kashif73

Dear Experts,

I have couple of questions and will greatly appreciate your advice / suggestions. My wife is 8 months pregnant (32 weeks) and we (have PR) are seriously thinking of travelling to Melbourne for the birth of our child.

We've never been to Melbourne before, can anyone kindly recommend good public hospital where my wife can get registered for the delivery? We don't have a medicare card yet. I think first we have to register with medicare and subsequently with the hospital?

Since she is into her 8th month, will she face any difficulty in registering with the GP or a Gyanecologist? I mean at 32 weeks can the doctor refuse to take her case? Sorry for this stupid question

Many thanks for your help.

Buzzy--Bee

I reckon your main difficulty will be getting on a plane as I'm not sure that airlines will carry a lady who is 8 months pregnant.

In the event that is not an issue there will be no problem registering with a doctor. I have heard that Sandringham hospital is to be avoided as there is often no doctor on duty at night. I have not heard bad reports about others.

BB

Pomster

I was told pregnant women are not allowed to fly beyond 28 weeks- when I was pregnant 4 years ago. Occasionally this is extended to 32 weeks, but as far as I am aware never beyond that.

And the other difficulty would be finding space in a maternity hospital. In an emergency you would be treated, but when I found I was pregnant (7 weeks) I was told to get a move on and book into a maternity hospital as soon as possible.

Obviously delivery dates are not fixed, but this does allow hospitals to plan ahead. So you may find tracking down a hospital willing to take your wife on, as difficult as getting her on a plane.

DownUnderPaddy

Although most airlines will allow up to 28 weeks, some will allow up to 32 weeks.
I don't believe any airlines (that I know of anyway) will let you travel at 32+ weeks.

Kiwikaye

In the event you are able to travel, and to answer your original question, The Women's in central Melbourne is very good, and I have heard from friends that Weribbee Hospital is also excellent. The Women's is the main maternity public hospital in Melbourne, so you are perhaps more likely to get a bed there, however it is still leaving it very late. As others have said, your biggest problem ATM is getting on a plane - where are you travelling from? Overall flight times can make a different to airlines, ie. a 3 hour flight from NZ for example is likely to have more leeway than a 24-30 hour flight from UK/Europe.

Petals

Another thing is that if you do not have private health insurance then you get a midwife or a doctor that is on call at the hospital. To have choice of a specialist or a specific doctor you need to have private health.

To have private health to cover for maternity you have to have private health insurance for 12 months, ie cover before you conceive.

fish.01

yes, in case any reader misinterprets this, 3 months cover before you conceive, 12 months from the birth.

moneypenny20

Apart from the fact the airlines are unlikely to allow your wife to fly, would you really want your wife stuck on an aeroplane for xx hours unable to move much? Would she want to be there? I most definitely wouldn't and nor would I want to give birth in a strange hospital in a strange country with no family or friends anywhere close. Hormones are screwed enough without all that.

Give birth in your home country and then sort out the child visa - which is presumably what you're trying to avoid to even think of this idea. It's not complicated.

kashif73

Thank you everyone for your responses.

We are to travel from Islamabad. Qatar Air and Etihad Air allows travel up to 36th week of pregnancy, provided we furnish a letter from her doctor, stating she has an uncomplicated pregnancy (which has been the case so far).

Dear Kiwikaye, I spoke with the doctors in Royal Women's and Weribbee, unfortunately they don't have a space for her. The nurse in Weribbee recommended Sunshine hospital and they do have space in December. Do you have any info about the Sunshine Hosp.?

Dear Petal and Fish, we do not have private health insurance, so obviously we will not have the luxury of chosing a specific doctor, the way we have it here in Islamabad.

Dear MoneyPenny, you've made a valid point. 17 hours flight from ISB + 5 hours transit is a hell lot of time. I'm trying to escape from the Child Visa option. Looks like we might not get a place in the public hospital, hence will have to cancel our planned trip.

Thank you everyone again for your replies. Greatly appreciate that.

moneypenny20

The Child Visa is very straightforward to get. Don't make a problem out of nothing, it's not worth it.

Kiwikaye

Hi Kashif,

A friend of mine had all her children at Sunshine, and she was pretty happy with it. My only personal experience with them was when my daughter broke her arm. To be honest, at 34-36 weeks pregnant, the last thing I would want to do is spend 14 or 15 hours on a plane. As PP have said, I would wait until after the baby is born and then come. I have no personal experience with the child visa as my kids were born in Oz, but if you have PR already, I wouldn't have thought it would be a big deal.

Just a point to remember (assuming this is your first child). My pregnancy was the most straightforward you could get, but my daughter still decided to come nearly 3 weeks early.

Best wishes to you all though!

Bermudashorts

You are trying to avoid applying for a child visa by putting your heavily pregnant wife on a long haul flight?

Why on earth would you do this, surely the cost and inconvenience of flying long haul and paying for hotels etc are not less than applying for a child visa. That is not even to mention the risk of flying at this stage of a pregnancy, what if she went into labour midflight for goodness sake.

kashif73

No, I'm not going to commit that sin

kashif73

Dear Kiwikaye, Thank you for providing the info on Sunshine. Much appreciated.
I think its not worth the risk so we have decided to stay in Islamabad. Many thanks again for your reply. With very best regards,

Kashif