Wanderlust

Just wondering - if anybody did - if you went public or private and what your experiences were like?
Any input welcome!

Cheers!

W.

BadgeIsBack

Public. Great experience. Highly recommended, especially midwife led mobs. Midwifes are better than doctors in my opinion, a midwife sees birth as natural, if painful, a doctor sees it as an 'illness' that he might have to fix at some point.

Pay thousands in private fees and you might just end up with a scar, whilst the doctor ends up on the Golf Course playing another round.

Luckly Chief is very focused and very fit and this helped a great deal. They complimented her on her perfect text book birth and that she only had to push for 30 mins. At one point, she even asked the midwifes to leave the room so she could concentrate!

Equpment was good, nice fitted out rooms and waiting areas.

Only bad thing was the TV programming on at the time. Wasn't much to watch.

We'll go public next time too.

ozzieeagle

We've had 4 here, all home births. The first back in 83 was quite traumatic in the early stages. My wife a Nurse, who has some idea as to how the medical profession works, and also very fit in the physical sense. Was deemed by the treating doctor at the Royal womens here in Melbourne, as to be useful as a guinea pig, so after our first consultation, gave same unspecified "helpful herba"l tablets to my wife "to see the effects on pregnant women" My wife vowed never to go back there after just one visit. She opted instead for a home birth, which was viewed in this country especially at that time as "weirdo" stuff and any doctor likely to participate in the area of home Births, would incur the wrath of the Medical Board of Australia. We ended up finding only one of two Doctors in Melbourne that were dedicated enough to participate in Home births.

The doctor actually did end up getting struck off, It's a long story, But Dr John Stephenson is a pioneering Legend in this town, especially amongst Midwives and non interventionist types, and was the Catalyst for a lot of change in the way hospitals now approach Birthing, in Victoria and around Australia..

We had our last child here 9 years ago, again at home, in comfortable and professional fashion (the English home birthing midwife, bought lots of hi tech gear). Unfortunately unlike most of Europe it is was fairly difficult even then to get a non interventionist type of birthing experience if one is confident enough and healthy enough to take that path.

Hopefully things have changed if one wants a Natural experience in this town.

walaj

not given birth yet. Going public, would have had to wait (I think) a year in Oz before getting pregnant to be covered privately

experience so far
care is based at a hospital, rather than (in UK) at GP surgery. Can choose if want DR or midwife care (as above preference for midwife).
last visit was with Dr (at hospital), in curtained off cubilcal so was not much privacy from other pregnant lady in the next cubilcal
Timing and number of scans in UK depended upon where you live - here had choice of scan around 13wks (done at a private company nr hospital) which was charged for and most of the cost claimed back on medicare - in UK where I lived I would have had to pay to go private.
next scan is being done at a different hospital and is fully covered by medicare
no free prescriptions like the UK (so far this cost has been around $50)
In UK saw just the one midwife throughout pregnancy & just after returning home with bubs, here not seen same person twice as depends who is on duty

there has been a midwife her in Oz that has posted on here (can't remember her user name) and she is in no doubt public is better

Wanderlust

Excellent input! Keep em coming folks!

W

hawk2005

My wife had a baby at the Angliss in FernTree Gully 4 months ago (public) - she had a private room (with a view of Bordy's backyard - get rid of the empties mate), place was spotless, first class service. My other 3 kids were born at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, again where the staff were first class but the place was a bit dirty.

A girl who sits near me at work went private for her first birth, & is going public for her impending second as she reckons she got ripped off for the first. It seems thats quite common in Oz.

gedge

We're going public, 6 weeks and counting. So far so good.
Had 3 lots of mates become parents in the last 12 months or so, 2 public and 1 private. No complaints from anyone.
Seems that the extras with private mean you get your own Doc, cable TV and a higher chance of an open top delivery (like badge, err.. TNQR said).

stevemich

Like Gedge, will be trying it out in a few weeks time so will report back then!!

So far all visits have been quick, friendly and hasstle free. Hospital (Royal North Shore in Sydney) is really nice with dedicated birth rooms with sofas, tv's stereo and those big beach ball things (bring back memories of my 'spacehopper' days! ).

Going public like a lot of people seem to have done - although that was th OH was far too fertile and got up the duff before our insurance waiting period expired...

No complains so far though!

kimi

Hi

Yes I have had 2 babies here, both births in Joondalup Private Hospital.

Would highly recommend going Private and the hospital.

Cannot really say why it was better than public because never had a baby delivered in a public ward. I think if you had to make the decision you need to walk around and get a feel of both hospitals and take it from there.

HTH

Kim

Big Galah

Public. Our little girl was born in the Canberra hospital 18 months ago. Absolutely nothing wrong with the staff/facitities (apart from the insistence on continuing with breastfeeding when it obviously wasn't working).

She was taken to intensive care on the second day, which is where she would have ended up regardless of public/private anyway. Scare lasted 4 days but thankfully everything turned out fine (best day of your life followed by the worst - phew!).

Friends who went private wondered if they'd wasted a lot of money.

gedge

Are you like me too in asking the wife to keep her legs crossed till July 1?
You know the baby bonus (maternity payment) increases by $1000.
Read more here.
We're due 24 hours too early. I've already warned the bub.

stevemich

Go on - wind me up!
a) I bloody hope she does not go to the 1st July (my birthday - I do not want to share the day , and it would mean she is 2 weeks late and I am too impatient to cope with that!)
b) I am on a 457 visa so am entitled to bugger all anyway! (I think!). Ahh well.

gedge

whoops, one too many assumptions on my part, sorry mate!
What's money got to do with it anyway?

soapy©

u kept that quiet


good luck to both of u mate

ill have a large when it arrives july 2nd

stevemich

If that is the case, you could always give me the extra $1,000 if your missus manages to keep it in until 1st July!
that would be a nice birthday pressie for me

(address can be provided for the resulting wedge of cash)