I have gone public for all my pregnancies, which basically means attending the antenatal clinic at my hospital for all my appointments and being looked after primarily by midwives, although I can see an OB if I have a particular concern. I have not had to pay a cent for any ultrasounds or blood tests or any other tests, as I have had them all done at the hospital and they are covered by medicare. As for the birth, each time I have given birth with a midwife (or two) and an OB present. I don't get to choose who my carers are, but that has never been an issue for me. Afterwards I have shared a room on the maternity ward with two other women, although the beds were not always full, meaning that sometimes I only shared with one other person or I was on my own. Admittedly it can get annoying when the other people have noisy visitors but then I had my fair share of visitors too, so I couldn't complain too much! My after-birth care was good, although the midwives get very busy so you can be left on your own a bit, but if you need help they come fairly quickly, and most are more than happy to help you with feeding, bathing etc., especially if it is your first baby. When I left hospital and came home I was able to use the home midwifery service, where a midwife comes to your home at least twice in the first few weeks to check on things and offer any help/advice. This was free, and it is a great service.

As I said I have never had to pay a cent for any of my pregnancies and I have been happy with the standard of care I received. I can't comment on the Private system as I have never used it, but I think even if I had private cover I would still go public for my pregnancies. But it really does depend on personal preferences - if you want to choose your doctor and see the same person throughout and you want a private room after giving birth, things like that, then private care would be the way to go. Also if you think you might want an elective caesarian, you will need a private OB as in general public hospitals will only do caesarians if they are medically warranted, as in emergencies.