I was the same as you and in the end decided to go private. At the time my key reasons were:
- I wanted the extra time in hospital with the midwives so that they could help me learn to breast feed when my milk came through
- I really didn't want to be in a shared room and if I had to be I wanted it to be for as little time as possible
- I wanted DH to be able to stay with us, I think the bonding he did with DS while we were in hospital has been the key factor in him being such a hands on Dad (particularly cos I had to have an emergency CS and he had to do everything for the first night, I can't imagine what it would have been like if he had to go home, I guess it would've been a midwife doing it)
- I wanted to see the same person for my check up appointments throughout my pregnancy.
- I would have a midwife with me the whole time I was in labour at the hospital (one on one ratio) and wouldn't be having to share them with whoever else was in labour.

I had a really good pregnancy with no real problems and I must admit towards the end I was thinking that next time when I had a better idea of what I was doing it wouldn't be worth paying the extra to go private. Well that was until everything I had planned for the birth went out the window, then I was so glad to have my OB who I knew and trusted.

Basically my waters started leaking. Because my OB knew how much I wanted to have a natural labour he gave me 96 hours for spontaneous labour to start (the midwife told me that in 99% of cases you will be induced that same day). I was on antibiotics and had to have monitoring each day to make sure everything was okay. But unfortunately DS never engaged and while I had a show right after my waters started leaking I never progressed to labour. So four days later I had to be induced. Not what I wanted, but I was happy because I felt that we had given it a good amount of time.

Unfortunately 11 hours after I was induced my labour still wasn't progressing very well. I had dilated to about 7cm, but the minute the syntocin was stopped my contractions stopped. A VE revealed that DS had turned and become posterior and that his head had lodged in my pelvis at the widest possible point. It was at this point my OB told me that he thought that it would be best to do an emergency CS. Because he had been through the pregnancy with me he knew how much I wanted a vaginal birth. At that time when I was at my most vulnerable I was so glad to have him advising me because I had a good relationship with him and trusted him completely. I think that if it was an OB who I had never met (as it would've been in a public hospital) I would not have had faith in them and wouldn't have been so trusting of their advice.

While an induction and a CS is the last thing I wanted I am totally at peace with the way that it worked out. It happened the way it happened because it was medically necessary and I'm thankful that my OB gave it every opportunity for us to have the natural labour that I wanted, even though in the end it wasn't possible.

So next time I will definately being going private and going with my OB. Not only for the reasons I listed to start with, but because if things don't go to plan having someone who you know and trust managing your labor means you can focus on doing what you need to do rather than second guessing an obstetric registar who you've never met.