Public Vs Private Birthing: 6 Mums Who've Done Both Reveal Which They Wouldn't Choose Again

It’s one of the greatest birthing debates, and one that is rarely settled - as every mother’s experience differs from the rest - so when it comes to choosing whether you give birth publicly or privately, which way is best?

We sought the help of 6 mums who have given birth at least once in a public hospital, and once in a private hospital, and asked them a series of questions that may help you make the decision when you start thinking about falling pregnant. It’s important to note that no choice is ‘superior’, but it is a flippin’ important decision, so it pays to hear from other mums who have been there. But first, here are a few things to consider…

Your location

As is the case all over Australia, the calibre of public and private hospitals in certain areas can differ quite drastically. So it’s definitely worth surveying anyone you know in the area who has given birth close by, or reaching out to your area’s Facebook page to ask residents for their experiences. 

Your health care

If you have undertaken private health insurance for pregnancy and birth and held it for at least a year, you should be covered for many of the costs that coincide with birthing in a private hospital. However, it’s always best to ring both the private hospital you have in mind, and your private health care provider to obtain a list of costings and determine exactly what you’re covered for and where you might be out of pocket. Also, just because you have private health cover doesn’t mean that’s necessarily the best option where you live. As mentioned in the previous point, it pays to do you due diligence.

Any specifics you have in mind

If you have a specific obstetrician in mind, or strictly want to deal with midwives only, these things can help make your decision easier. Likewise, if you would prefer to be part of a Group Midwife Program (where you’re looked after by the same midwife throughout your entire pregnancy including at the birth and then visit you at home), and this is offered at a public hospital in your area, then this might be a reason to choose birthing in a public hospital. But these groups can be difficult to get into, so (trust me!) pee on the stick, call your partner and then make this call the very next one you make!

You’re having multiples, or you have pregnancy complications

Again, depending on where you live, there may be a specific hospital that provides specialised care in the form of a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Speak to your doctor about any special care that you may need throughout your pregnancy and after your baby has arrived.

So now, let’s hear from the mums who’ve been there, done both...

1. Which did you opt for with your first birth, private or public - and why did you make that choice?

Keely and her twins, Louis and Francesca.

Keely, mum of three (one set of twins) chose PRIVATE first:

“For our first baby we chose to go private, mainly for fear of the unknown - would it be a complicated pregnancy or a straightforward one? We felt like we knew nothing and liked the idea of all the classes offered by the Mater. I also didn’t like the idea of being sent home from hospital so soon after the baby is born and before my milk came in.”

Rachel, mum of three, chose PRIVATE first:

“For my first birth I opted for a private hospital and a private obstetrician. I just had in my head ‘more expensive = better quality of service, right?’. I also had private health insurance to cover the hospital cost and we could at the time afford the OB fees so it felt like a no brainer to just have “the best” if we could. I also wanted a private room to give birth in and had an impression that public hospitals may not be able to offer that.”

Cat, mum of three, chose PRIVATE first:

“Norwest Private Hospital. First baby and didn’t really know any better. I figured that’s what I was paying for in my private health cover. But then, most importantly, at 30 weeks, I realised baby was breech and there was a good chance they weren’t going to turn around. I tried everything but in the end, my OB was adamant I needed to have a c-section and at the time, the private hospital was the best option."

Bree, mum of two, chose PUBLIC first:

“We went public with our first because we fell pregnant pretty quickly after our wedding and didn’t really have much by way of savings behind us. Once we found out what the cost would be to go private even though we had a private health, it just wasn't viable.”

Madeleine, mum of one and pregnant with her second child:

“I went with RNSH (Public) as It was my first pregnancy and at the time I didn't have the correct health insurance cover to go private. As my obstetrician works in both public and private It definitely helped make my decision.”

Cara, mum of three, chose to go PUBLIC for her first baby:

“We didn’t really have the luxury of choice for our first baby as he was a surprise addition and we didn’t have the correct health insurance, so public it was.”

2. What made you want to change for your second or subsequent births?

Madeleine and her son, Alejandro.

Keely, gave birth to her twins in a PUBLIC hospital:

“When I fell pregnant with twins we decided to go private again, as it would most likely be a more complicated pregnancy than my first. We also decided to use the same OB because we felt comfortable with him and had no issues with my first pregnancy. However, I went into labour at 29 weeks and had to be transferred to RNS hospital and it was the best experience! The midwives and doctors were absolutely fantastic and the care my premature twins received was second to none - we couldn’t have been in a better place!”

Rachel, gave birth to her two subsequent babies in a PUBLIC hospital:

“It was my experience with my appointments and actual birth that made me want to switch to having a midwife deliver my baby rather than an OB. In my pregnancy I was surprised that my OB appointments were quite brief as a health professional would know. In the public system I had multiple visits from the midwives and community baby nurse to my home post birth to check on us and the after birth care and advice was so much better!

I was pushed to be induced early as my Bub was on the smaller side and then my birth had a lot of intervention that ended in a full episiotomy! It was pretty traumatic and I vowed that next time I would seek out a midwife who would advocate and support me for a more natural birth.

The experience of changing was easy. I simply called my local hospital and was lucky enough to get on their midwife program. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear they offered water births and usually would get my own room too! My appointments were far more in-depth into my health history etc and she offered lots of advice along the way.

I also was surprised with my first birth how little after-birth care there was in the private system. You have one appointment checkup at 6 weeks but before and after it that’s it!”

Cat, was advised to give birth to her second child in a public hospital:

“My OB knew how how upset I was that I didn’t get to experience a vaginal birth and told me that I could try if it was over 18 months between births and everything was tracking well. It ended up being 19 months and he said so long as I would have the baby at Westmead Hospital, I could attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after caeserean). I joined a Facebook group and empowered myself with stories, as well as research, to prepare myself to give birth in a public hospital. The research says you’re more likely to have a successful VBAC in a public hospital.”

Bree, chose to go PRIVATE for her second baby:

“With my first pregnancy towards the end I was classified as a high risk pregnancy and was sent to a new hospital and ended up sticking with one Dr there instead of the multiple you would normally see and he was fantastic and went above and beyond. So when I fell pregnant again a few years later I looked him up and he was now an OB in the private hospital. I agonised over the cost just for the OB services, but hubby and I talked and because we got moved around so much in the public system and they didn’t understand the genetic problem we were dealing with I didn’t want to go through that again so we decided even though it was going to cost a quite a bit it was the right thing to do.”

Madeleine, is choosing to private for her second baby:

“After the birth of our son we decided to upgrade our cover so that we could go private next time and have more benefits from our health insurance. My experience was okay but there were definitely moments where I felt very anxious. They had a mix up of when I was meant to have my c section so I was sitting in the theatre waiting room whilst another woman was giving birth, it definitely put me on edge and put a lot of unnecessary emotional stress on me as I was already so scared. When I was discharged I was given no pain medication which was very surprising as I had just had major surgery. I had a great team with my c-section but I did go to a public hospital and have my own Doctors, which made me feel comfortable.”

Cara, chose to go PRIVATE for her two subsequent babies:

“We had a horribly scary delivery with our first. We almost lost him, had it not been for a wonderful doctor pulling rank over the midwife. We felt the conflicting birth philosophies between midwife and obstetrician hugely contributed to the birth complications. 

We chose to go private for our following two babies as we wanted the continuity of care a private obstetrician could provide. We chose to birth in a private hospital as I was booking in elective caesareans and would be admitted for multiple days. 

The experience between private and public hospitals could not have been more opposite in many ways. Ultimately for us it came down to the obstetrician.”

3. Which way would you go if you were to fall pregnant again?

Bree and baby Cash.

Keely:

“If we were to have another baby (no chance in hell of this!) I would definitely go public! Sure the Mater is lovely and is more like a hotel experience than a hospital one, the care my babies and I received in the public was seriously amazing. The nurses and the NICU ward were heaven sent; they took the best care of our teeny tiny babies and were so supportive to James and me. I can’t comment on the public system for the remainder of your pregnancy, but in terms of delivery - public is amazing!!”

Rachel:

“Public system for sure! The support and care I received from the amazing midwives that looked after me was thinking incredible. They do not get paid enough!”

Cat:

“With my third, I fell into COVID territory and for this reason, I had my fingers and toes crossed to return to the private system with everything going on. Because I had the successful VBAC and my pregnancy was progressing well, my OB was comfortable with me having the baby in a private hospital again. Because I trust him with my life and he’s always been right with the way things go for me, I listened to him.

To sum it up, I was ultimately happy with private overall but it took three attempts.”

Bree:

“I would go private all the way! Hands down!”

Madeleine:

“I am currently pregnant with my second baby, I have decided to go private which I am very excited about as it was what I wanted to do the first time around but unfortunately couldn't. 

I adore my obstetrician, she is fantastic, she was very supportive and informative about the hospital I have chosen and the best part is her consulting rooms are only one level away!”

Cara:

“Without a doubt Private!”

Disclaimer: we only use real parents with real experiences in our articles. If you're reading a story, you better believe it happened, and the recount you're getting is firsthand - and excellent.