marialitizia

Hi all,

I've previously posted on here before about having a baby in Australia and the requirements needed for parental leave pay etc.

I'm now wondering if there are parents on this forum who have moved from the UK to Australia (specifically Sydney if possible) and have had a baby when they arrived in Aus.

- How much did it cost roughly?
- Would you have done anything differently i.e had the baby in the UK first?
- Was there any support available to you from the government?

I guess I'm just trying to get my head around all aspects of the 'do I have a baby before or after the move - dilemma'. It's especially prominent in my mind now that the government are changing the 457 visa and things could change farther in the future. I think at this point myself and my partner are really itching to make the move to Sydney, but we also want to start our family so it's a difficult decision and I could use any and all advice anyone has for me.

Thanks,
Maria x

Amazulu

I'm sure you can get it all done on Medicare. Shouldn't cost you anything

xizzles

Hang on. This isn't the NHS, where just about anyone (I'm deliberately, consciously and purposefully omitting any reference whatsoever to skin colour, ethnicity and religious affiliation to avoid the usual Nazi references and accusations of racism) can rock up, have a child or two or three and leave the taxpayers saddled with the bill, thank you very much.

457s might not even qualify for subsidized childcare, I'm not sure they would be in the running for free obstetrics and gynaecological care just like that. Reciprocal health care arrangements are, to my (admittedly limited knowledge) reserved only for emergency cases.

You can't quite call a 9 month event "an emergency"

marialitizia

I didn't think Medicare would cover such a thing as pregnancy and birth, but I've done some research and come across this:

"Choosing a Doctor - Public vs Private
There is a choice between private and public pre-natal care in Australia. Some health care schemes cover the costs of private obstetricians and care, but it is worth checking with the doctor which costs are covered when making decisions about whether to use private or public services.

Care through the public system under the Medicare system needs a referral by the doctor. The birth should take place at the hospital and there are usually no costs provided there is valid Medicare cover.

In many areas a woman has the choice of family doctor, obstetrician or midwife to care for her during pregnancy. It is normal for midwives to care for low-risk pregnancies only, while obstetricians oversee higher risk pregnancies. Midwives clinics operate in some public hospitals, and are free to Medicare holders.

Women without a Medicare card have to pay for their own treatment and care."

Obviously being from the UK, we do have that agreement in place with Australia that we qualify for Medicare, so I think this could be something to look in to. My partner would qualify for a skilled visa as he is a Secondary School Teacher, so this would give us the option for the PR route. Perhaps that would help us with the healthcare cover.

I would still love to hear from any expats experience of having a baby in Australia though, so please let me know if there are any of you on here!

Thanks x

xizzles

Here's some more information for you that I came across: "British citizens resident in the UK and travelling on a British passport are entitled to limited subsidised health services from Medicare for medically necessary treatment while visiting Australia. This does not cover pre-existing conditions, or treatment that does not require prompt attention."

As I said - I'm no expert - but if you fell pregnant prior to Australia, that sounds suspiciously like a pre-existing condition to me, and if you fell pregnant while in Australia, that might be termed a non-urgent medical need.

marialitizia

Thanks for your research - The Aus.gov website states that anyone with cover from Medicare are entitled to pregnancy and birth cover. The information you've found states a visit, such as a holiday or couple of month visit. I think it may be different in the case of having PR and actively working/living within Australia?

Beoz

Yes. Done it. Though we were both a PR and a citizen.

Many opt for private, we had it covered on our health care, but went public due to private horror stories of paying all the money, not getting your doctor as they may be on a weekend, not getting a private room, if something goes wrong you end up in public anyway.

In the end, public was a breeze. Even got a private room.

Can't recall any costs. ..... um ..... yes parking at the hospital. They fleece you dry for that.

xizzles

Oh, my apologies. Of course it's different! I was under the impression that you and your husband were thinking of going on the 457 (I thought you mentioned your concerns about the recent changes to the 457 scheme). If you're on a permanent visa, you'll be covered.

Good luck!

DeadVim

- How much did it cost roughly?

My freedom.

- Would you have done anything differently i.e had the baby in the UK first?

Condoms.

- Was there any support available to you from the government?

Bottle Shops are legal.

Geordie George

First Born was born in the UK. The Gorilla was born in Aus (Mr GG and I were already citizens by this point). Neither were straight forward births, with both bubs ending up in ICU/HDU. I found the two systems pretty comparable - they're both first world countries, after all. We opted for the public system in Aus, not private. I didn't want the Gorilla's birth to be dictated by the obs' golfing schedule. Having him go through HDU, I was glad not to be worrying about the expense of scans and stuff on top of everything else. I elected for shared care in Aus, which means up until a certain point your antenatal appointments are with a GP (can't remember how many weeks). My GP charged around $60(?) for a standard GP appointment, so we had those costs. But it was just more convenient to be seen by my GP, rather than trekking to the RPA hospital with a toddler for a maternity appointment. I liked that the UK system is very much midwife-led and normalises birth. It's still a bit more medicalised here. But the birthing unit at the RPA was pretty good and the (UK) midwife kept the docs at bay, to let me get on with stuff.

The one thing I would say is don't worry too much about where to have a baby. Think about where you'd prefer to have a newborn. They take time to adjust to (especially if it's your first?). Are you a resilient person, or would you find it too isolating, being at home with a tiny person and no help? I'm an antisocial mare, so being 12,000 miles from family suited me perfectly the second time around. But being pregnant, homeless, with no job and in a different country is stressful (having done just that twice!) - don't underestimate what comes after.

spouse of scouse

Such a lovely and supportive post, and so typical of our kind GG

Pollyana