poppet

I have not had a baby in Australia so am not able to answer the OP's query, however I would like to comment that I had a bad experience in the UK. Other couples at the same hospital, similar time, had a much better experience. From talking to people it appears that it depended on which staff you got - most were very dedicated to their job, a few saw it as an 8-8 then get the hell out of there. Sad to say but true. I think this is the same anywhere. People will always have good and bad experiences - particularly as pregnancy, labour and birth is something that varies so dramatically from woman to woman. I have a friend here in Sydney who had a baby girl 6 weeks ago through Medicare and she has no complaints. If I have another child then I have no problem with having him/her in Australia or the UK but I will be keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get the same attitudes from the healthcare professionals that I got last time.

arkon

If we had another and we were still in Oz then we would now have it here as we now know how it all works. All I was trying to say is the last thing you need when emigrating is to add even more potential trouble into the mix and in my view it would be less stressfull all round to have your baby in the UK. with systems and friends and family you know. I don't know if it's the OP's first but if it is you can't underestimate how important it will be to have friends and family close at hand and being on the other side of the planet along way away from your comfort zone doesn't seem to me the best thing for a 1st mum to be.

cranni

I understand that,
And luckily my family where all around me when i had my children, and they where great.
God knows, it would have been just awful the things i went through, and not have my family around me. Thank god i had finished when we came here.
Sorry i misunderstood you.
Hope if you have another child, you will have a better experience, as it is and i still believe through all our grief that its the most wonderful experience.
Denise

movetoperth

I had my first 2 boys in Scotland, everything was fine, no problems other than the usual "get this baby out of me" sort of thing.

My 3rd son was born here in Perth, in Joondalup hospital, public bit, everything was fab, i had 2 midwives in attendance when he was born and an ob lurking outside the door just incase he was required (which he wasn't). My son had a slight problem when he was delivered, all sorted out with the minimum fuss, i was stitched up then went on to the ward, it was 2 to a room unlike the 8 i'd had in Scotland and they were happy for me to head home 12 hours later, but would have been equally as happy for me to stay for a few days.

My next one will be born in the same place and I'll go public again, i could go private this time as my insurance would cover most of it, but i don't see the point, i have been happy with the care i've had from midwives for all 3 of my boys, in my opinion they are much better at the delivering of babies and care of mothers than the docs are.

I've maybe been lucky with my experiences.

Lynn

IvanM

Find out about your local hospital and ask questions. Some private hospitals have very high caeserarian rates and some public hospitals have poor reputations. The main benefit of private is your choice of obstetrician where as is a public hospital you more likely to be dealt with by students or less experienced doctors.

Public is more likely to be less interventionist. Anyhow without visiting your local hospital you will still be in the dark. For all things baby down under check out www.essentialbaby.com.au . There are forums on birthing experiences at particular hospitals that may interest you.

Larissa

Private hospitals have much higher CSection rates than public, some as much as 70% which is startling when WHO recommends about 15%. Other intervention rates such as epistomy are also much higher. Make sure you find out as much as possible and write a detailed birth plan to ensure you get the care you require.
You will find though that public hospitals are cleaner and more efficient in comparison to the NHS.
You may also find it a more challenging system if you want a VBAC (vaginal birth after CSection) and hospitals vary widely in whether you will be supported in this. Anyone looking for info on this check out "Birthrites".
http://www.birthrites.org/ You can also find info on different hospitals and Obseatricians. Unfortunately it's hard to get actual figures on different hospitals, so you have to ask around.
Another good website for all things baby & Aus is http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/ it has loads of pregnancy info and you can ask about different hospitals, obsteatricians etc.
BTW Perth is the only state which has government funded homebirths, this is done through KEMH (Subiaco) but you need to apply quickly... or look at hiring an independent midwife. http://wchs.health.wa.gov.au/service...ery/models.htm
Many women are turning towards homebirth due to the high intervention rates (and bad experiences) in hospital and good outcomes being found in homebirth research... although I'm not that brave.
If you are near a large hospital you may be able to use a family birth centre, which is a more homely, less clinical, low intervention environment. The one in this link is joined to the main hospital and you can be transferred in 3 minutes if things don't go to plan http://wchs.health.wa.gov.au/service...index.htm#what
Some Aussie women are choosing to employ doulas in labour, which might be worth considering too. http://www.alabouroflove.com.au/doulas/philosophy.htm
Be aware that some peripheral hospitals don't have 24 hour theatres, so if you have any concerns you may want to go to a larger hospital.
Also be aware that services in remote and rural Australia are struggling due to service cuts... you will be much better served in a metropolitan area.
Personally I've found being pregnant in Australia means many more tests than given in the UK. It's a much more clinical approach and it's almost like they expect things to go wrong. There is also a bit of a dumbing down attitude in that doctors don't expect you to ask questions or understand the various procedures, hopefully I can feed back positively on the birth experience within a few days.
Atb and congratulations!

baglady

Thanks for that info Rachel. It's a shame (don't they know that home births are actually statistically safer than hospital ones?!). Is there an equivalent of the NCT over there?

To Mr & Mrs James, I'd say don't let any scare stories frighten you. You'll hear horror stories about bad experiences in pregnancy and labour from the moment you know you're pregnant, wherever you are, and the last thing you need is this added stress. Pregnancy is not an illness, just trust your body. keep healthy and try not to worry. As long as you don't get caught short in the middle of the outback I'm sure you'll have a wonderful birth experience and the advantage of knowing that having a new baby provides excellent opportunities to get out and make new friends!

Congratulations!

seasprite

Cant comment on differences, only had two in Uk. Hospital quite dirty, staff under pressure,left to it a bit! Do lots of reasearch on birthing as second time I was more confident as I had read a fabulous "beanbag" type book detailing the actual birth process in a natural way, how to work with your body and the pain etc. Very useful and gave me info the midwives didnt seem to know but was true ! Sorry rambling a bit. In essence, listen to your body, dont be "bullied", but obviously take their advice if baby is ever in danger. It is a fabulous experience and enjoyable despite a bit of pain! You will feel empowered. p.s sorry didnt answer question...

The Koalas

Hi mr&mrs james

I have read through some of the posts about this and would just like to add my comments.
My partner gave birth to triplets in Oz, they were conceived through IVF there too. I can not praise enough the excellent care and help we received through out, from conception to birth and after. I do not know what it would be like compared to UK but all I can say is the service we recieved at the Brisbane Mater Mothers Hospital was excellent. My partner after the birth had complications and was rushed back in for blood transfusions etc and they saved my OH's life. Two of my boys were kept in the baby unit for two weeks and the smallest for three weeks, again I can not fault the service. The nursing staff and the doctors who looked after my OH and Sons throughout were fantastic. I honestly believe if we had stayed in the UK we would never have had the boys due to high costs and waiting lists for IVF. I have two sets of friends who both had twins in Oz and they have only praise for the hospitals and systems. We never had family and friends from the UK around us as we were living in Brisbane at the time, this did not worry us, we simply kept in touch via the Internet and posted pics within hours of the boys birth.
I know there is good and bad with the UK and Oz and it's not just in those two countries, in Holland three of our friends had babies, the first two swore they would never have another in a Dutch hospital due to none use of drugs etc and when they tore during birth they never helped. The third had complications during her birth and the hospital staff were marvelous, they almost lost the one baby girl but the staff and doctors eventualy helped deliver a healthy baby.
So it certainly is your own personal experiences and no one birth is the same.
If we can go to Oz and have triplets then anything is possible, we only had each other but we got through it ok.

midwifetanya

Hi All,

As you can probably see from my screen name, I am a midwife and have worked in public/NHS and private in both Aus and the UK, and have seen excellent treatment and horrendous treatment in all places.
It's a real lottery unfortunately.

Tanya

midwifetanya

Oh yes, and episiotomies are done in Aus!!

BadgeIsBack

I have no UK experience to contrast, but our Australian birth in a midwife led public hospital was textbook. I was impressed by the staff, and we didn't spend a cent. I didn't see the point of paying thousands just to end up with a C-section.

So much so, my wife was asked to come in to the hospital and talk to future candidates. Her fitness and focus helped a great deal too, they were seriously impressed - it was a very quick labour for a first baby. It didn't surprise me one bit - I knew she had it in her - that's why I married her!

RReed

Larissa!
Thank you for all that info. You are a midwife's dream. There is nothing better than supporting a woman who has done her research and knows what she wants. I wish more women felt able to do this instead of listening to old wives tales or trusting the 'experts'.
Rachel

Drewster

My wife had our son Sydney 13 months ago - we had private health coverage but the pregnancy was only covered as it was a corporate membership. If you apply for private health now it WILL not cover pregnancy as you have to be a member for a year before that coverage kicks in with all private health companies. Don't know what the public care is like but haven't heard anything negative from any of our friends.

The hospital we used was fantastic and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

TillyG

Butting in but CONGRATULATIONS!!! I hope you're all doing well