Recommend midwife/obstetrician - north sydney

[kipper09]

Hi - just found out that i'm pregnant (4 wks) & thought best to check on the private health insurance to see what's covered & discovered i'm only covered as a private patient in a public hospital??:confused: Not 100% sure what this means, but I'm guessing my option is the Royal North Shore (public)? -seeing i live in the lower north shore, could you recommend a good midwife or obstetrician who operates through the RNS?
thanks:)

[MelissafromSyd]

Congratulations on your pregnancy! It's very exciting news.

You can have a private obstetrician at a public hospital or attend the public hospital as a public patient. As a public patient, you'll be able to access a range of midwifery prorgams such as team midwifery and caseload. In team midwifery, a small group of midwives do all of your antenatal, birth and postnatal care. In the caseload model, you see the same midwife right the way through. This is free. The other option is for you to have your own private midwife. this is similar to the caseload model - you have your own midwife, except that you pay per privately and you can have a home birth. If you're a healthy woman, the research is showing that homebirth is most likely the safest option for you. Just something to consider.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[BreithCuidiu]

North Sydney Top Options:

Royal North Shore Public - Waterbirth
Dr Michele Batey - Very nice, but remember with an OB (whoever it is) you're more likely to end up with interventions
Homebirth Access Sydney can also point you in the direction toward an Independent Midwife
or
You could just birth at home alone with a Doula and your partner

There are more options than you think :smiliedance: Good luck

[Beahes Doula]

Please do not even consider birthing at home with just your partner and doula. Doula's are a must I agree, but they are not medically trained and therefore not recommended to be your main caregiver in birth. Homebirth is the safest option for healthy women but with the care of a midwife who is trained in homebirths, they bring all the basic medical equipment that may be needed if there is a problem! If you wish to birth in a hospital head to your local and meet the midwives I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised at the wonderful care they can give you and it won't cost you anything!:flowerz:

[mummyJ]

I am currently 24 weeks pregnant and going through the team midwifery program at RNS that MelissafromSyd was talking about.
I have been REALLY happy so far. I will see one midwife the whole way through. My midwife is SOOOO lovely! I have her mobile number so that if anything happens at any stage I can call her directly. Just like an Ob I reckon, but better because we'll most likley have much less intervention.
The program is set-up a little bit like a birth centre, so you have much more natural options available (such as waterbirth which I personally consider soooo important), but you are on site at the hospital should something go wrong.
I am pro midwife and a little anti Ob...so for me the choice is easy. If you do decide to go for RNS group midwifery, I recommend booking in by 6 weeks as it is popular!
Good luck with your decision and CONGRATS!!!