What's the deal with private hospitals?

Do you have to have a private ob linked to the hospital?

Can you do shared care?

Can you do midwife care only?

Private hospitals ahve obs attached to them.

Most obs work in a few diff hospitals.

Shared care with a GP works in public system and some obs will do shared care if you want to have baby in public hospital.

Midwife care is public hospital

As far as I know, private hospitals require you to have a private ob and so you can't choose midwife-only care. Unsure re shared care, however a notice I saw circulated by the small private hospital I'm booked with states that the ob alone is to clinically manage the labour and birth, and that an extra support person is permitted for emotional and psychological support only.

Yup thats right a private hospital requires you to be assigned to a private Ob. You can still get a private midwife etc on top of that.

my sister had a baby at a private hospital (Qld) she was allowed her husband and a choice of birthing support person. She ended up wanting mum to go with her but she was allowed to have a midwife or Doula if she wanted but only to assist her not the birth. They dont do share care though and she did have to have an Ob that was with that hospital, which meant a little calling around to all the hospitals that the Ob worked at to find which one had an availabilty.

My private ob has a midwife too who I see at each visit before I see my ob but to be honest, I'm not sure why. She's very nice but doesn't seem to do much apart from take my blood pressure. But she won't be there at the birth - it will be one of the hospital midwives.

Hmmmm so if I don't want an OB specifically then I can't really use a private hospital? Would that be right? The reason I ask is that the best hospital in my area for maternity is a private one but I don't really want to be under the care of an OB.

You can have a midwife or doula for support but in a private hospital they can not do birth just support you.

No birth centres near by??

I have no idea to tell the truth!! I'll have to look into it. I already have my birth support team organised, so that's all cool. Just need the hospital. Oh yeah and I guess I need to be pregnant too ROFL!

Spot on Sarah - if you want to birth in a Private Hospital, you need to be under the care of an Ob. Pretty silly considering it is the hospital midwives that are with you during the labour and not them!

I would like to see Private Hospitals run programs similar to the "Get to Know your Midwife" programs public hospitals run, that way we can build a relationship with those most likely to share our labour and delivery experiences with us - even if we still have to be (technically) under the care of an Ob!

Many birth centres will not take VBAC women anyway :(

Bummer. So I'm going to have to find a decent public hospital around here or go with an OB. Kelly what would you think is the best option? I don't have my own OB/gyn as it is, unless my IVF guy does it, in which case I'd probably use him.

I suppose if I wasn't having a homebirth I would find a VBAC supportive Ob who is fully supportive of your wishes. Might have to do some research ;) Often IVF doctors can be more medical (but not always the case) so suss out how he feels about it all and what 'conditions' they have for VBAC. Have a skim through the article VBAC - Under Whose Terms to find out what you might be up against in terms of 'conditions' and ask how they feel about all those things :) xx

Thanks Kelly :D I guess it's good to be doing it all now before I have time constraints IYKWIM.

Just on the topic of using a privte hospital without having an ob... can you give birth in a public hospital and then transfer to a private hospital for your post-natal care?
If I have another baby, I am not that keen on the same post-natal experience i had this time.

No you can't - you need an Ob signed in for your care unfortunately. Maybe you could hire your own private midwife for post-natal care?

I highly doubt it Karina. I think that you have to go the 'whole hog' with the Private hospital.
But check, I could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time).

you are correct you cant transfer from a public to a private after the birth, you can however pay for or request a private room in a public hospital and pay for your own Ob to attend a public hospital, it is up to your Ob. It is going to be really hard though firstly finding one that you like, then one the respects your wishes and desicions. Especially if you "have an opinion of your own" LOL. I am still trying to decide what we will do, I hate my care last time, I didnt know anyone was handed over in the middle of shifts without introduction, had no idea what was going on and after DS was born and taken to the NICU I was left alone in a room with no idea what was happening. I think this time I am going to stay at home as long as possible and discharge into a home care program immediatley, I am a bit chicken on the homebirth thought. I'm like you though have to get pg first though. 6months and counting. Good luck and good on you for allowing yourself enough time for all these choices.