vaginal delivery.
Again, that was my ob's decision, and they all make their own decisions.

For our Number two, we are going private again. I didn’t even think twice about going public. I was happy with my experience, so have decided not to change it.

Good luck, do what you feel is right for you and your child. Ultimately you are the one giving birth and have to feel confident you are in the right place with the right people.