have no idea where to start..

[happychild]

hi girls!


Just got confirmation today from GP that i AM pregnant!! already 8 weeks!! am very very excited!

unfortunately, we were not prepared so even though i have health insurance...unfortunately, I don't health insurance that covers obstetrics.

Looks like I have to go with the public system - which i have heard so far is quite good...

I have lots of questions and have no idea where to find answers...so pls let me know what you think and what your experiences are:

Which Sydney public hospital is good? I live inner west and wouldnt mind going to Westmead, RPA or RNS.
can private hospitals take public patients? how does that work?
How do i put my hand up for a public hospital? do i still have to get an obstetrician? Will I need a referral from my doctor etc?
Can I go public and still have my own obs?
How does this process (of getting a spot with the public system) all work?
I am aware I am running out of time to be picky...so any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!

[NibbleCurlynBub]

It depends on who you ask.. But I have birthed twice (soon to be a third time) with no OB, just midwives.

Do some research before wading into it all and tour hospitals too.

What kind of care you choose will depend on the kind of birth you hope to achieve.

Oh, and you are not running out of time. I am 20-ish weeks and am not yet into it all.

[Amara]

Private hospitals do take public patients but the costs involved will be high particularly if your baby ends up in special care or intensive care or if you require intervention.

The difference between public & private hospitals basically is that you can choose who delivers your baby in a private one and that in some private ones you will be guaranteed a private room. In a public one you get whoever is on duty & only get a private room if you are sick or have had a c section and that's not guaranteed.

Public hospitals are better equipped to deal with emergencies than some private hospitals.

You need a referral to the hospital and to an OB if you want one.

You can just see the midwives at the hospital throughout your pregnancy or you can choose to see a private OB for your appointments.

In a public hospital you will birth with the aid of midwives but a doctor will step in if complications occur.

I gave birth at a public hospital & can highly recommend it. I had my own OB just for appointments.

[MelissafromSyd]

Congratulations on your pregnancy :)

The options are:

private hospital - you would have to pay all the fees and this can be pretty expensive - several thousand dollars - maybe even $10,000 if you have a caesarean or your baby goes to the nursery.

Public hospital - free. Call the hospital to book in (see your GP to get a referral to the hospital and then call them to arrange to book in). The midwifery-led options such as team midwifery or birth centre care book out fairly fast, so call early if you want to access them. If you don't get into the midwifery-led options, it might be a case of having antenatal clinic care during your pregnancy where you might have a different midwife at each visit. Labour and birth care would be provided by midwives you would not have met, and then a different group of midwives would look after you after your baby is born.

The other option is private midwifery care - home birth or hospital birth. A midwife of your choice would provide all of your pregnancy, birth and postnatal care (home birth) or pregnancy care, birth in hospital with the private midwife as a knowledgable birth support person, and then postnatal care at home with your midwife. You don't need a doctor's referral to access this service - just contact the midwife directly.

RNS only take women in the area, so you might be choosing from RPA and Westmead. Both are major hospitals that deal with the sickest and most high risk pregnancies. You might not wish to have your baby in such an environment if you're healthy and low-risk - the exception is that RPA has a birth centre for healthy, low risk women.

Good luck with your decisions :)