How important is an obstetrician?

[~Kim~]

Depends at which hospital you want to deliver.
If you want to go to a private hossy - you have to fork out for an Ob. If you're happy to go public, no worries - totally unnecessary.
I've had one preg with and one without and Ob. Both high risk. With #2 I was allocated the best Ob they had and he saw me all the way through. Care I got was the same in terms of continuity, except the benefit with public was that you got to know the midwives who will deliver your bub and look after you post birth. With private you won't meet them until you go to the hospital in labour.
If the private room thing concerns you, you can always pay for priorty for a private room in a public hospital (for most that I've come across), but remember sick pts always come first.

[HotI]

I went public, and had my own room with a double bed.

However, next time i'm staying home.

[Fleur]

I never had an Ob (public for all) & truthfully can't see why you need one unless it's more for convenience... a few posters have mentioned elective CS, or knowing who they will have for the delivery.. that kind of thing, I get, but apart from that, even if there are complications (as there were with my third labour) you just see the Ob who's on at the time. With my second & fourth labours I never saw a doctor of any sort, just a midwife.

JMO and of course I speak from the POV of never having had one but I don't know what pre-natal care they would give that would be any different?

[Peg]

JMO and of course I speak from the POV of never having had one but I don't know what pre-natal care they would give that would be any different?

from what i've seen so far, the visits are no different to seeing a public hosp midwife.

I guess if you have any conditions the ob, also being a dr, is able to treat you for those conditions and provide you prescription medication that a midwife could not.

[FabFiona]

I viewed having an OB as a bit of insurance. Whilst I was aiming for a low risk, no complications pregnancy in life there are never any guarantees. IF there turned out to be a problem I wanted an OB that knew me and my case history rather than whoever was on duty that night. The attraction of a private room and staying in hospital a bit longer if I needed were also strong given it was my first baby and I had no idea what to expect.

As it turned out, I did have complications at the end of my pregnancy (pre-eclampsia) and I did need an OB. Things were quite hairy for a while yet because my OB knew me and my birth plan I still got the vaginal birth I wanted. Therefore in hindsight I'm glad I went with an OB and therefore in the private hospital system despite the cost.

I'd second the recommendation of the book "Better Birth". I had made a conscious effort to find an OB that was more in tune with the 'midwifery view' of birth as opposed to the 'obstetric view' and that was the difference for me having a good OB experience.

I'll definitely be going back to my OB for future babies.

[Olive]

my BF had an elective c/s for her second and third bubs and had them both public with and OB

its completely uo to you as to what YOU want! if you want an OB then have one, if youd prefer midwife care then definalty go public and dont worry about sharing a room, you never know, you may end up making new friends like i did!
sharing a room i found wonderful, i was never bored, had others to talk too when the partners had gone home etc..

[~Hestia~]

I think it's definitely up to you & it's a very personal decision.
I wanted to go through the public system despite having PHI. My local hospital offers Midwifery Group Practice which is seeing the same midwife for all your appointments, having that midwife deliver your baby & gives you up to 4 weeks of home visits. My midwife was also an LC so was very helpful & it wasn't unusual for her to spend 90 minutes at our house. I also had her mobile number & could contact her anytime during the pregnancy & beyond.
Although, due to circumstances beyond her control she actually missed DS' birth but we did have her backup midwife whom we had met previously. But an OB could also miss your birth so no difference there.
I will go through the same program with future babies, hopefully get the same widwife again.

[Juliette]

I have gone private with each of my pregnancies, and haven't needed an OB. Living in a country area, my only real option was a GP obstetrician, and to elect to be a private patient in our local public hospital. I've had my own room with the first two, and am expecting the same again this time (not guaranteed, but more than likely). My GP has delivered both my babies so far - emergency c-section first time, and elective c-section for the second. This one will be another elective, and he will perform the procedure again. I LOVE having this continuity and familiarity. My GP knows me and my family really well, as we see him as our family GP too. There are also a couple of midwives at the hospital that I will be requesting for my delivery, because they made me feel calm and cared for the last two times. I guess that's the beauty of small rural communities. Having said that however, if there were any major complications expected, I wouldn't muck around - I'd be travelling the 3 hours to Brisbane for OB care in a private hospital.