Hi Kerry, Welcome to Australia and congratulations on your being pregnant again!

I'm also from the UK, been here nearly 5 years and just found out i'm pregnant with bubba number 3. Both DD1 & DD2 were born here - both in a public hospital. I found the quality of care fantastic. I'm based close to Melbourne CBD so had both girls at the Royal Womens.

I found my care options were:

1)Completely free (Medicare covered) - all appointments at the public hospital - team based care but means dragging along a toddler to hospital - not always easy! (there is a creche available though)

2) Shared care (may incur cost if your GP doesn't bulk bill) - regular appointments with an accredited GP and a few appointments/scans at the hospital

3) Private (expensive and not an option for either of us!!)

I chose Shared care which meant i went to an accredited local GP (as recommended by the hospital) for all my check ups and then into the hospital only 4 times during the whole pregnancy - the final time to give birth. I found this a great system as the doctor is a walking distance away and rarely more than 15 mins late whereas any hospital appointment can up to 1.5 hrs late (in my experience) and you may see a different person each time.

I've not had a HCG test but for each pregnancy i've had a full blood test early on for infectious diseases (HIV, syphillis etc etc etc) and blood type even though it hasn't changed between babies! This is free on Medicare.

The 12 week nuchal fold scan (combined with bloods) is to test for chromosomal abnormalities (Downs syndrome amongst others).

The 18 - 20 week scan is to check for correct morphology of the growing baby. This is covered by Medicare.

I also had more scans later on with DD1 when there were concerns about her growth. Also covered by medicare.

if you're close to Box Hill, a friend of mine had both her kids there and was very happy.

With Medicare you are under a reciprocal agreement that emergency care is covered - and pregnancy is included in this definition.

Some women also choose to hire a doula or independent midwife who may meet with them a couple of times or so before the birth and then be a support during the birth.

This is something that i'm certainly considering this time round as my husband may be tied up for a little bit with sorting out our girls and i did find that in the hospital (when giving birth) man power can sometimes be scarce during the night shift! I'm also hoping for a VBA2C so may need the extra support.

Good luck! oh, and unfortunately NO FREE DENTAL HERE!! Wish there was!