Private vs public hospital for delivery,
I’m leaning towards private, and yes we know we’ll be out of pocket, but I’ll be classed as high risk due to a medical issue.
What did you like about the hospital that you delivered in? What was great about private?
17 Replies
I was extremely high risk so went private and with top cover was out of pocket $12k (obstetrician, surgeons, paediatricians, physio etc).
What was great about it was that my choices mattered and were respected because I was paying, what I wanted happened immediately such as epidural wasn’t delayed. They offered so much extra support, I had a private room with excellent meals. Had two midwives allocated to me who were there within a few seconds of ringing for help.
This time I’m going public as simply cannot afford private again however so far they’ve been absolutely excellent and we are going to the best public hospital in the major city :)
I have only birthed in the public sector and at the same major city hospital so I don't really have anything to compare it to but here is my feelings.
First 2 kids were pretty smooth sailing.
My 3rd made me vow that If I had any more, I'd sell my soul to the devil to go private.
My baby measured big at my 36 week scan, like alarmingly big but they were still happy for me to try for a natural delivery as my previous babes were on the bigger side too.
She ended up breach a few days before my due date - I wanted to book in for a c section but they insisted I try the manual turning procedure first, she flipped on her own but didn't engage in the birth canal so I was at risk of her flipping breach again and had my water broken at home, she was at risk of her umbilical cord exiting the cervix before her body did (potentially cutting off oxygen) the advice I was given regards to that "just shove the cord back in and call an ambulance". Right?!!
Knowing all this, the Doctors made me go 14 days over due because of overcrowding in the hospital, one poor woman came in in labour and ended up delivering in the procedure room because they had nowhere to put her (if you could call it a room, 3 walls and a curtain would be more acurate).
My baby passed her first poo in my tummy because she was so over due, was just lucky she didn't aspirated any. She came out at 10lbs and they suspected undiagnosed GD, her blood sugars needed monitoring and I nearly hemorrhaged because she was so big she nearly got stuck coming out. After that ordeal, they decided I didn't need stitches, the small tears would heal themselves. Well they sure did but the scars and lopsided "healing" still gives me headaches almost a decade later.
If you can afford it, go private.
Also, good luck 💜
Have had both my children in a public hospital- could not fault the care I received. I was induced with both ( first my choice after being well overdue and second because my placenta was shutting down) and the midwives and doctors were more than supportive of my choices in regard to pain relief, where I wanted to be (eg bed, shower, walking around nude). I'm not having any more kids but would do the same again in a heartbeat if I was
I’ve had 3 in private and 2 in public. Last one was born public and ended up in NICU (not due to being born public) and we were there with my SIL sister whose baby had been born private. We had the same care, same meals, same beds. She paid $$$$, I paid nothing.
Yeah I don't understand the need to pay privately for something that you still get the same publically . I've had 8 kids . Only one was a private hospital birth . The other 7 were public and the treatment I recieved from both private and public were exactly the same . Apart from the cost , there really isn't much that's different .
In public don’t you see a different person every time you go for an appointment? Because that’s something I don’t like about public I’d rather see the same doctor each and every time
Different commenter here.
As a public patient, i never saw the same doctor. My hospital is also a learning hospital so many of my doctors were quite inexperienced, which didn't instill a whole lot of confidence.
I saw the same hospital midwife team weekly through, which was made up of about 7 or 8 midwives, so that was a bit less impersonal but it was still luck of the draw which midwife was rostered on when I delivered.
OP here I think I’d definitely rather see the same person every time, and that’s one thing I think I really really want
I have quiet a lot of mummy friends who had their babies privately, and even then , there is no guarantee you'll get your dr of choice at your delivery as they cant be everywhere at once . The doctor you book in with till the end isnt always the one who will be there at the time of birth . That's one thing my private health cover friends had often commented on . They paid for that particular service and in the end, never got it.
If you are high risk, definitely go private. My son probably wouldn't be here if I wasn't closely monitored by my obstetrician.
I went public I was closely monitored by my dr & seen the same dr every visit & he was there for all births.
Baby 1 was private, we seemed to be forking out every visit, the room was second to none, and am glad we had our 1st there. Big private room with king bed, shower, fridge.
Hubby would go to work come back to hospital, they even did a child free evening where we snuck out for dinner and the nurse looked after bub. It cost about $10,000 over the 9 months. Uncomplicated pregnancy and birth.
Food was awesome, but had to stay for 10 days.
No# 2, I was pregnant when #1 was 5 months. We couldn't afford that care nor really wanted to be in there for so long.
Public was probably better medical care. Accommodated for baby #1 in appointments, had the same mid wife even though different hospitals.
The only thing was baby #1 had only been walking a week when baby #2 came and the share room was quite dangerous for a just walking baby.
Lady in bed next to me her kids had hand foot and mouth.
But we could go home after 3 days.
I was public. I had the same midwife the whole way through. I had Gestional Diabetes and had to have some appointments with the closest large hospital and the treatment I received was fantastic.
I had developed a fever during labour and after my emergency csection, bub and I were taken by ambulance to the larger hospital for bub to go into special care nursery for antibiotics and monitoring.
Bub and I had the absolute best care in both hospitals and I would choose to be a public patient in both of them again.
My SIL delivered in a private hospital twice and both times her OB was on holidays when she was due and sge delivered with the midvives and the replacement OB arrived later to check the baby.
I would check with your private hospital and make sure they are capable of looking after a NICU baby or if you would need to be transferred.
If you are high risk private will send you to a public hospital. They are not equipped to deal with high risk births.
That’s not actually true
Some
Private hospitals are set up to deliver high risk
If you are very high risk, you will likely need to deliver in a public hospital as they are the ones with NICU & ICU, for a worst case scenario.
I had my youngest as a private patient in a public hospital. I was high risk as he had a heart condition which meant we were on medication which made it too dangerous for a “natural” birth and he went straight to NICU for a 2 week stay.
By going private in a public, I was able to choose my doctors (was lucky enough to get the head of OB who is amazing), had first pick at private rooms (when they were available - they is policy about who gets them), it cost me nothing for my hospitalization as they wave the excess on your cover.
I plan to do this again should we have more children. It was fantastic and they looked after my family.
B