Is private really better

[Kylie33]

I am 8 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child. I had my other 2 at Logan Hospital as a public patient, and did share-care with my GP. I had no problems with the hospital, midwifes or the level of care that I received (Despite spending a total of 3 weeks in hospital due to an Unstable Lie in the second pregnancy!). (Only saw an OB twice in both pregnancies). During this time I did not have to pay a cent.
I now have private health insurance (with MBF) and am wondering whether I should get my money's worth and go private - probably at Sunnybank Private. I am worried that I may be hit with additional expenses.

Since it has been 4 years since I had my last baby, can anyone tell me whether they have had any experience of Logan Hospital lately? Has it changed at all?

Does anyone have experience with using Sunnybank Private as a MBF network hospital? If so, did they end up paying anything other than the excess? Any recommendations for OBs who participate in the MBF Gap Scheme?

[tickle]

I personally had problems with the Logan but not with the Maternity ward, it was in emergency.
I don't know much about going private, as I went public at the Mater (it was GREAT!). But as far as I know from family and friends you do pay on top of your cover if you do go private. I'm not sure how much but I'm sure there are plenty of people here who can tell you.

Have a great day. :)

[Kylie33]

I had considered the Mater as well as I have heard great things...But I live near Beaudesert, and since I had 4.5hr and 45min labours with my last 2, I don't want to have to travel too far.

[happyone]

Hi all, I was just currently in your position. My husband and I got private health a year ago for when we TTC. As time got closer I thought I'd do some investigation.

For me it came down to the birth I wanted. Personally I don't want to labour as naturally as possible.

After reading numerous times and also hearing from two friends that are midmives that private OB's are far more likely to intercede and that you're more likely to have a caesarian I have decided to go to a birthing centre. Also if possible I would like a water birth and in Adelaide there is not private hospital that will let you do so. Not to mention that even though I have top cover the Ob's Gap can be anywhere between $800 -$2500!

So in the end I'm going public. But just think about what you want for your baby's birth and also what you can afford.
Hope that helps. I took ages to decide, it's a big decision. Good luck. :)

[tickle]

Hey, I live in Logan Village. We're neighbours!!
I felt that I had to go to the Mater. My experience at the Logan was really bad, but I have also read on Bubhub about other mums that have had great experiences.
Beaudesert maternity ward has still not re-opened, pretty sad hey.
Have a look in the Research thread about the Costs of having a baby. It seems most people are out of pocket in the end by about $2000 - 3000 in private. I guess it depends on your fund though.
We can get to the Mater from our place in about 30 -35 min. Not much help if you have a 45 min labor though!! :rolleyes:

[LittleBoysRock]

I had my baby in a public hospital in WA 12 weeks ago. I would seriously reccomend going private.

I have private cover but had problems getting a OB/GYN at only 8 weeks pregnant.

I found the hospital I was at to be grossly under-staffed and as a result my health and the health of my baby were compromised.

Best of luck with the pregnancies and hope you find a fab hospital. New Mummies deserve the very best of care...don't settle.

[Jamily]

Hello

I have private cover but went public at the Birth Centre for bub. I had my own room and massive ensuite with birthing pool, hubby could stay the night with me etc. My antenatal appointments were all on time and the support I received from my midwives was second to none....and I didn't pay a penny. Hopefully no. 2 will be joining us in the next few years and I will be back to the public system without hesitation.

[Kylie33]

[QUOTE=olivers*mum]Hey, I live in Logan Village. We're neighbours!!

Hey Olivers*mum, good to hear from someone who lives so close!

Thanks for your replies everyone. It is nice to know that other people have a hard time choosing as well, and that it is not automatic that if you have private cover that you will go private.

I was talking to my hubby last night who said he would prefer me to go public at Logan. He thought they were excellent last time. They let him get really involved, they didn't try to intervene. He also says that it makes it easier to visit with the 2 older kids because parking is easier and it is closer to home. The Share-Care arrangement also made it easier as I visited my own GP most of the time (other than booking in and from about 34 weeks at the hospital), and was comfortable with doing that. He doesn't know why I would think about anything else when we had such good experiences previously! Maybe I am just trying to get value out of the health insurance.

[cosmic]

I know what you mean Kylie. We purposely upgraded our private health cover to cover us for pregnancy and have now decided (for all the reasons previously mentioned here) to go public. We will use a birth-centre with bath/birth-pool, and have full care by the mid-wife team there.

Makes me a bit annoyed about having paid the extra premium for all this time. I guess we can get a private room afterwards, but I even hear of lots of public patients who get a private room. :rolleyes:

[Lil X-men]

I went public at the Mater and it was great, will do the same with my next bub. I prefer seeing the midwife team to the OB's though, most of them were from overseas and I couldn't understand a word they were saying. Anyone else find that?

[Joey]

Hi, I'm Andre - Joey's husband. We lost our first at 12 weeks on 13/02/04, it was terrible seeing the ultrasound. The absence of a heartbeat should have warned us, but neither of us realised anything was amiss until the lady with the scanner started acting strangely. The time between when the technician left the room, and when a doctor returned to explain to us what was wrong, was the longest and scariest of my life. It's all a bit of a blur now, but I recall the staff being excellent - very supportive and caring, with counselling offered immediately.

Ultimately we decided to return the following Monday (it was Friday afternoon) for a D and C. This is when our experience with the public system turned sour.

After a long, sad, very quiet weekend, upon reporting back to the appropriate section on Monday, we were told there was no record of Joey being booked in and to take a seat - 'someone will be with you shortly.'

I can't recall timeframes now, but we all know what public hospital waiting rooms are like. What seemed like ages (probably hours) later, Joey's details were taken, followed by more waiting, and then she was wheeled into out-patients (or something).

The procedure was as smooth as could be expected, but our experience at the RBH made the decision to go private easy.

Joey is due on the 12th Nov. booked at the Mater, if the antenatal classes are any indication of what we'll find then I believe we're in good hands.

[Tubbychook]

I went public at the Mater and it was great, will do the same with my next bub. I prefer seeing the midwife team to the OB's though, most of them were from overseas and I couldn't understand a word they were saying. Anyone else find that?

I totally agree with this one i felt like a fool cause i had to keep asking the OB to repeat himself at my first appointment and as it is my first pregnancy i had no idea what went on. I am also going through the marter though im going to be a public paitent.

Kylie as for the Sunnybank Hospital i have a friend who had both her children there and has had bad expericnes with both of them. With her first she wanst checked to see how far dialated she was and was told she had hours to go and she thought there was no way she was going to go on like this for hours and 10 mins later she nealy gave birth in the shower he dp had to stop her while he called for help little one was born seconds later and came out so fast he tore her at the top and she was a mess then withthe second one she ended up having to have 2 D&C's after the birth as they didnt pick up that part of the placenta had remained behind and she got an infection. Plus i also know of 3 lother ladies who have had US at the diagnostic centre there only to be told there was something really wrong with their babies and had to wait antoher few days for a more detailed scan at the Mater to be told that there was nothing wrong at all and guess what all 3 came out 100% healthy. When my dr suggested there as an option for my US i told her not in a million years.

Best of luck what ever you decide.

Shannon and Bubba Squirt EDD 2/3/06

[tickle]

I found the Mater antenatal classes were great too. I had no problems with the Mater at all, besides the OB. But you can always expect to have a personality clash with someone when you are dealing with so many people in a sometimes stressful situation. Or maybe it was just that I misunderstood him, he also had an accent!!

[claire&declan]

I had my first son at Mater Private in 2003. I was induced 2 weeks early and ended up with 3rd degree tears due to a v.big baby. The staff could not have been any more helpful than what they were. Their first and foremost importance was to keep me comfortable and to be honest I recall the obst. exact words the second night I was there to a nurse was "I don't care what you have to do to make this lady comfortable but that is what needs to be done, take the baby to the nursery and make sure she gets a good sleep". I was not able to take care of him that night as I was in so much pain. I am now booked in to have #2 in Jan. I stayed there for 6 nights and they would have been happy for me to stay longer if that is what I needed. Claire

[kelbel]

Hi, I had my son by emergency c/section 13 months ago. I went private and only had to pay $250 excess to the hospital that my fund didnt cover. We had a huge private room, bacon and eggs for brekkie everyday (i was in for 7 days) and my hubby was allowed to stay over. We are expecting again, and i will for sure go private again. Our fund is SGIC.

Anyway, goodluck

Ciao

[FlowerPower]

Hi, We went private (North West). The OB was also private and we had to pay for everything. Our private cover did not cover the full cost of the OB. We had to go thru Medicare. The hospital stay was fully covered. I did not enjoy the hospital stay, as they were short staffed. We had no nappies supplied, so my DH had to go and buy some for me.

We had a very large bill for the anethesiast (not sure of the spelling) and that was not covered either by private health cover. I know I am re-thinkg private on my 2nd bub.

[tonic0]

I had both of my babies at the North West, and I couldn't recommend it more highly. My ObGyn Chris Price's rooms are on site and I had all scans and bloodwork on the premises as well. We had tours of the hospital and antenatal also on site. When the time came I knew exactly where I would be, what to expect and with whom. No waiting as a number in a corridor for some nameless doctor to see you.
The rooms were great - I shared for the first day but had my own room for the rest of my stay, both with ensuite which is important when you have issues in your southern regions which you don't wish to share. With bub # 2 I had a queen sized bed and my hubby stayed some of the time. Staff were fantastic and even made sure there were snacks for the toddler on number 2.
We all have different experiences, but I found that I needed the security of knowing at least what my enviroment would be like when it all happened. There are enough question marks at that time as it is.

Forgot to mention that I had menu choices of food every day, hubby meals and vino !!

[Mamaduke]

With our first son, I just missed out on the waiting period on our private health so I ended up going to a ob privately (friend of my dad's - "mates rates"!!!) but had our baby in Box Hill Hospital - Birralee. Jesse was born 4 weeks prem (4lb 1oz) after an emergency c/s. The midwives at Birralee were fantastic, they always came in to make sure I had enough pain medication (loved them for that!) and their bedside manner was exceptional. Can't really tell you about the doctors, can't really remember seeing any other than a masked man who said he was a doctor in surgery!
With our second son I went to a private hospital (won't mention the name).
My doctor was absolutely fantastic - really caring and always took the time to ask Jesse how he was and to tell him what was going on with mummy.
The hospital where I had Lucas however was a different story. Trying to get pain medication other than Panadol (after a c/s) felt like you were dipping into the staff's stash. Unlike Birralee, I was being pressured to leave early - even though I had had a c/s under g/a, then developed a spinal headache from all of the spinal blocks that didn't work, and still wasn't able to breastfeed. One night when I was in excruciating pain from the spinal headache I was offered a Panadol in 'half an hour's time', I rang my mum (as you do) crying and she rushed in. My doctor was called and he gave me Pethidine (thank God), but if it were up to the midwives I would have just had Panadol!
To sum it up, the room at the private hospital was lovely (except for the cackling hens on nightshift just outside my door!), food was great, they would take the baby if I wanted to have a rest and so forth, but I honestly found the bedside manner and general concern for my and bub's wellbeing to be much more sincere at the public hospital.
If I didn't have to have c/s under a general I would go to a public hospital for sure, but because of my troubles during birth I am going to go private again - just not to that hospital.
Good luck
Carly
mama to...
Jesse 4
Lucas 16 mths

[CrazyBeautiful]

Hi, We went private (North West). The OB was also private and we had to pay for everything. Our private cover did not cover the full cost of the OB. We had to go thru Medicare. The hospital stay was fully covered. I did not enjoy the hospital stay, as they were short staffed. We had no nappies supplied, so my DH had to go and buy some for me.

We had a very large bill for the anethesiast (not sure of the spelling) and that was not covered either by private health cover. I know I am re-thinkg private on my 2nd bub.

I agree with you FlowerPower regarding the out of pocket expenses by going private. Apart from the OB's gap payment, which is in the thousands, I to had a very large Anaethetists bill for a consultation of about 20 minutes and then the epidural didn't work properly anyway. The out of pocket expenses for that was in the hundreds. Everything is free in the public system.

[Peaceangels]

Have done both - Private with #1 and Public with #2 and the only difference I found personally was the food was better in Private (nothing major really!!).
I found the level of care excellent with both.
We have private health cover, but you still pay excess fees, plus there was the OB fees, but with Public I did not pay a cent. I also found the pregnancy checkups at the public clinic so much more involved - they spent alot more time, asked alot more questions about me and my mental and physical health than the OB ever did.
Not saying I am against OB's (we just couldn't afford it 2nd time round on one wage), this is just my personal experience nothing more nothing less.

[Bronwyn]

I guess the whole public v private thing also depends on your pregnancy and whether you feel you need your own specialist.

when I fell pregnant my parents agreed to cover the out of pocket expences (I have private health cover) as my mum had a very very bad first pregnancy and would not have lived thru it without her own ob. I too followed in her pregnancy footsteps and ended up in hospital with blood pressure at 28 weeks so I was very glad that I had my own ob. I'm sure I would have been looked after publicly but felt much more at ease knowing I was seeing the same ob each visit.

Our out of pocket expense with ob was $900 but everything else was covered, oh $50 for the first visit to hospital but all the other visits were covered, the aneathatist (???spelling) was fully covered and I'd had a general.

I loved the private hospital I was in, I guess they got to know me over the last few months of my pregnancy (they saw me enough times).

I'm sure there is nothing wrong with public if you have no complications thru pregnancy and birth but I would go private again next time.

[sarah81]

I would say go private, the out of pocket expenses are nothing compared to the peace of mind of knowing your own Doctor and having own paediatrician after the birth.

I went public with my first baby and it was a bad experience. He was distressed and the registrar barely spoke english, he may have known his stuff but he couldn't communicate it with me. Following the birth I had concerns about my son and the various paediatricians that I saw were not helpful and there was little to no continuity of care.

The second time I went private, really enjoyed seeing the same ob the whole pregnancy and being able to understand what she was saying. It was great during delivery to have a familar face and be sure you could trust her judgement in a sticky situation. I also liked having my paed who was willing to discuss concerns and knew my son. At 6 weeks by DS was sick and admitted to hospital and I used him again and it was great to have seen him before and he knew DS history.

That being said the midwives were no different and food and accomodation was comparable. I guess the main issue for me was continuity of care.

Sarah 24
DP 29
DS1 March 03
DS2 May 05 :)

[mrsbutterflygirl]

I can't say which one to go with but my sister has gone with both at many different hospitals (she has 4 kids) and she said go private especially with your first... which is what i am having... but other than that she said go public if you know it's a good hospital.

She actually had her second at Logan and it was the worst of all her births.