hopeful Mum, I chose Shared Care as I am going public and there were several reasons why I chose that option.
With going to my GP, I can get appointment times that suit me. As I work full time, it is a pain in the bum going to the hospital because they only offer appointments during the day on a week day.
Also, I have heard that if you go through the midwives, you will most likely see a different person every time you go and I would just prefer some continuity.
In saying this, after my first hospital appointment, my BP was high so I was put onto the high risk category. They said I would have to go through the antenatal clinic until it was sorted out. So, the theory of getting appointments that suited me went flying out the window. I had to take a day off work to go in and get my BP taken. It was normal and now I am back into shared care! Hmmmm... waste of a day off but, hey, I guess it had to be done!

So far, the only money I have had to fork out as a public patient has been for my antenatal classes. Everything else (blood tests, ultrasounds etc.) has been covered by medicare. I am going through Geelong hospital which has an excellent reputation among people I know so I figured, why go private and pay all that money when I can get good care for free iykwim? Not all hospitals are the same though so I am sure it's a different story in other areas of the country.