I’ve done both and honestly all my birthing experiences were wonderful. I couldn’t fault either hospital. I guess it would depend on the hospitals in your area etc.

I was covered by a private health fund but I went public because of the hospital I chose. It was a very positive experience and the best choice I made.

i went public and all went well – the staff and amenities were great.

I went private only because I was in a health fund already . I have listened to so many stories and it is a mixture of good and bad . Look at your financial situation and decide for yourself is probably the best and choice of doctors etc …

We went public and loved it. No complaints here.

I went public with my bub, and had the best experience with the midwives and doctors. My pregnancy was considered high risk due to my pre pregnancy weight, but I didn’t have any complications during my pregnancy.
Bub’s actual birth happened really fast though (after a reaaaallllyyy long time of no progress!), he was born in about 9 minutes. I had a really bad haemorrhage after he was born so I was kept in the birthing suite where I had him for 24 hours before being moved to a private room for the rest of my stay.

I went private – we already had private health insurance so might s well use it! I also liked knowing I was going to have a private room while I was in hospital with Bub.

private for first and public for second

i went private for my first but public for the rest and didnt notice a difference whatsoever

I went public with both of my pregnancies. But I found the care in the country hospital exceptional compared to the city. In the country, I was a person, in the city, I was a UR number.

I went public with all 4. The “city” hospital you felt like another number. The “country” hospital, the best. I felt like a real mum from the moment I walked through the door. “Country Hospital’s” rock.

I went public for my first 3 and private for my last. I got exactly the same care except I had a room to myself and didn’t have to share a bathroom which is nice when your not feeling your best.

I was a private patient in a public hospital. I had my own obstetrician, who was great, and he was there when my daughter was born. I think we might have had a $200 gap (hospital fee), but everything else was covered.

We went public health with our daughter and it was fantastic. It really makes you appreciate how lucky we are to have access to great hospitals and care. We had no issues with both the pregnancy and birth though. Maybe if we knew something was wrong or were high risk we may have gone private.

I went private as I live near some pretty ordinary hospitals in Sydney (did you hear about the woman who was received an epidural but it was cleaning fluid? I’m near THAT hospital! ). My sister went public for her 2 and had 2 emergency ceasarians and 2nd time around she ended up with a ruptured uterus and both her and baby were nearly lost. She would still go public again but I tend to think her experience could have been better if she was under the care of an obstetrician. My obs was away for the birth of my baby but I ended up getting her relief obs who was far more expensive (I didnt have to pay extra) and more exclusive.

I went public with both of mine. The first was in a little town which was like a provate hospital with our own room etc and the second in a hospital in Perth. That was not a nice experience!

Private for first one then moved to a country town with no private options so public after

My first was public, my second was private. If I have another I will definitely be going private. I went public with my first as I wanted to get out of hospital ASAP. I did leave when I wanted which was great but I wished I had gone private. I ended up needing a Caesarian and had to wait 7 hours for it. I didn’t have an electric bed so it was really difficult to even go to the toilet without assistance. There were some issues that I thought I had sorted out about holding my baby ASAP after the birth but by the time I had her there were new staff on and I had to get them resolved again and didn’t get to hold my baby until she was given a bath. I had to share with the worst new mother ever and it drove me nuts. She was so demanding that the midwives avoided our room. When I went to a private OB for my second he told me that he would have let me go a lot longer before opting for a Caesarian and wouldn’t have induced so early. He thinks my body would have gone into labour naturally. My care with him was so much better than waiting for the OB/midwife clinic at the hospital (who used to mix up my ‘appointments’ and tell me I would have to come back, info wasn’t passed on properly, etc). I much preferred the continuity of care with my OB and there was no last minute panic to see other specialists that some random OB thought I should see. I had some issues with my second which were quickly picked up by my OB that I am sure would have been missed if I stayed in the public system.

I went private because I liked the fact that I could choose my obstetrician and its the best thing I ever did. The care I received was top notch and I could call after hours etc as I had a few issues in a few of my pregnancies and there was no problem with going in straight away to be checked. Plus she had a ultra sound in her room so I had an ultrasound every appointment Again it probably depends on who you choose as I had sister in law who went private for her first and was considering going public but when I recommended my ob she decided to try and after her pregnancy she said the difference/experience between the 2 private obs were huge and she was glad she swapped. So maybe make sure you go with an ob that people think highly off.

I wnet Private for me the Cost of doing so was worth it We made this decision for my first pregnacy but things didnt go to plan and bubs was born critically ill at 24 weeks. For the following 3 pregnacies we decided to stay with the same OB as we needed forghnightly appointments to closely monitor issues. To make sure things were ok. Although you may go private there is not garentee you will have the OB you have paid for I was lucky i did.( I always went into labour and had bubs within a few hours each time. Between 10pm and 2am for each birth) But I have heard stories if you go in to labour on weekends or middle of the night some private OBs have rotating roosters where you might end up with a different OB that only has your notes.