I have done both public and private.

The level of care I received in both instances was great.

What was good about my public experience: You really don't pay for much at all. You get to see an OB anyway if you're deemed high risk, even for all your appointments.

What was bad about my public experience: Long waits for appointments, only 2 ultrasound scans and both on site at outpatients with no facilities to print a nice pic or record a dvd of your bubba in the womb, and I shared a room with a woman who had a toddler and lots of noisy family visiting constantly, I just didn't get any peace.

What was good about my private experience: got to have fab one on one chats and didn't feel rushed with my OB at most visits, got a little mini ultrasound each visit so lots of bonding with baby, got my own room in private hosp for 6 nights - heaven - own bathroom and no one else's visitors.

What was bad: Long waits at appointments, sometimes he was out delivering a baby so you just didn't know when he'd be back - do I stay here waiting or rebook? My OB had the weekend off when I delivered so I got his fill-in guy, who was fabulous, but I had never met him before and I felt a bit ripped off, and I had to show my bits to this strange man I'd never met !!! Pfft!!!


All in all - it's private again for me this time round but only because I really really want my own room and peace and quiet in a nice hospital. I really feel the level of care across both was the same, and even though you get lots of money back going private, you do pay a lot more for stuff that comes for free going public.